Overview
Dr. Timothy Wang is a leading expert in gastroenterology cancer research and patient care. His research specifically focuses on transgenic/ knockout mice, stem cells, lineage tracing, bone marrow-derived cells, and FACS analysis of immune/epithelial cells in the gut. His laboratory has for decades investigated the molecular mechanisms of gastrointestinal carcinogenesis, and has been continuously funded by the NIH for 29 years and by the NCI for 14 years. His lab has worked for many years on the role of inflammation in promoting gastrointestinal neoplasia, including colon cancer. His research has defined key roles for stromal cells in tumor development, including myeloid cells.
Dr. Wang is the GI Division Chief at Columbia and serves as Co-leader of the Tumor Biology and Microenvironment Program of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also serves as director of the Columbia University NCI U54 Tumor Microenvironment (TMEN) program and directs the Barrett’s Esophageal Translational Research Network (BETRNet) program and the Intestinal Stem Cell Consortium (ISCC) at Columbia.
In addition to his leadership at Columbia, Dr. Wang has served as President of the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA). His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Outstanding Investigator Award from the NCI, the Irene and Arthur Fishberg Prize for medical research, the Ruth Leff Siegel Award for pancreatic cancer research, and the William Beaumont Prize in Gastroenterology from the AGA. Over his career, he has organized numerous conferences, including conferences on Gastrin, Regulatory Peptides, AACR Symposium on Gastric Cancer, Tumor Microenvironment, and Keystone Conferences.
Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated
- Colon Cancer Screening and Prevention
- Gastric Cancer
- Peptic Ulcer Disease
Academic Appointments
- Dorothy L. and Daniel H. Silberberg Professor of Medicine
Administrative Titles
- Chief, Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases
- Co-Director, Tumor Biology and Microenvironment Program, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Director, GI/Pancreas Program in Development, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Hospital Affiliations
- NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Gender
- Male
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Location(s)
Insurance Accepted
Aetna
- Aetna Signature Administrators
- EPO
- NYP Employee Plan
- NY Signature
- POS
- PPO
- Student Health
Affinity Health Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
AgeWell
- Medicare Managed Care
- Special Needs
Amerigroup of New Jersey
- New Jersey Services (Medicaid Managed Care)
Cigna
- EPO
- Great West (National)
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
Emblem/GHI
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Emblem/HIP
- ConnectiCare
- EPO
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
- Select Care (Exchange)
- Vytra
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
Fidelis Care
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
Healthfirst
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Leaf (Exchange)
- Medicare Managed Care
Local 1199
- Local 1199
MagnaCare (National)
- MagnaCare
Medicare
- Railroad
- Traditional Medicare
Multiplan
- Multiplan
MVP Health Care
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
Quality Health Management
- Quality Health Management
RiverSpring
- Special Needs
UnitedHealthcare
- Columbia University Employee Plan
- Compass (Exchange)
- Empire Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid (Community Plan)
- Medicare Managed Care
- Oxford Freedom
- Oxford HMO
- Oxford Liberty
- POS
- PPO
VNSNY CHOICE
- SelectHealth
WellCare
- Medicare Managed Care
World Trade Center Health Plan
- World Trade Center Health Plan
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
- Internship: Barnes Jewish Hospital
- Residency: Barnes Jewish Hospital
- Fellowship: Harvard Hospitals
Board Certifications
- Gastroenterology
- Internal Medicine
Honors & Awards
Research
My laboratory has for decades investigated the molecular mechanisms of gastrointestinal carcinogenesis, continuously funded by the NIH for 30 years and by the NCI for 15 years, currently funded by an NCI R35 Outstanding Investigator Award. My lab has worked for many years on the role of inflammation in modulating stem cells and promoting gastrointestinal neoplasia using mouse models. I have defined key roles for stromal cells in tumor development, including myeloid cells, ILCs and nerves. Our lab makes extensive use of transgenic/ knockout mice, stem cells, lineage tracing, 3D organoids, scRNA-seq and FACS analysis of immune/epithelial cells in the gut.
I am also GI Division Chief at Columbia, and Director of the GI/Pancreas Cancer Program and Tumor Biology and Microenvironment (TBM) program in the Herbert Irving Cancer Center. I served for over a decade as director of the Columbia NCI U54 Tumor Microenvironment (TMEN) program, and I currently direct the Barrett’s Esophageal Translational Research Network (BETRNet) program and the NIDDK UO1 Intestinal Stem Cell Consortium (ISCC) at Columbia. I am Past President of the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA), and recipient of the William Beaumont Award.
Over the past decade, my laboratory has increasingly focused on pancreatic cancer with several high-profile publications. Our lab has published frequently in high impact journals including Cell Stem Cell, Cancer Cell, Cell, Science, Nature, and Gastroenterology. I am the Research Director for the Pancreas Center; and have brought together basic and clinical investigators into a cohesive, translational program. I enjoy mentoring fellows and postdocs, having trained many on T32 and K grants. Our lab collaborates extensively with more than a dozen investigators at CUIMC, and many others worldwide.
Dr. Wang began his research career in the area of gastrin biology, and his research has continued to explore the role of gastrin peptides in diverse diseases including peptic ulcer disease, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer. His laboratory was the first to generate gastrin knockout mice and to demonstrate using transgenic technology in vivo roles for progastrin. Most recently, he has demonstrated a role for progastrin and the gastrin receptor in modulating colonic stem cell symmetric division (J. Clin. Invest. 2009). He has been a leader in the field of gastrin biology, and his work in the field of gut hormones has included organizing the International Conference on Gastrin (1999) and the International Regulatory Peptide Conference (2002).
Research Interests
- Chronic inflammation in modulating stem cells in ways that predispose to gastrointestinal cancers
- Colorectal Cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Stem Cells
- Tumor Biology
Grants
CURRENT FUNDING ( PI and MPI grants):
- NCI OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATOR AWARD (Wang) 1R35CA210088-06 Funding Agency: NIH/NCI Title: The Role of Stem Cells and the Microenvironment in Gastrointestinal Cancer Principal Investigator: Timothy C. Wang, MD Period: 12/07/2016-08/31/2030
- NIH R01 DK128195-02 Funding Agency: NIH/NIDDK Title: Gastrin Regulation of Gastric Antral Stem and Corpus Progenitor Cells Principal Investigator: Timothy C. Wang, MD Period: 09/23/2021 - 08/31/2025
- NIH 5T32 DK083256-16 Funding Agency: NIH/NIDDK Title: Multidisciplinary Training in Translational Gastrointestinal and Liver Research Principal Investigator: Timothy C. Wang, MD Period: 07/01/09 - 06/30/2029
- NIH U01DK103155-09 Funding Agency: NIH/NIDDK/Office of the Director Title: Understanding stem cell heterogeneity and niche function in intestinal regeneration after irradiation Principal Investigators: Timothy C. Wang MD / Chandan Guha MBBS PhD Period: 09/15/2014 - 08/31/2024
- NIH U01DK103155-09S1 Funding Agency: NIH/NIDDK/Office of the Director Title: Understanding stem cell heterogeneity and niche function in intestinal regeneration after irradiation Principal Investigators: Timothy C. Wang MD / Chandan Guha MBBS PhD Period: 09/01/2022 - 08/31/2024
- DOD W81XWH-21-1-0901 (PA200056) Funding Agency: US Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), Pancreatic Cancer Research Program (PCARP) Title: Modulating neural signaling in the reatment of pancreatic cancer Principal Investigators: Timothy C. Wang, MD / Susan E. Bates, MD Period: 9/15/2021 - 9/14/2024
- Torrey Coast Foundation Award Funding Agency: Torrey Coast Foundation Title: Targeting myeloid cells to enhance immunotherapy targeting T cells Principal Investigator: Timothy C. Wang, MD Period: 12/01/2021-11/30/2024
- NIH R01CA272901-02 Funding Agency: NIH/NCI Title: Gastroesophageal junction stem cells as the origin of Barrett’s esophagus and cancer Principal Investigators: Timothy C. Wang MD / Jianwen Que MD PhD Period: 09/01/2022 - 08/31/2027
Selected Publications
- Malagola E, Vasciaveo A, Ochiai Y, Kim W, Zheng B, Zanella L, Wang ALE, Middelhoff M, Nienhüser H, Deng L, Wu F, Waterbury QT, Belin B, LaBella J, Zamechek LB, Wong MH, Li L, Guha C, Cheng CW, Yan KS, Califano A, Wang TC. Isthmus progenitor cells contribute to homeostatic cellular turnover and support regeneration following intestinal injury. Cell. 2024 Jun 6;187(12):3056-3071.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.05.004. PMID: 38848678
- Jiang Z, Wu F, Laise P, Takayuki T, Na F, Kim W, Kobayashi H, Chang W, Takahashi R, Valenti G, Sunagawa M, White RA, Macchini M, Renz BW, Middelhoff M, Hayakawa Y, Dubeykovskaya ZA, Tan X, Chu TH, Nagar K, Tailor Y, Belin BR, Anand A, Asfaha S, Finlayson MO, Iuga AC, Califano A, Wang TC. Tff2 defines transit-amplifying pancreatic acinar progenitors that lack regenerative potential and are protective against Kras-driven carcinogenesis. Cell Stem Cell. 2023 Aug 3;30(8):1091-1109.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.07.002. PMID: 37541213
- Quante M, Bhagat G, Abrams J, Marache F, Good P, Lee MD, Li Y, Friedman R, Asfaha S, Dubeykovskaya Z, Mahmood U, Figueiredo JL, Kitajewski J, Shawber C, Lightdale C, Rustgi AK, Wang TC. (2012) Bile acid and inflammation activate gastric cardia stem cells in a mouse model of Barrett’s-like metaplasia. Cancer Cell; 21(1):36-51. PMCID: PMC3266546.
- Worthley DL, Churchill M, Compton JT … Lee FY, Karsenty G, Mukherjee S, Wang TC. (2015) Gremlin1 identifies a skeletal stem cell with bone cartilage and reticular stromal potential. Cell; 160(1-2):269-84. PMCID: PMC4436082.
- Renz BW, Takahashi R, Tanaka T, Macchini M, Hayakawa Y, Dantes Z, Maurer HC, Chen X, Jiang Z, Westphalen CB, Ilmer M, Valenti G, Mohanta SK, Habenicht AJR, Middelhoff M, Chu T, Nagar K, Tailor Y, Casadei R, Di Marco M, Kleespies A, Friedman RA, Remotti H, Reichert M, Worthley DL, Neumann J, Werner J, Iuga AC, Olive KP, Wang TC. (2018) β2 Adrenergic-Neurotrophin Feedforward Loop Promotes Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Cell; 8;33(1):75-90. PMCID: PMC760435.
- Chang W, Wang H, Kim W, Liu Y, Deng H, Liu H, Jiang Z, Niu Z, Sheng W, Nápoles OC, Sun Y, Xu J, Sepulveda A, Hayakawa Y, Bass AJ, Wang TC. Hormonal suppression of stem cells inhibits symmetric cell division and gastric tumorigenesis. Cell Stem Cell. 2020 Feb 20. pii: S1934-5909(20)30020-5. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2020.01.020. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 32142681
- Renz BW, Takahashi R, Tanaka T, Macchini M, Hayakawa Y, Dantes Z, Maurer HC, Chen X, Jiang Z, Westphalen CB, Ilmer M, Valenti G, Mohanta SK, Habenicht AJR, Middelhoff M, Chu T, Nagar K, Tailor Y, Casadei R, Di Marco M, Kleespies A, Friedman RA, Remotti H, Reichert M, Worthley DL, Neumann J, Werner J, Iuga AC, Olive KP, Wang TC. B2 adrenergic-neurotrophin feedforward loop promotes pancreatic cancer. Cancer Cell. 2018; 33(1):75-90.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2017.11.007. PMID:29249692
- Worthley DL, Churchill M, Compton JT, Tailor Y, Rao M, Si Y, Levin D, Schwartz MG, Uygur A, Hayakawa Y, Gross S, Renz BW, Setlik W, Martinez AN, Chen X, Nizami S, Lee HG, Kang HP, Caldwell JM, Asfaha S, Westphalen CB, Graham T, Jin G, Nagar K, Wang H, Kheirbek MA, Kolhe A, Carpenter J, Glaire M, Nair A, Renders S, Manieri N, Muthupalani S, Fox JG, Reichert M, Giraud AS, Schwabe RF, Pradere JP, Walton K, Prakash A, Gumucio D, Rustgi AK, Stappenbeck TS, Friedman RA, Gershon MD, Sims P, Grikscheit T, Lee FY, Karsenty G, Mukherjee S, Wang TC. Gremlin1 identifies a skeletal cell with bone, cartilage, and reticular stromal potential. Cell. 2015; 160(1-2):269-84. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.11.042. PMID:5594183
- Wang TC, Cardiff RD, Zuckerberg L, Lees E, Arnold A, and Schmidt EV. (1994) Mammary hyperplasia and carcinoma in MMTV-Cyclin D1 transgenic mice. Nature 369:669-71
- Fox JG, Beck P, Dangler CA, Whary MT, Wang TC, Shi HN, and Anderson CN. (2000) Concurrent enteric helminth infection modulates inflammation, gastric immune responses, and reduces Helicobacter-induced gastric atrophy. Nature Medicine 6:536-42
- Houghton J, Stoicov C, Nomura S, Rogers AB, Carlson J, Li H, Cai X, Fox JG, Goldenring JR, Wang TC. (2004) Gastric cancer originating from bone marrow-derived cells. Science 306:1568-71
- Tu S, Bhagat G, Cui G, Takaishi S, Kurt-Jones EA, Rickman B, Betz KS, Penz-Oesterreicher M, Bjorkdahl O, Fox JG, Wang TC. (2008) Overexpression of interleukin-1beta induces gastric inflammation and cancer and mobilizes myeloid-derived suppressor cells in mice. Cancer Cell 14:408-19
- Takaishi S, Okumura T, Tu S, Wang SS, Shibata W, Vigneshwaran R, Gordon SA, Shimada Y, Wang TC.
- (2009) Identification of gastric cancer stem cells using the cell surface marker CD44. Stem Cells 27:1006-20
- Jin G, Ramanathan V, Baik GH, Wang SSW, Tu S, Pritchard DM, Varro A, Shulkes A, Wang TC. (2009 ) Inactivation of the cholecystokinin-2 receptor inhibits progastrin-dependent crypt fission, colonic proliferation and colorectal cancer. Journal of Clinical Investigation Sept:
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov