• Microbiome in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers (colorectal, gastric, and liver cancers)
• Genomic and epigenomic alterations in GI cancers
• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its associated liver cancer
• Biomarkers for early detection of GI cancers

Jun Yu’s research focuses on gastrointestinal (GI) cancers (colorectum, stomach and liver cancers), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and the microbiome, including: 1) understanding the role and the underline mechanisms of the gut microbiome in GI cancers and MASLD; 2) elucidating the host genetic, epigenetic and epitranscriptomic mechanisms underlying GI cancers and MASLD; 3) identifying probiotics for the prevention and treatment, and 4) discovering molecular biomarkers for the non-invasive diagnosis of GI cancers and MASLD.

Jun Yu is Choh-Ming Li Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics, Assistant Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Director of the Institute of Digestive Disease, and Director of State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). She has been a CUHK faculty member since Aug 2005 and became full professor in Apr 2011.

Jun is a Member of Academia Europaea, Member and Co-Director of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, and Member of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. She also served in international and national organizations, including Council Member, the American Gastroenterological Association; Member, International Cancer Microbiome Consortium UK; Vice-Chairman, Cancer and Gut Microbiome Section of National Anti-Cancer Association, etc. She is Editor-in-chief for iMetaOmics; Associate Editor for Gut, Cancer Biology & Medicine, Molecular Oncology; and Advisory board for Cancer Cell, iMeta, Cell Metab, etc.

Her research interests include the molecular pathogenesis, gut microbiome, and diagnostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets of gastrointestinal cancers (colorectum, stomach, liver) and fatty liver disease. She has published 666 peer-reviewed publications, with 354 papers as corresponding author, including Cell, Cancer Cell, Cell Metab, etc. Among the publications, 283 papers have an impact factor (IF) >10 and 140 papers with IF >20, with ISI citation count of 63,649 and H-index of 121.

Jun has translated basic scientific discoveries into commercialisable products, with intellectual property including 35 patents approved and additional 39 patents filed in US, Europe, China and Taiwan. Two licensed molecular biomarkers on the early detection of colorectal cancer (miRNA92a) and gastric cancer (methylated RNF180) have been approved by NMPA (#20183400108 and #20203400447) for clinical application in >600 hospitals in mainland China. An additional stool bacterial biomarker (M3 test) has been clinically used in Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific for the early, non-invasive diagnosis of colorectal cancer. These molecular biomarkers significantly benefit patient care by facilitating early cancer diagnosis and guiding the management of gastrointestinal cancers.

In recognition of her research, Jun has received national and international research-related awards, including American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) Oncology Research Mentor Award U.S. 2017 (the first awardee from the Asia-Pacific region and the first female awardee outside the U.S.), Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2023, 2024 and 2025; Cell Press Chian Outstanding Female Scientist of the Year (2025), Annual Paper Award (2025), Most picked Paper Award (2025); National Natural Science Award (2016, 2020), Guanghua Engineering Technology Award 2023, National Science and Technology Person – Influential Scientist Award 2024, National Top 100 Excellent Clinician 2024, Wu Jiaping-Paul Janssen Medical & Pharmaceutical Award 2023, Top basic Scientist in Global Gut Microbiome Research 2022, Top 10 Scholar in Global Gut Microbiome Study 2019, He Liang He Li Scientific and Technological Progress Award 2018, Croucher Senior Research Fellowship Hong Kong 2016, etc. Jun is ranked the top one female scientist in China and top 96 scientist worldwide (2024, Research.com), and World’s Top 2% Scientists (2024, Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators). Under her leadership, the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology ranked 2nd globally and 1st in Asia (US News).

1. Best Female Scientists Award, Reseach.com (2025)
2. Outstanding Female Scientist of the Year, Cell Press China (2025)
3. Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate (2023 – 2025)
4. Guanghua Engineering Science & Technology Prize, Chinese Academy of Engineering (2022)
5. The National Natural Science Award (Second Class), The State Council of the People’s Republic of China (2021)
6. Science and Tech Progress Awards of He Liang and He Li Fund, He Liang He Li Foundation (2018)
7. Research Mentor Award, American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) (2017)
8. The National Natural Science Award (Second Class), The State Council of the People’s Republic of China (2016)
9. Croucher Senior Research Fellowship, Croucher Foundation (2016)
10. The National Award for Science and Technology Progress, The State Council of the People’s Republic of China (2012)

1. Fu K, Cheung AHK, Wong CC, Liu W, Zhou Y, Wang F, Huang P, Yuan K, Coker OO, Pan Y, Chen D, Lam NM, Gao M, Zhang X, Huang H, To KF, Sung JJY, Yu J. Streptococcus anginosus promotes gastric inflammation, atrophy, and tumorigenesis in mice. Cell. 2024;187(4):882-896.e17. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.004.
2. Sun Y, Zhang X, Hang D, Lau HCH, Du J, Liu C, Xie M, Pan Y, Wang L, Liang C, Zhou X, Chen D, Rong J, Zhao Z, Cheung AHK, Wu Y, Gou H, Wong CC, Du L, Deng J, Hu Z, Shen H, Miao Y, Yu J. Integrative plasma and fecal metabolomics identify functional metabolites in adenoma-colorectal cancer progression and as early diagnostic biomarkers. Cancer Cell. 2024;42(8):1386-1400.e8. doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2024.07.005.
3. Xie M, Yuan K, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Zhang R, Gao J, Wei W, Jiang L, Li T, Ding Y, Wang L, Lin Y, Wong CC, Yu J. Tumor-resident probiotic Clostridium butyricum improves aPD-1 efficacy in colorectal cancer models by inhibiting IL-6-mediated immunosuppression. Cancer Cell. 2025;43(10):1885-1901.e10. doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2025.07.012.
4. Wang X, Fang Y, Liang W, Wong CC, Qin H, Gao Y, Liang M, Song L, Zhang Y, Fan M, Liu C, Lau HCH, Xu L, Li X, Song W, Wang J, Wang N, Yang T, Mo M, Zhang X, Fang J, Liao B, Sung JJY, Yu J. Fusobacterium nucleatum facilitates anti-PD-1 therapy in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer. Cancer Cell. 2024;42(10):1729-1746.e8. doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2024.08.019.
5. Li Q, Chan H, Liu WX, Liu CA, Zhou Y, Huang D, Wang X, Li X, Xie C, Liu WYZ, Wang XS, Ng SK, Gou H, Zhao LY, Fong W, Jiang L, Lin Y, Zhao G, Bai F, Liu X, Chen H, Zhang L, Wong SH, Chan MTV, Wu WKK, Yu J. Carnobacterium maltaromaticum boosts intestinal vitamin D production to suppress colorectal cancer in female mice. Cancer Cell. 2023;41(8):1450-1465.e8. doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2023.06.011.
6. Zhang Y, Liu W, Wong CC, Song Q, Zhang X, Zhou Q, Ren X, Ren X, Xuan R, Zhao Y, Xu L, Li X, Xu L, Zhang X, Kuang M, Yu J. Catenibacterium mitsuokai promotes hepatocellular carcinogenesis by binding to hepatocytes and generating quinolinic acid. Cell Metabolism. 2025;37(10):1998-2013.e7. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2025.09.001.
7. Zhang X, Zheng MH, Liu D, Lin Y, Song SJ, Chu ESH, Liu D, Singh S, Berman M, Lau HCH, Gou H, Wong GLH, Zhang N, Yuan HY, Loomba R, Wong VWS, Yu J. A blood-based biomarker panel for non-invasive diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. Cell Metabolism. 2025;37(1):59-68.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2024.10.008.
8. Lu Y, Xu L, Chen W, Liu W, Zhang Y, Zhou Q, Wang N, Zhang Y, Bai H, Xu S, Huang P, Fu K, Xie W, Liu X, Wang X, Wong CC, Kuang M, Yu J. Intrahepatic microbial heterogeneity in multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma and its association with host genomic and transcriptomic alterations. Cancer Discovery. 2025;15(8):1630-1648. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.cd-24-1259.
9. Wang X, Fang Y, Liang W, Cai Y, Wong CC, Wang J, Wang N, Lau HCH, Jiao Y, Zhou X, Ye L, Mo M, Yang T, Fan M, Song L, Zhou H, Zhao Q, Chu ESH, Liang M, Liu W, Liu X, Zhang S, Shang H, Wei H, Li X, Xu L, Liao B, Sung JJY, Kuang M, Yu J. Gut–liver translocation of pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae promotes hepatocellular carcinoma in mice. Nature Microbiology. 2025;10(1):169-184. doi:10.1038/s41564-024-01890-9.
10. Liu Y, Wong CC, Ding Y, Gao M, Wen J, Lau HCH, Cheung AHK, Huang D, Huang H, Yu J. Peptostreptococcus anaerobius mediates anti-PD1 therapy resistance and exacerbates colorectal cancer via myeloid-derived suppressor cells in mice. Nature Microbiology. 2024;9(6):1467-1482. doi:10.1038/s41564-024-01695-w.
11. Wei W, Wong CC, Jia Z, Liu W, Liu C, Ji F, Pan Y, Wang F, Wang G, Zhao L, Chu ESH, Zhang X, Sung JJY, Yu J. Parabacteroides distasonis uses dietary inulin to suppress NASH via its metabolite pentadecanoic acid. Nature Microbiology. 2023;8(8):1534-1548. doi:10.1038/s41564-023-01418-7.
12. Long X, Wong CC, Tong L, Chu ESH, Szeto CH, Go MYY, Coker OO, Chan AWH, Chan FKL, Sung JJY, Yu J. Peptostreptococcus anaerobius promotes colorectal carcinogenesis and modulates tumour immunity. Nature Microbiology. 2019;4(12):2319-2330. doi:10.1038/s41564-019-0541-3.
13. Lin Y, Lau HCH, Liu C, Ding X, Sun Y, Rong J, Zhang X, Wang L, Yuan K, Miao Y, Wu WKK, Wong SH, Sung JJY, Yu J. Multi-cohort analysis reveals colorectal cancer tumor location-associated fecal microbiota and their clinical impact. Cell Host & Microbe. 2025;33(4):589-601.e3. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.012.
14. Wong CC, Yu J. Gut microbiota in colorectal cancer development and therapy. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology. 2023;20(7):429-452. doi:10.1038/s41571-023-00766-x.
15. Lau HCH, Zhang X, Yu J. Gut microbiome in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and associated hepatocellular carcinoma. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2025;22(9):619-638. doi:10.1038/s41575-025-01089-1.
16. Wong CC, Yu J. Mapping the pancancer metastasis tumor microbiome. Cell. 2024;187(9):2126-2128. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.040.
17. Yang J, Wei H, Zhou Y, Szeto CH, Li C, Lin Y, Coker OO, Lau HCH, Chan AWH, Sung JJY, Yu J. High-fat diet promotes colorectal tumorigenesis through modulating gut microbiota and metabolites. Gastroenterology. 2022;162(1):135-149.e2. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2021.08.041.
18. Chen H, Gao S, Liu W, Wong CC, Wu J, Wu J, Liu D, Gou H, Kang W, Zhai J, Li C, Su H, Wang S, Soares F, Han J, He HH, Yu J. RNA N⁶-methyladenosine methyltransferase METTL3 facilitates colorectal cancer by activating the m⁶A-GLUT1-mTORC1 axis and is a therapeutic target. Gastroenterology. 2021;160(4):1284-1300.e16. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2020.11.013.
19. Zhang X, Coker OO, Chu ESH, Fu K, Lau HCH, Wang YX, Chan AWH, Wei H, Yang X, Sung JJY, Yu J. Dietary cholesterol drives fatty liver-associated liver cancer by modulating gut microbiota and metabolites. Gut. 2021;70(4):761-774. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2019-319664.
20. Liu D, Wong CC, Fu L, Chen H, Zhao L, Li C, Zhou Y, Zhang Y, Xu W, Yang Y, Wu B, Cheng G, Lai PBS, Wong N, Sung JJY, Yu J. Squalene epoxidase drives NAFLD-induced hepatocellular carcinoma and is a pharmaceutical target. Science Translational Medicine. 2018;10(460):1-16. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aap9840.