Lei DENG

Professional Title: Professor

Education: PhD

Research Fields:

1. Gut Microbiota-Mucosal Immune Crosstalk and Homeostatic Regulation

2. Immune Evasion Mechanisms of Enteric Pathogens and Host Immune Response Regulation

3. Neuroimmune Crosstalk in the Gut during Enteric Pathogen Infection

1. Introduction

Dr. Lei Deng is a Principal Investigator in SHVRI, CAAS. He received his Ph.D. from Sichuan Agricultural University and completed part of his doctoral training at the National University of Singapore. He then pursued postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), affiliated with Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where his research focused on mucosal immunology and the gut microbiome.

Dr. Deng's research centers on the interplay between the intestinal microbiota and host mucosal immunity. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as The Lancet Microbe (In press), Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, Advanced Science, Theranostics, Gut Microbes, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, and PLOS Pathogens.

We welcome highly motivated postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D. students, Master’s students, research assistants, and visiting scholars to join our team and contribute to our ongoing efforts in gut microbiota and mucosal immunology research.

2. Contact Information

Tel: +86-02-34293412

Cell: +86-15760274320

E-mail: ldeng@shvri.ac.cn; cdl931023@163.com

3. Selected Publications

(1). Lei Deng; Kevin Shyong Wei Tan ; From parasite to partner: unraveling the multifaceted role of Blastocystis in human health and disease. The Lancet Microbe. 2025. (In press)

(2). Lei Deng; Kevin Shyong Wei Tan ; Unveiling the hidden ally: Blastocystis links healthier diets and cardiometabolic benefits, Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2025, 10(77)

(3). Lei Deng; Kevin Shyong Wei Tan ; Decoding Blastocystis-driven mechanisms in gut microbiota and host metabolism, Advanced Science, 2025. e2416325

(4). Lei Deng; Lukasz Wojciech; Chin Wen Png; Dorinda Yan Qin Kioh; Yuxiang Gu; Thet Tun Aung; Benoit Malleret; Eric Chun Yong Chan; Guangneng Peng; Yongliang Zhang; Nicholas Robert John Gascoigne; Kevin Shyong Wei Tan ; Colonization with two different Blastocystis subtypes in DSSinduced colitis mice is associated with strikingly different microbiome and pathological features, Theranostics, 2023, 13(3): 1165-1179

(5). Lei Deng; Shaohui Wang ; Colonization resistance: the role of gut microbiota in preventing Salmonella invasion and infection, Gut Microbes, 2024, 16(1)

(6). Lei Deng; Lukasz Wojciech; Chin Wen Png; Dorinda Yan Qin Kioh; Geok Choo Ng; Eric Chun Yong Chan; Yongliang Zhang; Nicholas R. J. Gascoigne; Kevin Shyong Wei Tan ; Colonization with ubiquitous protist Blastocystis ST1 ameliorates DSS-induced colitis and promotes beneficial microbiota and immune outcomes, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 2023, 9(1)

(7). Lei Deng; Lukasz Wojciech; Chin Wen Png; Eileen Yiling Koh; Thet Tun Aung; Dorinda Yan Qin Kioh; Eric Chun Yong Chan; Benoit Malleret; Yongliang Zhang; Guangneng Peng; Nicholas Robert John Gascoigne; Kevin Shyong Wei Tan ; Experimental colonization with Blastocystis ST4 is associated with protective immune responses and modulation of gut microbiome in a DSS-induced colitis mouse model, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 2022, 79(5)

(8). Lei Deng; Lukasz Wojciech; Nicholas R. J. Gascoigne; Guangneng Peng; Kevin S. W. Tan ; New insights into the interactions between Blastocystis, the gut microbiota, and host immunity, PLOS Pathogens, 2021, 17(2): e1009253

(9). Lei Deng; Shanyu Chen; Wanyu Meng; Ziyao Zhou; Haifeng Liu; Zhijun Zhong; Hualin Fu; Liuhong Shen; Suizhong Cao; Kevin S. W. Tan; Guangneng Peng ; Changes in Gut Microbiota Composition Associated with the Presence of Enteric Protist Blastocystis in Captive Forest Musk Deer (Moschus Berezovskii), Microbiology spectrum, 2022, 10(4)

(10). Lei Deng; Jonathan W. J. Lee; Kevin S.W. Tan ; Infection with pathogenic Blastocystis ST7 is associated with decreased bacterial diversity and altered gut microbiome profiles in diarrheal patients, Parasites & Vectors, 2022, 15(1): 312-312