Education

September 1998 – July 2001, Ph.D in Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University
September 1995 – July 1998, M.Sc in Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shanghai Medical University
September 1987 – July 1992, M.D., Anhui Medical University

Work experience

August 2007 – Present, Research Scientist, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
August 2003 – July 2007, Associate Research Scientist, International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Seoul, South Korea
September 2001 – July 2003, Post-doctoral fellow, Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Ministry of Education & Health, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University
September 1992 – August 1995, Epidemiologist, Chief of Division of TB Prevention and Control, Wuhu Institute for Tuberculosis Prevention and Control, Wuhu, Anhui, China

Contact

Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032 Tel: +86 21 54237865

Email: xywang@shmu.edu.cn

Biography

He received medical training at Anhui Medical University, and a Ph.D. on epidemiology from School of Public Health, followed by a postdoctoral training on immunology and molecular virology at Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University.

He is a senior scientist with an extensive experience in infectious disease research and vaccinology. He combines academic knowledge of epidemiology with the crucial understanding of healthcare systems and infrastructure in remote areas of China. The focus of his early work was hepatitis. With colleagues from Fudan University he conducted several landmark studies on hepatitis A control. He joined the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in 2003 with a focus on the enteric infectious disease research, including rotavirus, Shigella, S.typhi, S.paratyphi, and cholera. IVI provided opportunities to interact with a large multidisciplinary team which including social scientists and statisticians from Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and USA. After leaving IVI in 2007, he continued to work on viral hepatitis and enteric infectious diseases with an emphasis on epidemiology and vaccinology. Currently, His team works on the R&D of rotavirus and norovirus vaccines, and is responsible for the clinical development of a therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine. He has involved in the clinical development of vaccines and immunization strategy against hepatitis A, B and E, rotavirus, EV71 in China, and has published over 130 papers on vaccines and infectious diseases in peer-reviewed journals.

He serves as external expert of the Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration, member of the National Immunization Advisory Committee in China, and member of the Immunization and Vaccines Related Implementation Research Advisory Committee (IVIR-AC), World Health Organization. More recently he serves as a member of DSMBs and is overseeing clinical trials of several COVID-19 vaccines developed in China.

Research Areas

Molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases, & vaccinology

Research interest

The epidemiological characteristics of major gastroenteritis viruses—rotavirus and norovirus, and the distribution of the dominant rotavirus and norovirus strains in Chinese children were studied systematically by year. The evolution of their antigenic epitopes were analysed, and subsequently a rational composition of vaccine antigens was proposed using computational biology.

The promising persistent immunity following vaccination with a China-made live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine was demonstrated. Seventeen years after administration of a single dose hepatitis A vaccine, anti-HAV antibodies were detectable in 70% of vaccinees. Both HAV-specific T and B cell responses persisted in both anti-HAV positive and negative vaccinees. A booster dose elicited robust CD8+ T cell immune responses.

The clinical efficacy and immune mechanism of the antigen-antibody immuno-complex therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine was studied. The vaccine could contribute to the elimination of hepatitis B virus in a subgroup of chronic hepatitis B patients by reducing Treg cell subsets, and stimulating specific CD8+ T cell immune response. Based on current knowledge of antiviral therapy and our experiences with the antigen-antibody immuno-complex therapeutic vaccine, a "sandwich" approach (antiviral therapy to reduce the viral load + monoclonal antibody therapy to reduce surface antigen level + therapeutic vaccine to reshape immunity) to expedite the decrease of serum HBsAg in the chronic hepatitis B patients was proposed.

Selected Publications

Wu D, Ye Y, Tang L, Wang AB, Zhang R, Qian ZH, Wang FZ, Zheng H, Huang C, Lv XY, Wang HF, Zhang YY, Pan JJ, Li YF, Lu MX, Wang CS, Ma YT, An ZJ, Rodewald LE, Yin ZD, Wang XY*, Wu ZY, Shao YM. A Case-Case Study on the Effect of Primary and Booster immunization with China-produced COVID-19 Vaccines on Prevention of Pneumonia and Viral Load among Vaccinated Persons infected by Delta and Omicron Variants. Emerg Microbes Infect 2022:1-15.
Wang XY*, Mahmood SF, Jin F, Cheah WK, Ahmad M, Sohail MA, Ahmad W, Suppan VK, Sayeed MA, Luxmi S, Teo AH, Lee LY, Qi YY, Pei RJ, Deng W, Xu ZH, Yang JM, Zhang Y, Guan WX, Yu X. Efficacy of heterologous boosting against SARS-CoV-2 using a recombinant interferon-armed fusion protein vaccine (V-01): a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled phase III trial. Emerg Microbes Infect 2022:1-44.
Zhou HL, Chen LN, Wang SM, Tan M, Qiu C, Qiu TY, Wang XY*. Prevalence and Evolution of Noroviruses between 1966 and 2019, Implications for Vaccine Design. Pathogens 2021;10.
Zhou HL, Bessey T, Wang SM, Mo ZJ, Barclay L, Wang JX, Zhang CJ, Ma JC, Qiu C, Zhao G, Li RC, Zhao YL, Jiang B, Wang XY*. Burden and etiology of moderate and severe diarrhea in children less than 5 years of age living in north and south of China: Prospective, population-based surveillance. Gut Pathog 2021;13:33.
Wang JX, Chen LN, Zhang CJ, Zhou HL, Zhang YH, Zhang XJ, Hao ZY, Qiu C, Ma JC, Zhao YL, Zhong W, Tan M, Jiang X, Wang SM, Wang XY*. Genetic susceptibility to rotavirus infection in Chinese children: a population-based case-control study. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021;17:1803-10.
Chen Y, Zhao YL, Hao ZY, Zhang XJ, Ma JC, Zhang ZY, Zhang YH, Zhao G, Qiu C, Kilgore PE, Wang SM, Wang XY*. Long-term persistence of anti-HAV antibody conferred by a single dose of live-attenuated hepatitis A vaccine: Results from 17-year follow-up. J Viral Hepat 2021;28:1751-5.
Wang JX, Zhou HL, Mo ZJ, Wang SM, Hao ZY, Li Y, Zhen SS, Zhang CJ, Zhang XJ, Ma JC, Qiu C, Zhao G, Jiang B, Jiang X, Li RC, Zhao YL, Wang XY*. Burden of viral gastroenteritis in children living in rural China: Population-based surveillance. Int J Infect Dis 2020;90:151-60.
Wang XY, Wang B, Wen YM. From therapeutic antibodies to immune complex vaccines. NPJ vaccines 2019;4:2.
Zhou X, Geng S, Zhang S, Zhao W, Zhao G, Wen Y, Wang X*, Wang B. Biomarkers distinguish HBeAg seroconverted from non-converted individuals in chronic hepatitis B patients treated with a therapeutic vaccine. Cytokine 2018;106:176-81.
Wang XY, Wen YM. A "sandwich" strategy for functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Emerging microbes & infections 2018;7:91.
Chen Y, Zhou CL, Zhang XJ, Zhang YH, Hao ZY, Wang SM, Ma JC, Zhao G, Qiu C, Zhao YL, Wang B, Wang XY*. Immune memory at 17-years of follow-up of a single dose of live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine. Vaccine 2018;36:114-21.
Zhou C, Li C, Gong GZ, Wang S, Zhang JM, Xu DZ, Guo LM, Ren H, Xu M, Xie Q, Pan C, Xu J, Hu Z, Geng S, Zhou X, Wang X, Zhou X, Mi H, Zhao G, Yu W, Wen YM, Huang L, Wang XY*, Wang B. Analysis of immunological mechanisms exerted by HBsAg-HBIG therapeutic vaccine combined with Adefovir in chronic hepatitis B patients. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017;30:1-8.
Qiao N, Wang SM, Wang JX, Kang B, Zhen SS, Zhang XJ, Hao ZY, Ma JC, Qiu C, Zhao YL, Liu L, Wang XY. Variation analysis of norovirus among children with diarrhea in rural Hebei Province, north of China. Infect Genet Evol 2017;53:199-205.
Li RC^, Liu LD^, Mo ZJ^, Wang XY^, Xia JL^, Zhang Y, Li YP, Mao Q, Wang J, Jiang L, Dong C, Che Y, Huang T, Jiang Z, Xie Z, Wang L, Liao Y, Liang Y, Nong Y, Liu J, Zhao H, Na R, Guo L, Pu J, Yang E, Sun L, Cui P, Shi H, Wang J, Li Q (2014) An inactivated enterovirus 71 vaccine in healthy children. N Engl J Med 370: 829-837.
Xu DZ, Wang XY, Shen XL, Gong GZ, Ren H, Guo LM, Sun AM, Xu M, Li LJ, Guo XH, Zhen Z, Wang HF, Gong HY, Xu C, Jiang N, Pan C, Gong ZJ, Zhang JM, Shang J, Xu J, Xie Q, Wu TF, Huang WX, Li YG, Xu J, Yuan ZH, Wang B, Zhao K, Wen YM, for the YIC Efficacy Trial Study Team (2013) Results of a phase III clinical trial with an HBsAg-HBIG immunogenic complex therapeutic vaccine for chronic hepatitis B patients: Experiences and findings. J Hepatol 59: 450-456.
Wang XY, Yao X, Wan YM, Wang B, Xu JQ, Wen YM (2013) Responses to multiple injections with alum alone compared to injections with alum adsorbed to proteins in mice. Immunol Lett 149: 88-92.
Wang XY*, Riewpaiboon A, von Seidlein L, Chen XB, Kilgore PE, Ma JC, Qi SX, Zhang ZY, Hao ZY, Chen JC, ZY. X (2009) The potential cost-effectiveness of a rotavirus immunization program in rural China. Clin Infect Dis 49: 1202-1210.
Wang XY*, Du L, Von Seidlein L, Xu ZY, Zhang YL, Hao ZY, Han OP, Ma JC, Lee HJ, Ali M, Han CQ, Xing ZC, Chen JC, Clemens J (2005) Occurrence of shigellosis in the young and elderly in rural China: results of a 12-month population-based surveillance study. Am J Trop Med Hyg 73: 416-422.
Lucas ME, Deen JL, von Seidlein L, Wang XY, Ampuero J, Puri M, Ali M, Ansaruzzaman M, Amos J, Macuamule A, Cavailler P, Guerin PJ, Mahoudeau C, Kahozi-Sangwa P, Chaignat CL, Barreto A, Songane FF, Clemens JD (2005) Effectiveness of mass oral cholera vaccination in Beira, Mozambique. N Engl J Med 352: 757-767.
Xu ZY, Wang XY, Li RC, Meng ZD, Zhang Y, Gong J, Ma JC, Li YT, Zhao SJ, Li YP, Zhao YL, Huang QC, Luo D, Xia JL, Liu HB, Liu XL, Ouyang PY. [Immunogenicity and efficacy of two live attenuated hepatitis A vaccines (H(2) strains and LA-1 strains)]. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2002;82:678-81.