UT Health San Antonio

Lilian Lin-Smith, PhD

Assistant Professor – Research

Dr. Lin-Smith's long-term research goal is to define the mechanistic role of PAI-1 in orchestrating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of endometrial cancer.Her expertise in integrated single-cell multi-omic profiling (proteomic and transcriptomic) provides a unique and powerful capability to deconvolute these complex cellular interactions. 

Over the past seven years, she has advanced our understanding of endometrial cancer and endometriosis in high-impact journals (Cell Reports, 2020; Cell Reports, 2024). Her research focuses on defining the mechanistic pathways by which PAI-1-mediated signaling actively reprograms the immune landscape, fostering an immunosuppressive microenvironment that enables endometrial tumor progression and immune evasion. 

Her contributions include highly cited reviews (Journal of Proteomics, 2012, with 126 citations and Journal of proteome research, 2006, with 103 citations). Her expertise spans childhood cancer (Laboratory Investigation, 2016), specifically neuroblastoma, to adult cancers, including immuno-oncology, as evidenced by her contributions to Cell Reports 2022; Nature Communications, 2023; Cell Reports, 2023.