Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). Dr. Fu graduated from the Department of Biological Sciences, Nanjing University in 2005, and received his Ph.D. from the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, USTC in 2011. She pursued postdoctoral training at the Institute of Immunology, USTC from 2011 to 2013, served as Associate Researcher/Associate Professor from 2013 to 2019, and was appointed Distinguished Professor at USTC in 2019. Her research focuses on reproductive immunology. Her pioneering work has defined the human pro-fetal-growth decidual NK (dNK) cell subset and elucidated its essential roles and mechanisms in promoting embryonic development; revealed that dNK cell dysfunction is a key driver of maternal stress-induced neurodevelopmental abnormalities in offspring; and established an integrated theranostic system based on decidua-like NK (idNK) cells, encompassing non-invasive monitoring via menstrual blood and idNK induction and expansion technologies. She led the world's first investigator-initiated clinical trial (IIT) on intrauterine idNK infusion for unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss and recurrent implantation failure, which provided preliminary evidence of safety and efficacy. Her research has been published as corresponding author in leading international journals including Immunity, with three papers recognized as top 1% highly cited papers in Web of Science. She has received the Young Scholar Award from the Chinese Society for Immunology, the title of Advanced Individual in COVID-19 Response from the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Provincial Outstanding Young Teacher Award. She is supported by the Excellent Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Outstanding Member), and the National Major Research Program. She serves as Secretary-General of the Anhui Society for Immunology and committee member of the Reproductive Immunology Branch of the Chinese Society for Immunology.
Research Directions and Interests
The uterus is the only organ in the human body capable of long-term accommodation of allogeneic antigens (the fetus and placenta). This unique phenomenon of immune privilege provides an irreplaceable window into how tissue architecture shapes immunological properties. Elucidating the immune regulatory mechanisms of the uterus not only holds profound implications for understanding the pathogenesis of major pregnancy disorders—including spontaneous abortion, intrauterine growth restriction, preeclampsia, and preterm birth—but also offers novel conceptual insights for tumor immunology and transplantation immunology, fields that share a common reliance on immune tolerance.
1. The role of immune cells at the maternal-fetal interface in pregnancy and pregnancy-related diseases;
2. Key mechanisms governing the development and functional plasticity of immune cells at the maternal-fetal interface;
3. The relationship between maternal immune cells and offspring birth defects, with a particular emphasis on neurodevelopmental disorders.
In parallel, we are committed to translating these fundamental discoveries into novel immune microenvironment-targeted clinical diagnostics and therapeutic strategies.
Publication：
1.Hui Zhu, Xianghui Du, Yan Xu, Taishun Li, Biyun Xu, Yonggang Zhou, Fangting Lu, Xianhong Tong, Haixiang Sun, Haiming Wei∗, Yali Hu∗ and Binqing Fu*; Intrauterine NK Cell Therapy for Unexplained Recurrent Pregnancy Failure. National Science Review 2026, https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwag332
2. Bian Q, Chen Y, Zhang J, Du X, Zhou Y, Zhang Q, Ding C, Wei H*, Fu B*; Maternal natural killer cells drive neuroimmune disorders in offspring through aberrant secretion of extracellular granzyme B. Immunity 2025, 58:1502-18. e8.
3.Qiwu Bian, Binqing Fu*; The Janus face of NK cells in neurodevelopment. Trends in Immunology Volume 47, Issue 3, P229-241March 2026.
4. Guirong Shi, Shengdi Xi, Mengyuan Lv, Yihang Chen, Yonggang Zhou, Haiming Wei*, Binqing Fu*; Dipeptidylpeptidase 4 inhibition attenuates gestational pathologies via immune homeostasis restoration in the pulmonary-uterine axis. Nature Communication 17, 2851 (2026).
5. Tong, Xianhong; Gao, Min; Du, Xianghui; Lu, Fangting; Wu, Limin; Wei, Haiming*; Fu,Binqing*; Analysis of uterine CD49a(+) NK cell subsets in menstrual blood reflects endometrial status and association with recurrent spontaneous abortion, Cellular and Molecular Immunology, 2021, 18(7): 1838-1840
6.Xiaoyu Ding; Yonggang Zhou; Xiaofeng Qiu; Xiuxiu Xu; Xinyu Hu; Jingkun Qin; Yulan Chen;Min Zhang; Jieqi Ke; Zhenbang Liu; Ying Zhou; Chen Ding; Nan Shen; Zhigang Tian; Binqing Fu*; Haiming Wei*; RSAD2: A pathogenic interferon-stimulated gene at the maternal-fetal interface of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, Cell Report Medicine, 2025, 101974
7.Zhang, Jinghe; Zhao, Weidong; Zhou, Yonggang; Xi, Shengdi; Xu, Xiuxiu; Du, Xianghui;Zheng, Xiaohu; Hu, Weiping; Sun, Rui; Tian, Zhigang; Fu, Binqing*; Wei, Haiming* ; Pyroptotic T cell-derived active IL-16 has a driving function in ovarian endometriosis development, CELL REPORTS MEDICINE, 2024, 5(3): 101974
8.Wei, Haiming#; Fu, Binqing#; Make killers sweeter: targeting metabolic checkpoints of NK cells, Nature Immunology, 2020, 21(9): 970-971
9. Binqing Fu, Yonggang Zhou, Xiang Ni, Xianhong Tong , Xiuxiu Xu, Zhongjun Dong, Rui Sun, Zhigang Tian#, Haiming Wei#; Natural killer cells promote fetal development through the secretion of growth-promoting factors. Immunity 47, 1100–1113, 2017
Contact & Address:
11th Floor, Medical Computing Building (Yisuan Building),
National Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy
West Campus, University of Science and Technology of China
E-mail: fbq@ustc.edu.cn