Xiaolei Shi, BM, PhD
- Academic Title: Assistant Professor
- Primary Appointment: Medicine
- Email: xshi2@som.umaryland.edu
- Location: Stoler CAM, Executive Suite (9th floor) Room H9X024
- Phone (Primary): 410-328-8207
Education and Training
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Harbin Medical University, China, Bachelor of Medicine, 2008
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University of Minnesota, MS, Nutrition, 2011
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, PhD, Cancer Biology, 2017
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University of Minnesota Medical Center, Internal Medicine Residency, 2023
- University of Maryland Medical Center, Hematology Oncology Fellowship, 2026
Biosketch
Dr. Xiaolei Shi is a physician-scientist and genitourinary medical oncologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Shi’s current research focuses on precision oncology and biomarker-driven therapeutic development in prostate cancer. Her work integrates tumor genomics and transcriptomics, circulating tumor DNA, and early-phase clinical trials to understand mechanisms of treatment response and resistance and to improve treatment selection. Her translational studies have examined B7-H3 expression in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and clinical outcomes associated with BRCA2- and ATM-altered prostate cancer. More recently, she has led studies of the androgen production, uptake, and conversion (APUC) gene signature as a prognostic and predictive biomarker, with the goal of developing clinically actionable tools to personalize the intensity and duration of hormonal therapy in prostate cancer.
Dr. Shi is also developing investigator-initiated clinical trials that incorporate molecular biomarkers into therapeutic development. Her current work includes an early-phase study of galeterone monohydrochloride (GAL-HCl) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with longitudinal ctDNA profiling to characterize response and emerging resistance. Her broader research program aims to develop biomarker-integrated, equity-informed clinical trials that connect biologic discovery with practical and accessible precision oncology across academic and community settings.
Research/Clinical Keywords
Genitourinary oncology; prostate cancer; bladder cancer; kidney cancer; germ cell tumor; precision oncology; biomarker-driven clinical trials; circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA); cancer genomics; androgen receptor signaling; therapeutic resistance; health equity.
Highlighted Publications
Shi X, Shetty AC, Wang JH, Song Y, Sutera PA, Deek MP, Patel KR, Madan RA, Tang C, Proudfoot J, Davicioni E, Hussain A, Nguyen P, Sweeney C, Boytim E, Lacuna KP, Ryan CJ, Antonarakis ES, Tran PT, Hwang J. APUC-6 genes as a potential prognostic and predictive biomarker in the CHAARTED prostate cancer trial. JCO Precis Oncol. 2026 Aug 21;10(8):e2501012. doi: 10.1200/PO-25-01012
Makovec A, Gustafson AP, Gandhi N, Rampalli S, Arafa AT, Elliott A, Smith N, Felices M, Kennedy PR, Shenderov E, Patnaik A, Narayan V, Heath EI, Zorko NA, Shi X, Antonarakis ES, McKay RR, Hwang J. B7-H3 Gene Expression Shapes Prognosis and Therapeutic Opportunities Across Prostate Cancer Patient Groups. Clin Cancer Res. 2026 Aug 3;32(15):3381–3394. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-26-0322.
Shi X, Rifai S, Meher Z, Hussain A. Targeting poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in metastatic prostate cancer: current landscape and future directions. Curr Opin Oncol. 2026 Mar 5;38(3):249–260. doi: 10.1097/CCO.0000000000001230.
Shi X, Wang JH, Chapin B, Aparicio A, Subudhi SK, Tran PT, J. Park RJ, Deek MP, Armstrong A, Tang C,
Sutera PA. Integrating Systemic Therapy and Metastasis-Directed Therapy in Oligometastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2025 Oct 11;29(2):282–291. doi: 10.1038/s41391-025-01041-z.
Hwang J, Shi X* (co-first author), Elliott A, Arnoff TE, McGrath J, Xiu J, Walker P, Bergom HE, Day A, Ahmed S, Tape S, Makovec A, Ali A, Shaker RM, Toye E, Passow R, Lozada JR, Wang J, Lou E, Mouw KW, Carneiro BA, Heath EI, McKay RR, Korn WM, Nabhan C, Ryan CJ, Antonarakis ES. Metastatic Prostate Cancers with BRCA2 versus ATM Mutations Exhibit Divergent Molecular Features and Clinical Outcomes. Clin Cancer Res (2023) 29 (14): 2702–2713. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-3394
Shi X, Day A, Bergom HE, Tape S, Baca SC, Sychev ZE, Larson G, Bozicevich A, Drake JM, Zorko N, Wang J, Ryan CJ, Antonarakis ES, Hwang J. Integrative molecular analyses define correlates of high B7-H3 expression in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2022 Nov 2;6(1):80. doi:10.1038/s41698-022-00323-2.
Shi X, Tasdogan A, Huang F, Hu Z, Morrison SJ, DeBerardinis RJ. The abundance of metabolites related to protein methylation correlates with the metastatic capacity of human melanoma xenografts. Sci Adv. 2017 Nov;3(11):eaao5268. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aao5268. eCollection 2017 Nov.
Additional Publications
Awards and Affiliations
Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, 2026-2029
Advancing Oncology Research Communities in Health Equity (ARCH) K12 Career Development Award (K12CA301384), 2026-2028
NIH/NCI T32 Postdoctoral Training Grant in Cancer Biology (T32CA154274), 2024-2026
Conquer Cancer/ASCO Genitourinary Symposium Merit Award, 2026
FY25 Pilot Grant Program Fellowship Research award, University of Maryland, 2024-2025
Conquer Cancer/ASCO Genitourinary Symposium Merit Award, 2023
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) International Graduate Student Research Fellowship, 2014-2017
Member, International Bladder Cancer Network (IBCN), 2026 - present
Member, Maryland / District of Columbia Society of Clinical Oncology (MDCSC), 2025 - present
Member, European Society For Medical Oncology (ESMO), 2025 - present
Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 2022 - present
Grants and Contracts
Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, 2026-2029
Advancing Oncology Research Communities in Health Equity (ARCH) K12 Career Development Award (K12CA301384), 2026-2028