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Beng San Yeoh, Ph.D.

Education & Training

• B.Sc. The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA
• Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

Research Interests

Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, making it crucial to understand the factors that drive this disease. We have identified portosystemic shunt (PSS), an abnormal blood vessel in the liver, as a novel risk factor for liver cancer in mice. This discovery is concerning because PSS is commonly observed in humans with liver disease, although the exact mechanisms through which PSS contributes to cancer in humans remain unclear. Our research shows that while mice with PSS already have fatty livers, they develop liver injury when fed ultra-processed foods, with prolonged exposure leading to liver cancer. My laboratory aims to address two key questions: (i) What food components contribute to PSS-associated liver cancer? and (ii) How can we treat this disease? We are investigating these questions using a mouse model of PSS, with the hope that the knowledge gained will ultimately improve the lives of humans suffering from PSS.

Honors and Awards

• 2024-2026: Liver Scholar Award, American Liver Foundation (ALF)
• 2021-2023: American Heart Association (AHA) Postdoctoral Fellowship #831112
• 2018: Huck Institutes of Life Sciences Graduate Travel Award
• 2017: FASEB Gastrointestinal Tract XVII Short Talk Travel Award
• 2017: Huck Institutes of Life Sciences Graduate Travel Award
• 2017: American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Trainee Poster Award
• 2016: Outstanding Contributions to Science Award, Nutrition Graduate Student Association (NGSA), The Pennsylvania State University, PA
• 2016: American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Trainee Poster Award
• 2015-2016: NIH T32 Training Program in Animal Models of Inflammation, Pennsylvania State University, PA
• 2015: Huck Dissertation Award, The Pennsylvania State University, PA
• 2015: Student Travel Grant, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, PA
• 2015-2017: Center for Molecular Immunology and Infectious Disease (CMIID) Professional Development Fund, The Pennsylvania State University, PA
• 2012: Evan Pugh Scholar Senior Award, The Pennsylvania State University, PA

Select Publications

Golonka RM, Yeoh BS, Saha P, Tian Y, Chiang JYL, Patterson AD, Gewirtz AT, Joe B, Vijay-Kumar M. Sex dimorphic effects of bile acid metabolism in liver cancer in mice. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Jan 21:S2352-345X(24)00011-0.

Yeoh BS, Golonka RM, Saha P, Kandalgaonkar MR, Tian Y, Osman I, Patterson AD, Gewirtz AT, Joe B, Vijay-Kumar M. Urine-based Detection of Congenital Portosystemic Shunt in C57BL/6 Mice. Function. 2023 Jul 28;4(5):zqad040

Yeoh BS, Saha P, Golonka RM, Zou J, Petrick JL, Abokor AA, Xiao X, Bovilla VR, Bretin ACA, Rivera-Esteban J, Parisi D, Florio AA, Weinstein SJ, Albanes D, Freeman GJ, Gohara AF, Ciudin A, Pericàs JM, Joe B, Schwabe RF, McGlynn KA, Gewirtz AT, Vijay-Kumar M. Enterohepatic shunt-driven cholemia predisposes to liver cancer. Gastroenterology. 2022 Dec;163(6):1658-1671.e16

Commentary in: Gastroenterology. 2022 Dec;163(6):1495-1497.

Yeoh BS^#, Singh V^#, Abokor AA, Golonka RM, Tian Y, Patterson AD, Joe B, Heikenwalder M, Vijay-Kumar M. Vancomycin prevents fermentable fiber-induced liver cancer in mice with dysbiotic gut microbiota. Gut Microbes. 2020 Jul 3;11(4):1077-1091.

#Authors contributed equally.

Yeoh, BS^#, Singh, V^#, Chassaing, B^#, Xiao, X, Saha, P, Olvera, RA, Lapek, JD, Zhang, L, Wang, WB, Hao, S, Flythe, MD, Gonzalez, DJ, Cani, PD, Conejo-Garcia, JR, Xiong, N, Kennett, MJ, Joe B, Patterson, AD, Gewirtz, AT, and Vijay-Kumar, M. 2018. Dysregulated gut microbial fermentation of soluble fiber induces cholestatic liver cancer. Cell. 175: 679-694.

#Authors contributed equally

Commentary in: Cell Metab. 2018 Nov 6;28(5):673-675; Hepatology. 2019 Aug;70(2):739-741; Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2019 May 21;9:155.