Research
Mathematical Biology, Evolutionary Theory, Math Oncology, Species Coevolution, Stochastic Process, Mutation Accumulation
Interests
Weini Huang currently works on modelling cancer evolution and species interactions in biological systems. Before being a lecturer in mathematical biology in 2018, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Barts Cancer Institute, QMUL for modelling cancer spatial heterogeneity and the evolution of tumour resistance. She obtained her PhD in 2012 in Evolutionary Theory in the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Germany.
Currently, Weini supervises 3 PhD students and 2 postdoctoral researchers in the topics of evolutionary theory with application in species coevolution and cancer dynamics . Weini is interested in understanding how diversity and population patterns are formed and maintained in nature/human cell populations through theoretical approaches as well as their connections with experimental/clinical observations. She collaborates with experimental evolution groups and cancer biologists/clinicians on e.g. the evolution of trade-offs in a predator-prey system and drug resistance in ovarian cancer, extrachromosal DNA, mtDNA dynamcis in healthy liver and population stuctures of prostate cancer.
If you are looking for an opportunity of PhD study in math biology, please get in touch!
Publications
Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Complex Systems
2025
Cancer–immune coevolution dictated by antigenic mutation accumulationWang L Morison C Huang W
Elife,
Elife vol. 14
10-10-2025Extrachromosomal DNA–Driven Oncogene Spatial Heterogeneity and Evolution in GlioblastomaNoorani I Haughey M Luebeck J Rowan A Grönroos E Terenzi F Wong IT-L Pradella D et al.
Cancer Discovery,
American Association For Cancer Research (Aacr) vol. 15 (10), 2078-2095.
08-09-2025 Extrachromosomal DNA-Driven Oncogene Dosage Heterogeneity Promotes Rapid Adaptation to Therapy in MYCN-Amplified Cancers.Montuori G Tu F Qin D Schmargon R Rodriguez-Fos E Helmsauer K Hui H Mandal S et al.
Cancer Discovery,
American Association For Cancer Research (Aacr) vol. 15 (10), 2054-2077.
07-08-2025 Single-cell mutational burden distributions in birth–death processesMorison C Stark D Huang W
Plos Computational Biology,
Public Library of Science (Plos) vol. 21 (7)
07-07-2025 Adaptive Therapy Exploits Fitness Deficits in Chemotherapy-Resistant Ovarian Cancer to Achieve Long-Term Tumor ControlHockings H Lakatos E Huang W Mossner M Khan MA Bakali N McDermott J Smith K et al.
Cancer Research,
American Association For Cancer Research (Aacr) vol. 85 (18), 3503-3517.
29-04-2025 2024
Coordinated inheritance of extrachromosomal DNAs in cancer cellsHung KL Jones MG Wong IT-L Curtis EJ Lange JT He BJ Luebeck J Schmargon R et al.
Nature,
Springer Nature vol. 635 (8037), 201-209.
06-11-2024 Extrachromosomal DNA driven oncogene spatial heterogeneity and evolution in glioblastomaNoorani I Haughey M Luebeck J Rowan A Grönroos E Terenzi F Wong IT-L Kittel J et al.
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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 25-10-2024 Accumulating waves of random mutations before fixationMoeller M Werner B Huang W
Physical Review E,
American Physical Society (Aps) vol. 110 (4)
01-10-2024 Parasite-mediated predation determines infection in a complex predator–prey–parasite systemIslas ACH Milne A Eizaguirre C Huang W
Proceedings of The Royal Society B,
The Royal Society vol. 291 (2021), 20232468-20232468.
24-04-2024 Measures of genetic diversification in somatic tissues at bulk and single-cell resolutionMoeller ME Père NVM Werner B Huang W
Elife,
Elife vol. 12
24-01-2024 2023
Mutation divergence over space in tumour expansionLi H Yang Z Tu F Deng L Han Y Fu X Wang L Gu D et al.
Journal of The Royal Society Interface,
The Royal Society vol. 20 (208)
01-11-2023 Hepatocytes undergo punctuated expansion dynamics from a periportal stem cell niche in normal human liverPassman AM Haughey MJ Carlotti E Williams MJ Cereser B Lin M-L Devkumar S Gabriel JP et al.
Journal of Hepatology,
Elsevier vol. 79 (2), 417-432.
21-04-2023 Human colorectal cancer samples with spatial oncogene mutation mapping (BaseScope mutation-specific RNA in situ hybridization assay)Haughey MJ Bassolas A Sousa S Baker A-M Graham T Nicosia V Huang W
03-03-2023 2022
A Novel, Simple, and Low-Cost Approach for Machine Learning Screening of Kidney Cancer: An Eight-Indicator Blood Test Panel with Predictive Value for Early DiagnosisLi H Wang F Huang W
Current Oncology,
Mdpi vol. 29 (12), 9135-9149.
24-11-2022 The evolutionary dynamics of extrachromosomal DNA in human cancersLange JT Rose JC Chen CY Pichugin Y Xie L Tang J Hung KL Yost KE et al.
Nature Genetics,
Springer Nature vol. 54 (10), 1527-1533.
19-09-2022 A novel cell line panel reveals non-genetic mediators of platinum resistance and phenotypic diversity in high grade serous ovarian cancerHoare JI Hockings H Saxena J Silva VL Haughey MJ Wood GE Nicolini F Mirza H et al.
Gynecologic Oncology,
Elsevier vol. 167 (1), 96-106.
30-07-2022 Abstract PR015: Developing adaptive therapy to suppress the evolution of treatment resistance in high-grade serous ovarian cancerHockings H Lockley M Graham T Lakatos E Huang W
Cancer Research,
American Association For Cancer Research (Aacr) vol. 82 (10_Supplement), pr015-pr015.
15-05-2022 First passage time analysis of spatial mutation patterns reveals evolutionary dynamics of pre-existing resistance in colorectal cancerHaughey MJ Bassolas A Sousa S Baker A-M Graham TA Nicosia V Huang W
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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 24-02-2022 An improved approximation for Maximum k -dependent Set on bipartite graphsHosseinian S Butenko S
Discrete Applied Mathematics,
Elsevier vol. 307, 95-101.
01-01-2022 2021
Clonal Transitions and Phenotypic Evolution in Barrett’s EsophagusEvans JA Carlotti E Lin M-L Hackett RJ Haughey MJ Passman AM Dunn L Elia G et al.
Gastroenterology,
Elsevier vol. 162 (4), 1197-1209.e13.
29-12-2021 LiquidCNA: Tracking subclonal evolution from longitudinal liquid biopsies using somatic copy number alterationsLakatos E Hockings H Mossner M Huang W Lockley M Graham TA
Iscience,
Elsevier vol. 24 (8)
21-07-2021 LiquidCNA: tracking subclonal evolution from longitudinal liquid biopsies using somatic copy number alterationsLakatos E Hockings H Mossner M Huang W Lockley M Graham TA
,
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 06-01-2021 2020
Platinum resistance induces diverse evolutionary trajectories in high grade serous ovarian cancerHoare JI Hockings H Saxena J Silva VL Maniati E Mirza HB Huang W Wood GE et al.
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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 24-07-2020 CLONAL DYNAMICS AND CELL-OF-ORIGIN OF NORMAL HEPATOCYTE EXPANSIONS IN HOMEOSTATIC HUMAN LIVERS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE BILIARY EPITHELIUMPassman AM Haughey MJ Carlotti E Williams M Cereser B Russo FP Hoare M Kocher H et al.
AACR. vol. 158 (6), S1276-S1276.
01-05-2020 450 CLONAL DYNAMICS AND CELL-OF-ORIGIN OF NORMAL HEPATOCYTE EXPANSIONS IN HOMEOSTATIC HUMAN LIVERS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE BILIARY EPITHELIUMPassman AM Haughey MJ Carlotti E Williams M Cereser B Russo FP Hoare M Kocher H et al.
Gastroenterology,
Elsevier vol. 158 (6), s-1276.
01-05-2020 Measuring single cell divisions in human tissues from multi-region sequencing dataWerner B Case J Williams MJ Chkhaidze K Temko D Fernández-Mateos J Cresswell GD Nichol D et al.
Nature Communications,
Springer Nature vol. 11 (1)
25-02-2020 2019
Stochastic dynamics of extra-chromosomal DNAPichugin Y Huang W Werner B
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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 15-12-2019 The feedback between selection and demography shapes genomic diversity during coevolutionRetel C Kowallik V Huang W Werner B Becks L Feulner P Huang W
Science Advances 02-10-2019 Spatially constrained tumour growth affects the patterns of clonal selection and neutral drift in cancer genomic dataChkhaidze K Heide T Werner B Williams MJ Huang W Caravagna G Graham TA Sottoriva A
Plos Computational Biology,
Public Library of Science (Plos) vol. 15 (7)
29-07-2019 Abstract 4232: Spatially constrained tumor growth affects the patterns of clonal selection and neutral drift in cancer genomic dataChkhaidze K Heide T Werner B Williams MJ Huang W Caravagna G Baker A-M Graham TA et al.
Cancer Research. vol. 79 (13_Supplement), 4232-4232.
01-07-2019 Measuring single cell divisions in human cancers from multi-region sequencing dataWerner B Case J Williams MJ Chkhaidze K Temko D Fernandez-Mateos J Cresswell GD Nichol D et al.
,
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 25-02-2019 Spatially constrained tumour growth affects the patterns of clonal selection and neutral drift in cancer genomic dataChkhaidze K Heide T Werner B Williams MJ Huang W Caravagna G Graham TA Sottoriva A
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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 08-02-2019 Population size changes and extinction risk of populations driven by mutant interactors.Park HJ Pichugin Y Huang W Traulsen A
Phys Rev E vol. 99 (2-1), 022305-022305.
06-02-2019 2018
Life History Trade-Offs in Tumors.Boddy AM Huang W Aktipis A
Curr Pathobiol Rep vol. 6 (4), 201-207.
10-11-2018 In Situ Mutation Detection Maps the Clonal Architecture of Colorectal Cancer and AdenomasBaker A-M Huang W Wang X-MM Jansen M Ma X-J Domingo E Wright NA Rodriguez-Justo M et al.
JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY. vol. 245, S10-S10.
01-01-2018 2017
Dynamical trade-offs arise from antagonistic coevolution and decrease intraspecific diversity.Huang W Traulsen A Werner B Hiltunen T Becks L
Nat Commun,
Macmillan Publishers Limited, Part of Springer Nature vol. 8 (1), 2059-2059.
12-12-2017 Robust RNA-based in situ mutation detection delineates colorectal cancer subclonal evolution.Baker A-M Huang W Wang X-MM Jansen M Ma X-J Kim J Anderson CM Wu X et al.
Nat Commun,
Macmillan Publishers Limited, Part of Springer Nature vol. 8 (1), 1998-1998.
08-12-2017 Abstract 3953: Visualization of treatment resistant subclones in colorectal cancer by mutation specific RNA in situ hybridizationBaker A-M Wang M Ma X-J Anderson C Huang W Domingo E Lewis A Bridgewater J et al.
Cancer Research. vol. 77 (13_Supplement), 3953-3953.
01-07-2017 2016
Competing metabolic strategies in a multilevel selection modelAmado A Fernández L Huang W Ferreira FF Campos PRA
Royal Society Open Science vol. 3 (11), 160544-160544.
16-11-2016 A resource-based game theoretical approach for the paradox of the plankton.Huang W de Araujo Campos PR Moraes de Oliveira V Fagundes Ferrreira F
Peerj vol. 4, e2329-e2329.
18-08-2016 2015
Stochastic game dynamics under demographic fluctuationsHuang W Hauert C Traulsen A
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America,
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences vol. 112 (29), 9064-9069.
06-07-2015 Learning process in public goods gamesAmado A Huang W Campos PRA Ferreira FF
Physica a Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications,
Elsevier vol. 430, 21-31.
01-07-2015 2012
The impact of random frequency-dependent mutations on the average population fitnessHuang W Werner B Traulsen A
Bmc Ecology and Evolution,
Springer Nature vol. 12 (1)
30-08-2012 Cancer–immune coevolution dictated by antigenic mutation accumulationWang L Morison C Huang W
In
Biorxiv Clonal dynamics of normal hepatocyte expansions in homeostatic human livers and their association with the biliary epitheliumPassman A Haughey M Carlotti E Williams M Cereser B Lin M Devkumar S Gabrield J et al.
In
Biorxiv Principles of ecDNA random inheritance drive rapid genome change and therapy resistance in human cancersLange JT Chen CY Pichugin Y Xie L Tang J Hung L Yost KE Shi Q et al.
In
Biorxiv Stochastic population dynamics driven by mutant interactorsPark HJ Pichugin Y Huang W Traulsen A
In
Biorxiv Accumulating waves of random mutations before fixationMoeller M Werner B Huang W
In
Biorxiv Measures of genetic diversification in somatic tissues at bulk and single cell resolutionMoeller ME Père NVM Werner B Huang W
In
Biorxiv Mutation divergence over space in tumour expansionLi H Tu F Deng L Yang Z Han Y Fu X Wang L Gu D et al.
In
Biorxiv Adaptive therapy achieves long-term control of chemotherapy resistance in high grade ovarian cancerHockings H Lakatos E Huang W Mossner M Khan MA Metcalf S Nicolini F Smith K et al.
In
Biorxiv Parasite-mediated predation determines the infection in a complex predator-prey systemHíjar-Islas AC Milne A Eizaguirre C Huang W
In
Biorxiv Clonal fitness decline in somatic differentiation hierarchiesAhmed I Dingli D Huang W Werner B
In
Biorxiv Complex life cycles and parasite-mediated trophic cascades drive species coexistence and the maintenance of genetic diversityHijar-Islas AC Père NVM Huang W Eizaguirre C
In
Biorxiv
