Dr. Yu's major research interest is understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression to the metastatic state of cancer. He has studied mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Dr. Yu has generated transgenic mice inducibly expressing dominant negative fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) mutants to study the specific roles of receptor tyrosine kinases in cancer and normal development. He found that constitutive c-Met signaling through a non-autocrine mechanism promotes metastasis in a transgenic transplantation model, determined that Ezrin and Six1 are critical regulators of metastasis in rhabdomyosarcoma, identified  PHLPP1 as metastatic suppressor and PTEN protein phosphatase inhibits tumor metastasis inhibits metastasis by negatively regulating the Entpd5/IGF1R pathway through ATF6. He also established the human melanoma BRAF inhibitor drug resistance and double resistance of BRAF and MEK inhibitors and identified AXL and PERK play critical roles in melanoma BRAF inhibitor resistance dependent on PTEN status. Additionally, he discovered the metabolic vulnerabilities of BRAF inhibitor drug-resistant melanoma and metastatic cancer with therapeutic potential. Dr. Yu also developed an immunoresistant metastatic model for studying the interaction between tumor cells and the microenvironment's immune system in tumor metastasis. Since 2024, Dr. Yu has joined the Antibody Engineering Program at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, focusing on the characterization of tumor antigens for antibody discovery and the development of antibody-based therapeutics, including CAR NK cells, for solid tumors in collaboration with intramural laboratories.