Personal Profile

Professor and doctoral supervisor at the Zhongshan School of Medicine, Distinguished Teaching Teacher of Sun Yat-sen University, and Party Branch Secretary of the Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology at the Zhongshan School of Medicine. Serves as the Deputy Director of the Cardiovascular Committee of the Guangdong Physiological Society, Standing Committee Member of the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Translation Committee of the Guangdong Health Management Association, and Committee Member of the Education Committee / Information Technology in Education Committee of the Chinese Physiological Society.

The main research direction focuses on the basic research and translation of stem cells in the pathogenesis and repair of cardiovascular diseases. Has presided over 4 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 8 provincial and ministerial-level funds, and 1 key special project of the Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan. Participated in 4 major provincial and municipal special project research projects. Published more than 30 SCI papers in journals such as Chem J Eng, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, and Stem Cell Res Ther. Obtained 2 invention patent authorizations and is actively promoting their transformation. Serves as the Chief Editor of the national planning textbook Physiology (Higher Education Press), Deputy Chief Editor of Experimental Physiological Science and Concise Physiology, and has participated in compiling more than 10 textbooks. Has won the Second Prize of the Natural Science Award of the Ministry of Education, the First Prize in the National Micro-lecture Competition on Human Physiology in Colleges and Universities, the Guangdong Provincial Teaching Achievement Award, the Demonstration Classroom of Ideological and Political Education in Guangdong Province Curriculum, the First Prize in the Teaching Competition for Middle-aged and Young Teachers at Sun Yat-sen University, the Excellent Teacher Award of the Ke Lin Foundation of Sun Yat-sen University, and the Title of Outstanding Middle-aged and Young Talents of the Guangdong Physiological Society, etc.

Our laboratory is recruiting master's students, doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and full-time research staff with a medical or biological background on a long-term basis. Students and colleagues interested in stem cell and regenerative medicine research are welcome to join us!

Research Directions

Basic Research and Translation of Stem Cells in the Pathogenesis and Repair of Cardiovascular Diseases
(1) Explore the mechanism of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) differentiating into endothelial progenitor cells and cardiomyocytes, and conduct translational research in combination with clinical practice.
(2) Use biomaterials and tissue-engineered blood vessels to improve the efficacy of stem cell therapy for ischemic diseases and promote their application.
(3) Screen key genes for stem cell repair of vascular aging and cardiovascular diseases, elucidate the mechanisms, and conduct translational research.

Research Projects Undertaken

(1) National Natural Science Foundation Project: Using disease-specific hiPSCs cell models combined with single-base editors to study the molecular mechanisms and repair effects of MYBPC3 single-base mutations causing dilated cardiomyopathy, 2025.01 - 2028.12, Principal Investigator.
(2) Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation: Research on the effect of Gremlin1 on improving the patency of small-diameter electrospun artificial blood vessels by delaying mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) senescence, 2024.01 - 2026.12, Principal Investigator.
(3) National Natural Science Foundation Project: Research on the treatment of ischemic diseases with self-oxygenating injectable collagen/MnO₂ nanocomposite hydrogel loaded with hUiPSC-EPCs, 2023.01 - 2026.12, Principal Investigator.
(4) Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan Project for People's Livelihood: Research on the treatment of ischemic diseases with electrospun artificial blood vessels seeded with endothelial progenitor cells derived from hiPSCs, 2020.04 - 2023.03, Principal Investigator.
(5) National Natural Science Foundation: The role and mechanism of Gremlin1 in regulating the differentiation of hiPSCs into endothelial progenitor cells in repairing vascular injuries, 2018.01 - 2021.12, Principal Investigator.
(6) Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation: The role and mechanism of a novel angiopoietin-1 short-peptide hydrogel delivering exosomes derived from ISL1-hMSCs in improving lower limb ischemia, 2021.01 - 2023.12, Principal Investigator.
(7) Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation: The role and mechanism of CD4+T ChAT lymphocytes in hiPSC-MSCs regulating blood pressure, 2019.10 - 2021.09, Principal Investigator.
(8) Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology: Guangdong Province Key Area R & D Program, Multimodal Molecular Imaging Tracing and Dynamic Evaluation of Stem Cell Therapy for Cerebral Infarction Models in Non-human Primates, 2019.01 - 2021.12, Sub-project Leader.
(9) Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation: Project No. 2017A030313877, The role and mechanism of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 in improving myocardial ischemia by cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, 2017.05 - 2020.05, Principal Investigator.
(10) National Natural Science Foundation Youth Fund: Project No. 30700282, The role and mechanism of Sprouty1 in the different proliferative effects of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) on vascular endothelium and mammary epithelium, 2008.1 - 2010.12, Principal Investigator.

Published Papers

1. Zhen Zhang#, Weijun Huang#, Xiaoran Zhang#, Zhecun Wang, Manting Xie, Bingbing Xie, Yiling Wang, Xiaoyong Chen, Andy Peng Xiang*, Qiuling Xiang*. Human iPSC-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Relieve High Blood Pressure in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats via Splenic Nerve Activated Choline Acetyltransferase-Positive Cells. SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences. 2024. 
2. Hu X#, Ning X#, Zhao Q#, Zhang Z, Zhang C, Xie M, Huang W, Cai Y, Xiang Q*, Ou C*. Islet-1 Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Derived Exosome-Incorporated Angiogenin-1 Hydrogel for Enhanced Acute Myocardial Infarction Therapy. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022;14(32):36289-36303. 
3. Zhang C, Shi J, Zhang Z, Zhao Q, Xie M, Chen Y, Xiang Q. Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line (SYSUi005-A) from a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Stem Cell Res. 2022 Jan;58:102626. doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2021.102626. Epub 2021 Dec 13. PMID: 34942479.
4. Saw P#, Zhang Z#, Chen Y#, Li S, Huang L, Zhang C, Zhao Q, Xu X*, Xiang Q*. ROS-scavenging hybrid hydrogel for genetically engineered stem cell delivery and limb ischemia therapy. Chem Eng J. 2021;425:13150.
5. Chen H#, Zhang Z#, Wang Z#, Li Q, Chen H, Guo S, Bao L, Min W, Xiang Q*. Stage-specific regulation of Gremlin1 on the differentiation and expansion of human urinary induced pluripotent stem cells into endothelial progenitors. J Cell Mol Med. 2020;24(14): 8018-8030.
6. Xiang Q#, Yang B#, Li L#, Qiu B, Qiu C, Gao XB, Zhou HJ, Min W*. Critical role of Lin28-TNFR2 signalling in cardiac stem cell activation and differentiation. J Cell Mol Med. 2019;23(4):2943-2953.
7. Xiang Q#, Liao Y#, Chao H#, Huang W, Liu J, Chen H, Hong D, Zou Z, Xiang AP, Li W*. ISL1 overexpression enhances the survival of transplanted human mesenchymal stem cells in a murine myocardial infarction model. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2018 Feb 26;9(1):51.
8. Xiang Q#, Hong D#, Liao Y#, Cao Y, Liu M, Pang J, Zhou J, Wang G, Yang R, Wang M*, Xiang AP*. Overexpression of gremlin1 in mesenchymal stem cells improves hindlimb ischemia in mice by enhancing cell survival. J Cell Physiol. 2017 May;232(5):996-1007.
9. Guo J#, Xiang Q#, Xin Y, Huang Y, Zou G, Liu T*. miR-544 promotes maturity and antioxidation of stem cell-derived endothelial like cells by regulating the YY1/TET2 signalling axis. Cell Commun Signal. 2020;18(1):35.
10. Chen Y#, Ye Y#, Zhang Z, Pang J, Chen M, Zhou S, Xiang Q*. Tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in female but not male populations in Guangzhou, China. Nutr Res Pract (2019), 13 (5):393.

Authorized Patents

(1) A method for inducing hiPSCs to differentiate into endothelial progenitor cells. Patent No.: ZL201910681219.5.
(2) A mesenchymal stem cell delivery vector and its application. Patent No.: ZL202110598252.2.

Textbook Compilation

• Chief Editor: Physiology (4th Edition), Higher Education Press, 2023.
• Deputy Chief Editor: Experimental Physiological Science (2nd Edition), Higher Education Press, 2022.
• Deputy Chief Editor: Concise Physiology, People's Medical Publishing House (Electronic Audio-Visual Publishing House), 2021.
• Deputy Chief Editor: Physiology Question Bank of Chinese Medical Education, People's Medical Publishing House, 2021.
• Editorial Board Member: Physiology (10th Edition), People's Medical Publishing House, 2024.
• Editorial Board Member: Core Textbook Circulatory System of the "101 Plan", Peking University Medical Press, 2024.
• Co-author: Encyclopedia of China, Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, 2022.
• Editorial Board Member: National Medical E-book Bag, People's Military Medical Press, 2017.

Awards Won by Guided Students

• Bronze Award in the 10th National College Students' Basic Medical Innovation Research Contest, Zheng Ancai, Shen Zitong, Xiong Yi, Huang Yuxin, 2024.
• Excellent Essay Award in the First Scau Heart Science Research International Symposium, Xie Bingbing, 2023.
• College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program Project, Zheng Ancai, Shen Zitong, Xiong Yi, 2023.
• National Scholarship, Zhao Qianqian, 2022.
• National Scholarship, Zhang Zhen, 2020.
• Winning Award in the Guangzhou Division of the Fifth China Innovation Challenge, Zhao Qianqian, 2019.
• College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program Project, Ai Xinlei, Chao Hua, Kuang Decen, 2017.