Personal Profile

Zhang Zhao, a young academic backbone of the "Hundred Talents Program" at Sun Yat-sen University, associate professor, and master's supervisor.

He graduated from the Li Ka Shing School of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong in 2018, obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

From 2018 to 2022, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Hong Kong.

In 2022, he was recruited as an introduced talent by Sun Yat-sen University.

Main Research Directions

1. Stem Cell Disease Models and Clinical Translation

Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to establish cellular disease models, explore the pathogenic mechanisms of human genetic diseases, and develop potential treatment methods, including drug treatment, gene therapy, and gene repair therapy.

2. Stem Cell Differentiation and Cells

Using human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and other pluripotent stem cells to induce differentiation into somatic stem cells with tissue-specific functions for cell therapy and regenerative medicine research.

3. Gene Therapy Research

Clinically transplant lentivirus gene-modified hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for treating genetic disease patients, such as metachromatic leukodystrophy; develop potential therapeutic vectors of adeno-associated viruses that can be used to treat human genetic diseases using transgenic animal models.

Academic Achievements

First-author Papers (Co-first authors #, Corresponding authors *)

• Q Lian#, K Zhang#, Z Zhang#, F Duan1, L Guo1, W Luo, W Mok, A Thakur, X Ke, P Motallebnejad, V Nicolaescu, J Chen, C Ma, X Zhou, S Han, T Han, W Zhang, A Tan, T Zhang, X Wang, D Xu, J Xiang, A Xu, C Liao, F Huang, Y Chen, J Na, G Randall, H Tse, Z Chen, H Chen. Differential effects of macrophage subtypes on SARS-CoV-2 infection in a human pluripotent stem cell-derived model. Nature Communications, 2022. (DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29731-5., Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) first-tier journal, Impact Factor: 14.919)
• Z Zhang#, L Guo#, X Lu#, C Zhang#, X Wang#, L Huang#, F Duan#, H Liang, L Zeng, CY Ma, J Shao, H Li, L Li, L Liu, P Chen, C Li, J Zhang, K Kwan, W Liu, Y Xu, X Gu, H Jiang, H Du, T Zhang, Y Wu, G Yu, J Chen, C Liao, H Tse, R Luo, Z Chen, H Chen*, H Xia*, and Q Lian*. Clinical analysis and pluripotent stem cells-based model reveal possible impacts of ACE2 and lung progenitor cells on infants vulnerable to COVID-19. Theranostics, 2021, 11:2170 - 2181. (CAS first-tier journal, Impact Factor: 11.556, cover article)
• Z Zhang#, L Guo#, L Huang#, C Zhang#, R Luo, L Zeng, H Liang, X Lu, X Wang, C Ma, J Shao, W Luo, L Li, L Li, Z Li, X Zhou, K Kwan, W Liu, Y Xu, H Jiang, H Liu, H Du, Y Wu, G Yu, J Chen, J Zhang, C Liao, Z Chen, H Tse*, H Xia*, and Q Lian*. Distinct disease severity between children and elderly adults with COVID-19: Roles of ACE2 distribution and lung progenitor cells. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2021, 73: 4154 - 4165. (CAS first-tier journal, Impact Factor: 9.079)
• Z Zhang, B Yan, F Gao, X Meng, Q Li, L Zhou, P Chen, W Deng, C Li, W Xu, S Han, H Feng, Y Li, J Chen, Z Yin, HF Tse*, A Xu*, and Q Lian*. iPSCs Reveal PUFA Overload-provoked Mitochondrial Stress as a Central Node for RPE Degeneration in Bietti’s Crystalline Dystrophy. Molecular Therapy, 2020, 28: 2642 - 2661. (CAS first-tier journal, Impact Factor: 11.454)
• Y Zhang#, Z Zhang#, P Chen#, C Ma, C Li, T.Y.K. Au, V Tam, Y Peng, R Wu, KC. Cheung, PC Sham, HF Tse, D Chan, VY Leung, KS Cheah*, and Q Lian*. Directed Differentiation of Notochord-like and Nucleus Pulposus-like Cells Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Cell Reports, 2020, 30: 2791 - 2806.e5. (CAS first-tier journal, Impact Factor: 9.423)
• Z Zhang, Y Zhang, F Gao, S Han, KS Cheah, HF Tse, and Q Lian*. CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing system in human stem cells: current status and prospects. Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids. 2017, 9: 230 - 241. (CAS second-tier journal, Impact Factor: 8.886)

Other Research Work in the Past Five Years

• L Zhou#, K Ho#, T Wong#, Z Zhang, H Loong, N Che, H Yu, K Tan, Man Tong, S Ngan, W Ho, S Ma*. Lineage tracing and single-cell analysis reveal Prom1+ transit-amplifying tumor progenitors and their dynamic cellular transition during liver cancer progression. Gut. (Doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-324321, Impact Factor: 23.059)
• Y Zhang, L Guo, S Han, L Chen, C Li, Z Zhang, D Jiang, X Liang, J Qiu, J Zhang, X Li, C Liao, B Yan, H Tse, and Q Lian*. Adult mesenchymal stem cell ageing interplays with depressed mitochondrial Ndufs6. Cell Death & Disease. 2020, 11:1075. doi: 10.1038/s41419-020-03289-w. (Impact Factor: 8.469)
• C Li, M Cheung, S Han, Z Zhang, L Chen, J Chen*, H Zeng*, and J Qiu*. Mesenchymal stem cells and their mitochondrial transfer: a double-edged sword. Bioscience Reports. 2019 May 31; 39(5): BSR20182417. (Impact Factor: 3.840)
• D Jiang, G Xiong, H Feng, Z Zhang, P Chen, B Yan, L Chen, K Gandhervin, C Ma, C Li, S Han, Y Zhang, C Liao, T Lee, H Tse, Q Fu*, K Chiu*, and Q Lian*. Donation of mitochondria by iPSC-derived mesenchymal stem cells protects retinal ganglion cells against mitochondrial complex I defect-induced degeneration. Theranostics. 2019, 9(8): 2395–2410. (Impact Factor: 11.556)
• X Fan, Z Zhang, C Ma, Q Fu*. Mesenchymal stem cells for inflammatory airway disorders: promises and challenges. Bioscience Reports. 2019, 39(1): BSR20182160. (Impact Factor: 3.840)
• Z Yu, PL Tang, J Wang, S Bao, JT Shieh, AW Leung, Z Zhang, F Gao, SY Wong, AL Hui, Y Gao, N Dung, ZG Zhang, Y Fan, X Zhou, Y Zhang, DS Wong, PC Sham, A Azhar, PY Kwok, PP Tam, Q Lian, KS Cheah, B Wang, and YQ Song*. Mutations in Hnrnpa1 cause congenital heart defects. JCI Insight. 2018, 3: e98555. (Impact Factor: 8.315)