Personal Profile

Zhu Xun, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University. Currently serves as the Director of the Clinical Laboratory Standardization Research Center and the Deputy Director of the Biosafety Laboratory at the Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Youth Committee of the Tenth Committee of the Chinese Medical Association's Microbiology and Immunology Branch and a Young Editor of Chinese Journal of Viral Diseases.

Awards and Honors

• Recipient of the "Outstanding Youth" Project of the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation.
• Selected as a "Young Leading Talent in Technological Innovation" under the Guangdong Provincial High-level Talent Special Support Plan.
• Awarded the Seventh "Professor Bai Shinan Memorial Teaching and Scholarship" by the Guangdong Ke Lin Medical Education Foundation.
• Won the First Prize of the Eighth School-level Teaching Achievement Award of Sun Yat-sen University.

Research Areas
(1) Molecular mechanisms of infection and immunity; (2) Development of antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs. This research group has been dedicated to studying the interaction between viruses and hosts. On one hand, they have discovered a series of key factors (including interferon-stimulated genes, ISGs, etc.) in the host interferon signaling pathway and elucidated their novel functions and mechanisms in inhibiting the replication of flaviviruses such as dengue virus and Zika virus. On the other hand, they have revealed and clarified the functions and mechanisms by which flavivirus-encoded proteins (such as NS4A) antagonize the interferon pathway, as well as the functions and mechanisms by which viral proteins (such as NS5) induce excessive host inflammatory responses by targeting the inflammasome pathway. The above research provides a new molecular basis for elucidating the pathogenesis of flaviviruses and, based on this, seeks early diagnostic markers, new therapeutic targets, and novel candidate drugs for viral diseases.

Research Projects
Has hosted a total of 12 projects, including 4 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 3 projects funded by the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, sub-projects of the National Science and Technology Major Project for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, sub-projects of the Marine Public Welfare Industry Research Special Fund, the "Young Leading Talent in Technological Innovation" project under the Guangdong Provincial Special Support Plan, and the Key Cultivation Project for Young Teachers of the Basic Research Business Fund of Central Universities.

Publications
Has published over 80 papers in journals such as PNAS, Journal of Virology, Journal of Infection, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, British Journal of Pharmacology, and Marine Drugs. Among them, he is the first author (including co-first author) of 6 papers and the corresponding author (including co-corresponding author) of 11 papers. He has obtained 18 national invention patents and co-authored 4 textbooks/monographs.

Academic Affiliations

• Director of the Clinical Laboratory Standardization Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University.
• Deputy Director of the Biosafety Laboratory, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University.
• Vice Chairman of the Youth Committee of the Tenth Committee of the Chinese Medical Association's Microbiology and Immunology Branch.
• Young Editor of Chinese Journal of Viral Diseases.