Zeng Yuan-shan

Biography

Yuan-shan Zeng, M.D., Ph.D. is a professor of Histology and Embryology. He got his Ph.D. degree of Histology and Embryology in West China University of Medical Sciences in 1991. In 1998, he took postdoctoral fellow training at Department of Anatomy, Indiana University. He worked as a visiting professor at Department of Anatomy, the Hong kong Univeristy in 2003. He is now appointed Head, Department of Histology and Embryology and Vice Director, Institute of Spinal Cord Injury, in Sun Yat-sen Univeristy. According to characteristic of conducting ascend and descend nerve impuises, and regulating reflex activity by intrinsic interneurons, which is principal function of spinal cord, Prof. Zeng’s research group has succeessfully constructed a neural network scaffold of synaptic transmission in vitro, deploying a regenerative medicine technique, neurotrophic factor (NT-3) and its receptor (TrkC), adult stem cells and biomaterial scaffold, and so on. They transplanted the neural network scaffold into the injury site of spinal cord transected completely and observed the implant playing a relay role for repairing nerve conduction pathway injured in spinal cord. Grafted neural network scaffold may improve motor and sensory function of spinal cord. So far, Prof. Zeng has published a total of 49 articles, with 44 as first or corresponding author, on international academic journal. He has successfully obtained grants for a sub-project from the 973 Program and a sub-project from the 863 Program, 9 grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 1 grant from the Doctoral Program Funds of the Ministry of Education and 1 grant from the Social Developmental Foundation of Guangdong Province. Two invention patents of China were obtained.

Research Interest

Zeng’s research program is mainly focused on the stem cell transplantation and mechanism of repairing of spinal cord injury.