Zhao Wei

Biography

Dr. Zhao received his Ph.D. training in cancer pharmacology and cancer immunology at Nanjing University in 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he conduced his postdoctoral training under Dr. Rongfu Wang at Baylor College of Medicine. From 2011 to 2015, he worked in Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI). During these 6 years in US, Dr. Zhao's research interests mainly focused on the epigenetic regulation of stem cells and cancer immunotherapy. In 2015, Dr. Zhao was recruited to Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) as a full-time professor through SYSU "Bairen" and national "1000 Young Elite " programs. Moreover, Dr. Zhao has authored an article published in he high impact Hematology journal, Leukemia, in which he demonstrated, for the first time, that high dose sorafenib inhibits human T-cell proliferation and activation. Currently, Dr. Zhao's research mainly focused on epigenetic regulation in stem cells and cancer stem cells.

Research Interest

Dr. Zhao most significant accomplishments are in stem cell research. He has been focusing on the role of histone modification enzymes in determining stem cell fate, particularly the mechanisms involved in somatic cell reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSC technology is revolutionizing medical science, providing unlimited cell resources for stem cell transplantation, allowing the exploration of disease mechanisms and novel therapeutic molecular targets, and offering opportunities for personalized drug screening. However, after the initial discovery of iPSCs, the clinical use of iPSCs was limited by the lack of understanding of the epigenetic regulation of reprogramming somatic cells into iPSCs. Partial reprogramming of iPSCs could lead to inadvertent tumor formation; thereby, generating major patient safety concerns. Dr. Zhao created a cellular model using iPSCs technology to screen critical regulators during reprogramming. With this novel system, I identified a panel of potential therapeutic targets, which are required for stem cell maintenance. These important findings were published in the high impact journal, Cell.