Yang Zhang

Yang Zhang is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy. His research focuses on molecular and immunological mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, particularly atherosclerosis, coronary artery diseases, and arterial calcification.

• PhD in Pharmacology, Medical College of Wisconsin
• Postdoc in Molecular Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen
• BSc in Applied Chemistry, Peking University

Zhang's research integrates molecular biology, immunology, and vascular physiology to study inflammasome activation, lysosome-autophagy pathways, and sphingolipid/redox signaling in vascular injury. His work explores how these mechanisms contribute to tissue inflammation, fibrosis, and degenerative vascular conditions during chronic diseases or viral infections.

Yang Zhang's publications demonstrate expertise in autophagy regulation, inflammasome biology, and sphingolipid signaling in vascular pathologies. His studies employ advanced techniques like in vivo gene silencing, confocal microscopy, and surgical animal models to investigate smooth muscle cell phenotypic transitions and endothelial dysfunction.

• National Heart Lung Blood Institute Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Award
• Harry Goldblatt Award Finalist
• Fellow of American Heart Association
• NIH study section review member
• Guest Editor for Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

Zhang has served on numerous grant review panels including NIH R01, VA Merit, and AHA fellowship committees. His research utilizes cutting-edge methodologies such as tissue-specific gene knockout mice, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and ultrasound-microbubble gene delivery systems to study vascular disease mechanisms.