Caigang Zhu

Caigang Zhu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Kentucky, part of the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering. His research focuses on developing optical imaging tools for cancer biology and radiation biology, particularly in tumor metabolism, hypoxia, and angiogenesis. He leads the Zhu Research Lab, established in Fall 2019, which integrates novel optical techniques with multidisciplinary approaches to advance biomedical applications.

Dr. Zhu holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (2014) and a B.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2008). Prior to his faculty position, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University's Biomedical Engineering Department (2015-2019).

His research interests include vascular/metabolic imaging spectroscopy, tumor metabolic phenotyping, and point-of-care diagnostic platforms. Recent work emphasizes non-invasive metabolic monitoring in preclinical cancer models, organotypic tissue cultures, and single-cell metabolic analysis. He has pioneered portable optical systems for real-time in vivo measurements, with applications in radiation therapy assessment and personalized cancer treatment.

Publications highlight contributions to optical metabolic imaging techniques, including HIF-1α signaling analysis, glucose uptake quantification, and mitochondrial membrane potential assessment in tumor models. His work bridges engineering innovations with clinical translation, aiming to improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficacy in oncology.