Fan Zhang

Fan Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics at the University of Florida’s College of Pharmacy. His research focuses on developing synthetic nanoplatforms to engineer immune cells as ‘living therapeutics,’ with a particular emphasis on cancer immunotherapy, nanomedicine, and immunology. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and completed postdoctoral training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Education:

• Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University (2011–2016)
• Postdoc in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (2016–2020)
• B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University (2006–2010)

Research Interests: Dr. Zhang’s work integrates materials science, immunology, and translational medicine to create novel nanotherapeutics. Key areas include:

• Engineering synthetic nanoplatforms for immune cell programming
• Developing cell-based therapies for cancer treatment
• Designing physiology-guided drug delivery systems
• Targeting myeloid cells and neuroinflammation

His research has led to four patents and the foundation of two start-up companies.

Awards:

• CTSI KL2 Career Development Award (2023)
• UF College of Pharmacy Sparkathon Accelerator Award (2021)
• Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Best Abstract Awards (2020)
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Young Investigator Award (2019)

Grants: Dr. Zhang has secured funding from institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIGMS, NCI), the American Cancer Society, and the American Brain Tumor Association. Current projects include:

• Myeloid cell-mediated targeting via nano-bio interfaces
• In situ programming of CAR-macrophages for glioblastoma treatment

Labs: The Zhang Lab at the University of Florida emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and translational research. Visit zhang.pharmacy.ufl.edu for more details.