Honglian Shi

Honglian Shi is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy. He holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (1995) and completed postdoctoral training at Tokyo University and the Burke Medical Research Institute (2001). His research focuses on oxidative stress mechanisms in diseases, particularly cerebral ischemia, hypoxia, heavy metal toxicity, and antioxidant therapies. He leads the Shi Lab, investigating redox regulation, iron metabolism, and HIF-1 signaling in neurodegenerative conditions and stroke. Key contributions include studies on mitochondrial ferritin’s role in neuroprotection and HIF-1’s involvement in blood-brain barrier integrity during ischemia.

• Education: Ph.D. in Biophysics (1995, Institute of Biophysics, CAS), Postdoctoral Fellowship (2001, Tokyo University/Burke Medical Research Institute)

Research Interests: Dr. Shi’s work spans oxidative stress pathways in ischemic stroke, heavy metal-induced carcinogenesis, and translational applications of antioxidant interventions. He employs multidisciplinary approaches including biochemistry, neuroimaging, and molecular biology to elucidate mechanisms linking free radicals to disease processes.

Key Findings: His studies highlight HIF-1’s dual role in neuroprotection and vascular permeability, iron homeostasis in cerebral ischemia, and synergistic toxicity of arsenic and alcohol. Recent work explores nanotechnology-based drug delivery (lycopene-liposomes) for reducing ischemic brain damage.

Lab/Teams: The Shi Lab collaborates on projects involving stroke pathophysiology, neuroprotection strategies, and redox signaling. Ongoing studies investigate epigenetic regulation of iron metabolism in stroke and the therapeutic potential of methionine sulfoxide reductase A.