Pei Zhou

Pei Zhou is a Professor of Biochemistry at Duke University, with affiliations in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and the Duke Cancer Institute. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University (1998) and has conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard before joining Duke in 2001. His research focuses on elucidating protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions, with emphasis on enzymes involved in bacterial membrane biosynthesis, translesion DNA synthesis, and host-pathogen interactions. His work has contributed to the development of novel antibiotics and cancer therapies.

Research Interests:

• Structural biology of lipid A biosynthesis enzymes (e.g., LpxC, LpxH)
• Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and drug design
• Role of Rev1 in DNA translesion synthesis and cancer therapy
• Plant immunity via NPR1 protein structural studies

Recent Grants (2024–2030):

• LpxH Inhibitors as Novel Therapeutics Against Multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales
• Inhibiting Rev1-mediated DNA translesion synthesis for cancer therapy
• Structural and Functional Analysis of Nucleocytoplasmic Protein O-Glycosyltransferases in Plants

Awards:

• Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (2025)

Dr. Zhou’s lab has published extensively on antibiotic development, cancer biology, and structural biology. His team collaborates with industry partners like Valanbio Therapeutics and D5 Therapeutics to advance translational research.