Shengmin Sang

Shengmin Sang, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University, affiliated with the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis. As a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, his research focuses on food-based medicine, particularly investigating bioactive compounds in functional foods and herbal medicine. His laboratory utilizes metabolomic approaches to study bioavailability, biotransformation, and gut health impacts, aiming to identify biomarkers for cancer prevention.

His research encompasses the health effects of whole grains, ginger metabolites, and oat phytochemicals. Recent work explores mechanisms of detoxification for lipid peroxidation products like 4-hydroxynonenal, anti-inflammatory properties of ginger derivatives in respiratory and neuropathic conditions, and metabolic interactions between dietary compounds and gut microbiota.

Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate a focus on:

• Functional food development using germinated grains
• Pharmacological applications of ginger metabolites in respiratory/digestive health
• Metabolomic biomarker discovery for dietary intake and metabolic diseases
• Microbiome-mediated biotransformation of polyphenols
• Advanced glycation end-product analysis

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• Advancement of Application of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Award (ACS, 2022)
• Senior Researcher Award (NC A&T, 2018)
• Innovation for Impact Grand Prize (NC Biotech/SoBran, 2017)
• Fellow Award (ACS Agricultural Division, 2011)
• Matthew Suffness Young Investigator Award (ASP, 2009)
• Young Scientist Award (ACS Agricultural Division, 2007)

Dr. Sang leads a laboratory specializing in in vitro and in vivo models of gut health and metabolomics. Current investigations include clinical translation of ginger compounds for asthma management, microbial metabolism of oat avenanthramides, and novel detoxification pathways for reactive carbonyl species.