معرفی
Dr. Wei Zhang serves as Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, specializing in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. His research program focuses on developing epigenetics-based biomarkers for cancer and chronic diseases using liquid biopsy technologies, with continuous NIH and industry funding supporting his translational work.
Education:
- BS: Fudan University (1995)
- MS: Fudan University (1998)
- PhD: University of Vermont (2004)
- Postdoctoral Fellow: The University of Chicago, Human Genetics/Bioinformatics (2010)
Dr. Zhang's research integrates human genetics, pharmacogenomics, and computational biology to investigate epigenetic mechanisms in complex diseases. His laboratory pioneers liquid biopsy approaches using circulating cell-free DNA to develop diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cancers including liver, colon, lung, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma, as well as Alzheimer's disease and diabetic complications. His work has been featured in major media outlets including BBC, Reuters, and The New York Times due to its clinical translation potential.
Recent publications demonstrate his leadership in 5-hydroxymethylation biomarker discovery across diverse disease contexts, with strong emphasis on non-invasive detection methods and population-specific epigenetic pathways. His research consistently bridges computational biology with clinical applications, focusing on early cancer detection and treatment response prediction through epigenetic signatures in blood samples.
Scientific Awards:
- Certification of Appreciation for Meritorious Service (Scientific Merit Review Board), United States Department of Veterans Affairs (2021)
- Featured Speaker, The 21st Symposium of the New Century Health Care Promotion Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan (2017)
- Featured Speaker, Symposium on the Promise of Liquid Biopsy in Clinical Application, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2017)
- National Project Award for Cancer Research (Brain Cancer), Phi Beta Psi Sorority (2016)
- Merck & Co. Scholar-in-Training Award (Pharmacogenomics), American Association for Cancer Research (2005)
- Pre-doctoral Fellowship, Vermont EPSCoR & United States Department of Energy (2000)
As Principal Investigator of multiple NIH- and industry-funded projects, Dr. Zhang directs significant research grants focused on epigenetic biomarker development. His extensive grant review activities include service as Chair for NCI U01 reviews, Expert Reviewer for the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, and Consultant for institutions including Columbia University and Washington University in St. Louis. He maintains active editorial roles as Associate Editor for Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Frontiers in Oncology.
Dr. Zhang's research program operates through key Northwestern affiliations including the Center for Genetic Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics, and NUCATS. His laboratory collaborates with international cancer consortia and maintains industry partnerships through advisory roles at Cell Biologics, Inc. and Epican Technology, Ltd., driving translational applications of epigenetic discoveries into clinical diagnostics.
