Tao Zhang

Education:

Sep. 2003-Jul. 2007  Bachelor of Science   Fudan University, Shanghai, China  

Sep. 2007-Jan. 2013 Ph.D. in Cell Biology   Shanghai Institute of Organic ChemistryChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai, China  Advisor: Dr. Junying Yuan

 

Working experience:

Dec. 2012-Nov. 2015 Postdoctoral Associate   Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry,  Shanghai Institute of Organic  Chemistry, Chinese  Academy of ScienceShanghai, China  Advisor: Dr. Junying Yuan

Dec. 2015-April.2023 Postdoctoral Fellow   Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA  Advisors: Dr. Wenyi Wei

May.2023-Now Principle investigator   Songjiang Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China

 

Biography:
Dr. Tao Zhang received his B.S. from Fudan University in 2007. He then received Ph.D. in Chemistry at Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013, gaining expertise in cell biology, mentored by Prof. Junying Yuan. Tao’s Ph.D. work focused on how G-protein Coupled Receptors(GPCR)Regulate Autophagy. During 2015-2023, Tao worked as a Postdoc Fellow investigating the mechanisms by which metabolic stress regulates RIPK1-dependent cell death and inflammation. Tao’s work has been published in several important journals such as Science and Nature Cell Biology. Currently, Tao is an investigator in Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. His interest is to further explore the mechanism (s) that cell death and inflammation cause human diseases especially neurodegenerative diseases.



Tao Zhang

     

    Research interests:   Signal transduction, Cell Death, Inflammation

    Cell death and inflammation play a very important role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, and RIPK1 has emerged as a master upstream regulator of cell survival and inflammation, as well as multiple cell death pathways. However, the mechanism(s) that regulate the activation of RIPK1 remain elusive. Zhang Lab is dedicated to investigating the mechanism(s) that regulate the activity of RIPK1 and the physiological and pathological functions that RIPK1 plays in a multitude of human degenerative diseases. Dr. Zhang has achieved much groundbreaking work, and the above studies will provide a theoretical basis and new intervention strategies for the treatment of aging-related neurodegenerative diseases. These work have been published in several famous journals such as Science and Nature Cell Biology as the first or corresponding author. Dr. Zhang will continue to explore the roles that RIPK1-mediated cell death and inflammation have played in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, and it is expected to provide new ideas for the treatment of these diseases.