Assistant Professor, RNA Therapeutics Institute, Horae Gene Therapy Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology
Guocai completed his PhD in pathobiology with training at the National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), an HHMI-style research institute in China, where he co-discovered NTCP as an essential receptor for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) — a breakthrough recognized by the 2021 Baruch S. Blumberg Prize and the 2022 Future Science Prize in Life Sciences. He then moved to the Scripps Research Institute as a postdoc (2013-2019) and developed a series of novel RNA switches, including a self-cleavage-based RNA switch capable of regulating gene expression of AAV-delivered therapeutics with a wide regulatory range in mice. In late 2019, Guocai established his independent laboratory at Shenzhen Bay Laboratory and Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School in Shenzhen, China. In the summer of 2022, he moved his lab to the RNA Therapeutics Institute and Horae Gene Therapy Center at the UMass Chan Medical School. Zhong Lab's research has been centered on RNA switch engineering and the development of regulatable gene therapies.
Sr. Research Scientist, Lab Manager
Haimin got her medical degree in 2007 and then received a 2-year residency training in China. She then switched her career path to research. She was a postdoc associate at the Scripps Research Institute, Florida campus, and then joined Zhong Lab in 2019 since the lab's establishment.
Visiting Graduate Student
Xiaojuan is a PhD student at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China. She joined Zhong Lab since the lab's establishment in 2019, initially at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, then moved with the lab as a visiting student to UMass Chan Medical School (3/20/2023-).
Chengzhi Du, PhDPostdoctoral Associate
Chengzhi received his PhD degree in Cancer Biology in 2019 from Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. Since then, he joined Zhong Lab as a Postdoctoral Associate, initially at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, then moved with the lab to UMass Chan Medical School (5/20/2023-).
Postdoctoral Associate
Mengjia was a graduate student in Zhong Lab. She joined the lab in late 2019 and received her PhD degree in Chemical Genomics in July 2023 from Peking University, China. As the lab then moved to UMass Chan Medical School, she rejoined the lab at UMass Med as a Postdoctoral Associate (10/16/2023-).
Postdoctoral Associate
Yao received her PhD degree in Veterinary Medicine in June 2022 from South China Agricultural University, China. She recently joined us as a Postdoctoral Associate (1/8/2024-).
High School Intern
Charuvi is a high school senior at Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI. She recently joined us as an Intern (6/24/2024-) and is acquiring hands-on experience with prime editing, a cutting-edge genome editing technology.
Wei Zhan. UMass Chan graduate student previously rotated in the Zhong lab in 2023.
Madhu Suresh. Former Research Associate (2023-2023); now PhD student at the University of Freiburg, Germany.
Yujun Li, PhD. Former Associate Investigator (2020-2022); now Associate Professor and Co-Director of BSL-3 Laboratory at Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, China.
Hong Pan, PhD. Former postdoc (2020-2022); now Assistant Investigator at Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
Weitong Yao, PhD. Former postdoc (2020-2022); now Assistant Investigator at Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan, China.
He Zhang. Former graduate student at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School (2021-2022); now graduate student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Danting Ma. Former Research Assistant (2019-2022); now graduate student at Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Xiaomei Fu. Former Research Assistant (2020-2022); now Scientist at ImmVira Co., Ltd, China.
Yifei Wang. Former Research Assistant (2019-2021); now graduate student at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Paris, France.
Qin Zou. Former Research Assistant (2019-2020); now in industry.