Assistant Professor

Investigator, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences,

Peking University Boya Young Fellow

Biography

Dr. Zhixing Chen is a chemist with research experience spanning natural product synthesis, polymer mechano-chemistry, fluorescence and non-linear optical probes, bioconjugation, and live cell imaging. Zhixing believes in the enabling role of molecular technologies at the frontier of optical imaging, biotechnology, and life sciences. His current focus is to develop small and macro molecular tools for advanced imaging technologies. In the long term, Zhixing endeavors to unleash the synergy at the chemistry-biology-imaging interface in a collaborative manner, bringing new dimensions to the fields of molecular imaging and molecular medicine.

Courses

Recent advance in bioimaging probes (3 credits)

Frontiers in Chemical Biotechnology and Bioimaging (3 credits)

General Chemistry (UG, 2 credits)

Education

Ph.D. 2009-2014  Chemistry Department of Chemistry, Columbia University

B.S.  2004-2008  Chemical Biology Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University

Experience

2018- now  CLS Investigator, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University

Assistant Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Peking University

2016-2018  Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University (Advisor: Professor Yan Xia)

2015  Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University (Advisor: Professor Wei Min)

2008-2009  Research Assistant, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, PKU (Advisors: Professors Zhen Yang and Jiahua Chen)

Projects

Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission

National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program)

Representative publications

1. Zhang, Y.#; Yang, C.#; Peng, S.; Ling, J.; Chen, P.; Ma, Y.; Wang, W.; Chen, Z.*; Chen, C.* General Strategy To Improve the Photon Budget of Thiol-Conjugated Cyanine Dyes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 4187-98.

2. Liu, T.#; Stephen, T.#; Chen, P.; Keller-Findeisen, J.; Chen, J.; Riedel, D.; Yang, Z.; Jakobs, S.; Chen, Z.* Multi-color live-cell STED nanoscopy of mitochondria with a gentle inner membrane stain. PNAS 2022, 119, e2215799119 [Cover]

3. Mo, J.#; Chen, J.#; Shi, Y.; Sun, J.; Wu, Y.; Liu, T.; Zhang, J.; Zheng, Y.; Li, Y.; Chen, Z.* Third-Generation Covalent TMP-Tag for Fast Labeling and Multiplexed Imaging of Cellular Proteins. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202207905

4. Liu, M.#; Zhang, J.#; Chen, Z.* Emerging trends in fluorescence bioimaging of divalent metal cations using small-molecule indicators. Chem. Eur. J. 2022, 28, e202200587. [Invited Review]

5. Zhang, J.#; Peng, X.#; Wu, Y.#; Ren, H.#; Sun, J.; Tong, S.; Liu, T.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, S.; Tang, C.; Chen, L.; Chen, Z.* Red- and Far-Red-Emitting Zinc Probes with Minimal Phototoxicity for Multiplexed Recording of Orchestrated Insulin Secretion. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 25846-55. [Inside Cover]

6. Yang, Z.#; Li, L.#; Ling, J.; Liu, T.; Huang, X.; Ying, Y.; Zhao, Y.; Zhao, Y.; Lei, K.*; Chen, L.*; Chen, Z.* Cyclooctatetraene-conjugated cyanine mitochondrial probes minimize phototoxicity in fluorescence and nanoscopic imaging. Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 8506-8516.

7. Chen, Z.#; Zhu, X.#; Yang, J.; Mercer, J. A. M.; Burns, N. Z.; Martinez, T. J.; Xia, Y. The cascade unzipping of ladderane reveals dynamic effects in mechanochemistry. Nat. Chem. 2020, 12, 302-309.

8. Chen, Z.; Mercer, J. A. M.; Zhu, X.; Romaniuk, J. A. H.; Pfattner, R.; Cegelski, L.; Martinez, T. J.; Burns, N. Z.; Xia, Y. Mechanochemical unzipping of insulating polyladderene to semiconducting polyacetylene. Science 2017, 357, 475-479 [Front Cover].

9. Wei, L.; Chen, Z.; Shi, L.; Long, R.; Anzalone, A. V.; Zhang, L.; Hu, F.; Yuste, R.; Cornish, V. W.; Min, W. Super-multiplex vibrational imaging. Nature 2017, 544, 465-470.

10. Chen, Z.; Paley, D. W.; Wei, L.; Weisman, A. L.; Friesner, R. A.; Nuckolls, C.; Min, W. Multicolor Live-Cell Chemical Imaging by Isotopically Edited Alkyne Vibrational Palette. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 8027–8033.

11. Chen, Z.; Cornish, V. W.; Min, W. Chemical Tags: Inspiration for Advanced Imaging Techniques. Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 2013, 17, 637–643.

12. Gatzogiannis, E.#; Chen, Z.#; Wei, L.; Wombacher, R.; Kao, Y.-T.; Yefremov, G.; Cornish, V. W.; Min, W. Mapping Protein-Specific Micro-Environments in Live Cells by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of a Hybrid Genetic-Chemical Molecular Rotor Tag. Chem. Commun. (Camb). 2012, 48, 8694–8696.

13. Chen, Z.; Jing, C.; Gallagher, S. S.; Sheetz, M. P.; Cornish, V. W. Second-Generation Covalent TMP-Tag for Live Cell Imaging. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 13692–13699.

14. Chen, Z.#; Wei, L.#; Zhu, X.#; Min, W. Extending the Fundamental Imaging-Depth Limit of Multi-Photon Microscopy by Imaging with Photo-Activatable Fluorophores. Opt. Express 2012, 20, 18525–18536.

15. Xiao, Q.#; Ren, W.-W.#; Chen, Z.-X.; Sun, T.-W.; Li, Y.; Ye, Q.-D.; Gong, J.-X.; Meng, F.-K.; You, L.; Liu, Y.-F.; Zhao, M.-Z.; Xu, L.-M.; Shan, Z.-H.; Shi, Y.; Tang, Y.-F.; Chen, J.-H.; Yang, Z. Diastereoselective Total Synthesis of (±)-Schindilactone A. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2011, 50, 7373–7377 [Front Cover].