Principle Investigator, Laboratory of Cell Fate Reprogramming and Regenerative Medicine

National "Ten Thousand Talents Plan" Young Top-notch Talents

Biography

Dr. Yang Zhao is a principle investigator in Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Peking University, China. His research interest is on cell fate reprogramming and regenerative medicine. He has published more than 10 SCI papers on high-impact journals including Science, Cell, and Cell Stem Cell , etc., and SCI has been cited more than 3,000 times, and the relevant research results have been rated as "2013 Top Ten Advances in Chinese Science", "2013 Top Ten Scientific and Technological Progress in Chinese Universities", Cell Press" 2015 Annual Paper in China", "2015 Top Ten Progress in China's Life Science Field", etc. Three patents have been granted. He is a researcher and doctoral supervisor of the Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, the State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Biomimetic Drugs, and the Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of the Ministry of Education.

Courses

n Frontier of stem cell and regenerative medicine (2 credits)

n Cell Reprogramming and Heart Regeneration（3 credits）

n Cell Plasticity and Reprogramming（3 credits）

Education

n B.S.  2003 Lifesciences, College of Lifesciences, Peking University

n Ph. D.  2009 Cell Biology, College of Lifesciences, Peking University (Supervisor: Prof. Hongkui Deng)

Experience

n 2010 - 2013 Post Doc，College of Lifesciences，Peking University (Advisor: Prof. Hongkui Deng)

n 2013 - 2016 Assistant Investigator，School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University

n 2016 - Now  Principle Investigator, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Peking University

Projects:

n 2020.1-2022.12 Project Director, Excellent Young Scientists Fund (No. 31922020)

 Title: Small Molecule-induced Cell Reprogramming (RMB 1,200,000)

n 2018.1-2021.12 Project Director , National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.31771645)

Title: The transdifferention of fibroblast into hepatocytes by chemicals (RMB 580,000)

n 2019.9-2024.8 Project Director, National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2018YFA0800500, Cross comparison of molecular regulatory networks between heart and liver regeneration among different species)

Title:  Novel strategies for regulating mammalian heart and liver regeneration (RMB 1700,000)

n 2019.9-2023.12 Principal Investigator, National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2019YFA0110000)

Title: Epigenetic stability of pluripotent stem cells (RMB 2432,100)

n 2022.1-2025.12 Principal Investigator, National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 2019YFA0110000)

Title: Chemically-induced in situ transdifferentiation from liver mesenchymal cells to hepatocytes (RMB 650,000)

Representative publications:

1. Bai Y^#, Yang Z , Xu X , Ding W , Qi J , Liu F , Wang X , Zhou B , Zhang W , Zhuang X,  Li G , Zhao Y*  Direct chemical induction of hepatocyte-like cells with capacity for liver repopulation. Hepatology. 2022 Jul 26. doi: 10.1002/hep.32686. Online ahead of print.

2. Yang Z^#, Xu X^#, Gu C, Nielsen AV, Chen G, Guo F*, Tang C*, Zhao Y*. Chemical Pretreatment Activated a Plastic State Amenable to Direct Lineage Reprogramming. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022 Mar 25;10:865038. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.865038.

3. Zhao H^#, Zhang Y, Xu X, Sun Q, Yang C, Wang H, Yang J, Yang Y, Yang X, Liu Y*, Zhao Y*. Sall4 and Myocd Empower Direct Cardiac Reprogramming From Adult Cardiac Fibroblasts After Injury. Front Cell Dev Biol .2021 Feb 26;9:608367. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.608367.

4. Yang Z^#, Xu X^#, Gu C^#, Li J, Wu Q, Ye C, Nielsen AV, Mao L, Ye J, Bai K, Guo F*, Tang C*, Zhao Y*. Chemicals orchestrate reprogramming with hierarchical activation of mastertranscription factors primed by endogenous Sox17 activation. Commun Biol. 2020 Oct 30;3(1):629. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-01346-w.

5. Ye J^#, Ge J^#, Zhang X, Cheng L, Zhang Z, He S, Wang Y, Lin H, Yang W, Liu J, Zhao Y*, Deng H*. Pluripotent stem cells induced from mouse neural stem cells and small intestinal epithelial cells by small molecule compounds. Cell Res.2016 Jan;26(1):34-45. doi: 10.1038/cr.2015.142.

6. Zhao Y*^#, Zhao T^#, Guan J^#, Zhang X^#, Fu Y^#, Ye J^#, Zhu J, Meng G, Ge J, Yang S, Cheng L, Du Y, Zhao C, Wang T, Su L, Yang W, Deng H*. A XEN-like State Bridges Somatic Cells to Pluripotency during Chemical Reprogramming. Cell. 2015 Dec 17;163(7):1678-91. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.11.017.

7. Li X^#, Zuo X^#, Jing J^#, Ma Y, Wang J, Liu D, Zhu J, Du X, Xiong L, Du Y, Xu J, Xiao X, Wang J, Chai Z*, Zhao Y*, Deng H*. Small-Molecule-Driven Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Functional Neurons. Cell Stem Cell. 2015 Aug 6;17(2):195-203. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2015.06.003.

8. Hou P^#, Li Y^#, Zhang X^#, Liu C^#, Guan J^#, Li H^#, Zhao T, Ye J, Yang W, Liu K, Ge J, Xu J, Zhang Q, Zhao Y*, Deng H*. Pluripotent stem cells induced from mouse somatic cells by small-molecule compounds. Science. 2013 Aug 9;341(6146):651-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1239278.

9. Shu J^#, Wu C^#, Wu Y^#, Li Z^#, Shao S, Zhao W, Tang X, Yang H, Shen L, Zuo X, Yang W, Shi Y, Chi X, Zhang H, Gao G, Shu Y, Yuan K, He W, Tang C*, Zhao Y, Deng H*. Induction of pluripotency in mouse somatic cells with lineage specifiers. Cell. 2013 May 23;153(5):963-75. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.001.

10. Zhao Y^#, Yin X^#, Qin H^#, Zhu F, Liu H, Yang W, Zhang Q, Xiang C, Hou P, Song Z, Liu Y, Yong J, Zhang P, Cai J, Liu M, Li H, Li Y, Qu X, Cui K, Zhang W, Xiang T, Wu Y, Zhao Y, Liu C, Yu C, Yuan K, Lou J, Ding M, Deng H*. Two supporting factors greatly improve the efficiency of human iPSC generation. Cell Stem Cell. 2008 Nov 6;3(5):475-9. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2008.10.002.

11. Cai J^#, Zhao Y^#, Liu Y^#, Ye F, Song Z, Qin H, Meng S, Chen Y, Zhou R, Song X, Guo Y, Ding M, Deng H*. Directed differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into functional hepatic cells. Hepatology. 2007 May;45(5):1229-39. doi: 10.1002/hep.21582.