PhD
There are two major projects in Dr. Zhang’s research lab: i) Understanding the mechanism of apoptosis and necroptosis and their effects on permitting tolerance induction in transplantation; ii) Studying the mechanisms of NK cell-mediated organ injury.
Dr. Zhang graduated from the Department of Biology, Zhongshan University in China. He received his PhD from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden in 1997. He finished his postdoctoral fellowship training in the Department of Pathology, University of Toronto and became a faculty member at Western University in 2003.
He is currently a professor in Department of Medicine and Department of Pathology at Western University. His laboratory is at the Matthew Mailing Centre for Transplant Studies, London Health Sciences Centre. His research interest is focused on the mechanisms of immune regulation and tolerance. He and his colleagues have identified a novel type of regulatory T cells, CD3+CD4-CD8- (double negative, DN-Treg) cells, that can suppress immune responses and prolong graft survival. In addition, he and his colleagues are the first to report that NK cells can mediate ischemia injury and chronic rejection in transplantation. Recently, his team made the novel discovery that necroptotic death and subsequent release of danger molecule regulate organ injury and transplant rejection. His research has been supported by CIHR, CNTRP, KFOC, CFI and HSF.
