1994 - 1998 B.S. Peking University

1998 - 2003 Ph.D. Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College

2004 - 2008 Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Chicago

2009.1 - 2009.10 Research Assistant Professor, University of Chicago

2009.10 - Professor, Institute of Biophysics, CAS

Dr. Mingzhao Zhu has been devoted to the field of adaptive immunity, especially focusing on lymphoid tissue microenvironment and T cell development and response. More specifically:

1. The role of specific lymphoid tissue stromal cells for T cell development and response.

2. Epigenetic regulation of T cell development, homeostasis and response.

3. Development and immunological mechanism of lymph node targeted nanoparticle vaccines.

In the past 6 years (since 2016), Dr. Zhu's major achievements include:

1. The novel mechanism of specific lymphoid tissue stromal cells for T cell development and response (Nat Commun. 2016, J Immunol. 2018, 2019, 2020, Front Immunol. 2021);

2. The novel epigenetic mechanism of histone variant H2A.Z for eukaryotic DNA replication and T cell proliferation (Nature 2020).

3. The novel mechanism of CD146 on LCK activation for T cell development and activation (J Clin Invest. 2021).

4. The novel mechanism of lymph node targeted nanoparticle vaccines and development of new vaccines. (Nat Nanotechnol. 2020, Cell Mol Immunol. 2021, Nanomedicine. 2019, Cell Discov. 2017, Oncoimmunology 2016, Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2021).

Given his achievements in this field, Dr. Zhu has been awarded "The National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars" in 2020, and "WuXi AppTec Life Science and Chemistry Awards" in 2021.

1.Zhu, M.*Immunological perspectives on spatial and temporal vaccine delivery.Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 178, 113966. (2021)

2. Duan, H., Jing, L., Jiang, X., Ma, Y., Wang, D., Xiang, J., Chen, X., Wu, Z., Yan, H., Jia, J., Liu, Z., Feng, J.,Zhu, M.*, and Yan, X.* CD146 bound to LCK promotes TCR signaling and anti-tumor immune response in mice.J Clin Invest. 131(21):e148568. (2021)

3. Xia, H., Zhong, S., Zhao, Y., Ren, B., Wang, Z., Shi, Y., Chai, Q., Wang, X.*, andZhu, M.*Thymic Egress Is Regulated by T Cell-Derived LTβR Signal and via Distinct Thymic Portal Endothelial Cells.Front Immunol. 12, 707404. (2021)

4. Wang, W., Huang, B., Zhu, Y., Tan, W.*, andZhu, M.*Ferritin nanoparticle-based SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine induces a persistent antibody response and long-term memory in mice.Cell Mol Immunol. 18, 749-751. (2021)

5. Wang, W., Zhou, X., Bian, Y., Wang, S., Chai, Q., Guo, Z., Wang, Z., Zhu, P., Peng, H., Yan, X., Li, W., Fu, Y-X.,Zhu, M.*Dual-targeting nanoparticle vaccine elicits a therapeutic antibody response against chronic hepatitis B.Nature Nanotechnology15:406-416. (2020)

6. Long, H., Zhang, L., Lv, M., Wen, Z., Zhang, W., Chen, X., Zhang, P., Li, T., Chang, L., Jin, C., Wu, G., Wang, X., Yang, F., Pei, J., Chen, P., Margueron, R., Deng, H.,Zhu, M.*, and Li, G.* H2A.Z facilitates licensing and activation of early replication origins.Nature577, 576-581. (2020)

7. Pian, Y., Chai, Q., Ren, B., Wang, Y., Lv, M., Qiu, J.,Zhu, M.*Type 3 Innate Lymphoid Cells Direct Goblet Cell Differentiation via the LT-LTβR Pathway during Listeria Infection.J Immunol205:853-863. (2020)

8. Wang, Z., Wang, W., Chai, Q., andZhu, M.*Langerhans cells control lymphatic vessel function during inflammation via LIGHT-LTβR signaling.J Immunol202, 2999-3007. (2019)

9. Wang, W., Liu, Z., Zhou, X., Guo, Z., Zhang, J., Zhu, P., Yao, S., andZhu, M.*Ferritin nanoparticle-based SpyTag/SpyCatcher-enabled click vaccine for tumor immunotherapy.Nanomedicine16, 69-78. (2019)

10. Wang, Z., Chai, Q.*, andZhu, M.*Differential roles of LTbetaR in endothelial cell subsets for lymph node organogenesis and maturation.J Immunol201, 69-76. (2018)

11. Liu, X., Liu, L., Ren, Z., Yang, K., Xu, H., Luan, Y., Fu, K., Guo, J., Peng, H.,Zhu, M.*, and Fu, Y. X.* Dual targeting of innate and adaptive checkpoints on tumor cells limits immune evasion.Cell Rep24, 2101-2111. (2018)

12. Jin, C., andZhu, M.*RelB intrinsically regulates the development and function of medullary thymic epithelial cells.Science China Life Sciences61(9):1039-1048. (2018)

13. Jin, L., Guo, X., Shen, C., Hao, X., Sun, P., Li, P., Xu, T., Hu, C., Rose, O., Zhou, H., Yang, M., Qin, C.-F., Guo, J., Peng, H.,Zhu, M., Cheng, G., Qi, X., and Lai, R. Salivary factor LTRIN from Aedes aegypti facilitates the transmission of Zika virus by interfering with the lymphotoxin-β receptor.Nature Immunology19, 342-353. (2018)

14. Liu, Z., Zhou, C., Qin, Y., Wang, Z., Wang, L., Wei, X., Zhou, Y., Li, Q., Zhou, H., Wang, W., Fu, Y.-X.*,Zhu, M.*, and Liang, W.* Coordinating antigen cytosolic delivery and danger signaling to program potent cross-priming by micelle-based nanovaccine.Cell Discovery3, 17007. (2017)

15. Wu, W., Shi, Y., Xia, H., Chai, Q., Jin, C., Ren, B., andZhu, M.*Epithelial LTbetaR signaling controls the population size of the progenitors of medullary thymic epithelial cells in neonatal mice.Scientific reports7, 44481. (2017)

16. Tang, H.,Zhu, M., Qiao, J., Fu, YX. Lymphotoxin signaling in tertiary lymphoid structures and immunotherapy.Cell Mol Immunol14(10):809-818. (2017)

17. Shi, Y., Wu, W., Chai, Q., Li, Q., Hou, Y., Xia, H., Ren, B., Xu, H., Guo, X., Jin, C., Lv, M., Wang, Z., Fu, Y., andZhu, M.*LTbetaR controls thymic portal endothelial cells for hematopoietic progenitor cell homing and T cell regeneration.Nature Communications7, 12369. (2016)

18. Liu, Z., Zhou, H., Wang, W., Fu, Y.-X., andZhu, M.*A novel dendritic cell targeting HPV16 E7 synthetic vaccine in combination with PD-L1 blockade elicits therapeutic antitumor immunity in mice.OncoImmunology5, e1147641. (2016)

19. Lv, M., Wu, W., Zhang, Y., andZhu, M.*Herpes virus entry mediator licenses Listeria infection induced immunopathology through control of type I interferon.Scientific reports5, 12954. (2015)

20. Liu, Z., Zhou, H., Wang, W., Tan, W., Fu, Y. X., andZhu, M.*A novel method for synthetic vaccine construction based on protein assembly.Scientific reports4, 7266. (2014)

21. Shi, Y., andZhu, M.*Medullary thymic epithelial cells, the indispensable player in central tolerance.Sci China Life Sci56, 392-398. (2013)

22.Zhu, M.*, and Fu, Y. Proinflammatory IL-17 induces iBALT development.Cell Mol Immunol9, 101-102. (2012)

23.Zhu, M.*, Yang, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, Z., and Fu, Y.-X. LIGHT regulates inflamed draining lymph node hypertrophy.J Immunol186, 7156-7163. (2011)

24.Zhu, M., and Fu, Y.-X. The role of core TNF/LIGHT family members in lymph node homeostasis and remodeling.Immunol Rev244, 75-84. (2011)

25.Zhu, M.*, and Fu, Y.-X.* Deflating the Lymph Node.Immunity34, 8-10. (2011)

26.Zhu, M.*, and Fu, Y. The complicated role of NF-kappaB in T-cell selection.Cell Mol Immunol7, 89-93. (2010)

27.Zhu, M.*, Brown, N. K., and Fu, Y.-X.* Direct and indirect roles of the LT[beta]R pathway in central tolerance induction.Trends in Immunology31, 325-331. (2010)

28. Wang, Y.,Zhu, M., Yu, P., and Fu, Y. X. Promoting immune responses by LIGHT in the face of abundant regulatory T cell inhibition.J Immunol184, 1589-1595. (2010)

29. Zhou, P., Fang, X., McNally, B. A., Yu, P.,Zhu, M., Fu, Y. X., Wang, L., Liu, Y., and Zheng, P. Targeting lymphotoxin-mediated negative selection to prevent prostate cancer in mice with genetic predisposition.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A106, 17134-17139. (2009)

30. Wang, Y.,Zhu, M., Miller, M., and Fu, Y. X. Immunoregulation by tumor necrosis factor superfamily member LIGHT.Immunol Rev229, 232-243. (2009)

31.Zhu, M.*, and Fu, Y. X.* Coordinating development of medullary thymic epithelial cells.Immunity29, 386-388. (2008)

32.Zhu, M., Chin, R. K., Tumanov, A. V., Liu, X., and Fu, Y. X. Lymphotoxin beta receptor is required for the migration and selection of autoreactive T cells in thymic medulla.J Immunol179, 8069-8075. (2007)

33. Li, J., Li, Y., Yao, J. Y., Jin, R.,Zhu, M. Z., Qian, X. P., Zhang, J., Fu, Y. X., Wu, L., Zhang, Y., and Chen, W. F. Developmental pathway of CD4+CD8- medullary thymocytes during mouse ontogeny and its defect in Aire-/- mice.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A104, 18175-18180. (2007)

34.Zhu, M., Chin, R. K., Christiansen, P. A., Lo, J. C., Liu, X., Ware, C., Siebenlist, U., and Fu, Y. X. NF-kappaB2 is required for the establishment of central tolerance through an Aire-dependent pathway.J Clin Invest116, 2964-2971. (2006)

35. Chin, R. K.^#,Zhu, M.^#, Christiansen, P. A., Liu, W., Ware, C., Peltonen, L., Zhang, X., Guo, L., Han, S., Zheng, B., and Fu, Y. X. Lymphotoxin pathway-directed, autoimmune regulator-independent central tolerance to arthritogenic collagen.J Immunol177, 290-297. (2006)

(From Mingzhao Zhu, December 24, 2021)