Research

The goal of the Zhang laboratory is to elucidate the mechanisms and therapeutic implications of macrophage heterogeneity and plasticity in cardiometabolic diseases.

Dr. Zhang’s laboratory seeks to understand the dynamic role of macrophages in cardiometabolic diseases with the aim of finding novel mechanisms and new treatments. The laboratory applies technologies for high-throughput functional genomics, human iPSC and CRISPR gene editing, transgenic mouse models, human genetics, and a variety of cell and molecular techniques.

The main areas of research in the laboratory include:

• Functional genomics and mechanistic studies of candidate genes and genetic variants inspired by human genome-wide association studies of cardiometabolic traits. R01-HL-168174 and R00-HL-130574

• Unbiased CRISPR screening to discover novel regulators of macrophage function, in particular, macrophage efferocytosis, and investigate their roles in homeostasis and diseases, including atherosclerosis. R01-HL-151611, P01-HL-172741, and R35-HL-177389.

• Disease modeling and functional genomic studies in human iPSC-derived macrophages.
  Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology 2019, JAHA 2017, ATVB 2017 Nov., ATVB 2017 Sep., ATVB 2016, Circulation Research 2015.

Grants

• “Finding and pushing the limits of macrophage efferocytosis in atherosclerosis” by the NHLBI R35-HL-177389 (2025-2032)

• “Harnessing molecular breaks on macrophage efferocytosis in atherosclerosis” by the NHLBI P01-HL-172741 (2024-2029)

• “Integrative and functional genomic studies to connect variant to function for CAG GWAS loci” by the NHLBI R01-HL-168174 (2023-2027)

• “Discovering Wdfy3 as a novel regulator of macrophage efferocytosis by genome-wide CRISPR screen” by the NHLBI R01-HL-151611 (2020-2025)

• The M. Iréne Ferrer Scholar Award by the Foundation for Gender-specific Medicine (2023-2024)

• The Irving Scholar Award by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through UL1TR001873 (2021-2024), with named professorship as the “Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences”

• The Katz Scholar Award by the Katz Foundation (2021-2023)

• “Macrophage-specific function of GWAS CAD-associated LIPA alleles in atherosclerosis” by the NHLBI K99-HL-130574 and R00-HL-130574 (2016-2021)