Lisa Zhang, PhD, MD

Professional Background

Dr. Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She received medical degree and PhD in Cancer Biology from the Wuhan University School of Medicine, China and proceeded to complete postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center and University of Utah School of Medicine. Her research interests include basic and translational research in metabolic and inflammatory disorders such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and MASLD-associated liver cancer. Dr. Zhang was a recipient of multiple grants and awards including NIH K22 career development award, NIH COBRE project, American Cancer Society (ACS) award, American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) Bridging award, and NIH R01.

• MBBS, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, equivalent to an MD in the US, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, China
• MS, Molecular & Cell Biology, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, China
• PhD, Cancer Biology, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, China
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT

• Society of Toxicology (SOT), Member, 2019 - Present
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Member, 2016 - 2023
• American Society for Investigative Pathology , Member, 2016 - 2018
• American Society for Physiology , Member, 2014 - Present
• American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), Member, 2008 - Present

Research

Overview

The overall goal of Dr. Zhang's research is to improve understanding of the complex regulation of metabolic homeostasis in physiology and pathophysiology, and to identify new therapeutic strategies to treat metabolic diseases. The current projects in her laboratory have been focused on investigating the roles of the nuclear receptor SHP, the transcription factor Egr1, and the RNA-binding protein HuR in regulating hepatocyte bile acid and lipid metabolism as well as macrophage biology, with the goal of developing therapeutic strategies for MASLD and liver cancer.

• Magee, N, Zou, A, Lehn, S, He, Lin, Ghosh, Priyanka, Ahamed, F, Zhang, Y. 2022. Hepatic transcriptome profiling reveals key signatures associated with disease progression from nonalcoholic steatosis to steatohepatitis.. Liver Research, 6, 238-250
• Magee, N, Zou, A, Ghosh, P, Ahamed, F, Delker, D, Zhang, Y. 2020. Disruption of hepatic small heterodimer partner induces dissociation of steatosis and inflammation in experimental nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 295 (4), 994-1008
• Zou, A, Magee, N, Deng, F, Lehn, S, Zhong, C, Zhang, Y. 2018. Hepatocyte nuclear receptor SHP suppresses inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.. The Journal of biological chemistry, 293 (22), 8656-8671
• Deng, F, Magee, N, Zhang, Y. 2017. Decoding the role of extracellular vesicles in liver diseases.. Liver research, 1 (3), 147-155
• Magee, N, Zou, A, Zhang, Y. 2016. Pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: interactions between liver parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells.. BioMed research international, 2016, 5170402
• Zou, A, Lehn, S, Magee, N, Zhang, Y. 2015. New insights into orphan nuclear receptor SHP in liver cancer.. Nuclear receptor research, 2
• Zhang, Y, Liu, C, Barbier, O, Smalling, R, Tsuchiya, H, Lee, S, Delker, D, Zou, A, Hagedorn, C., H, Wang, L. 2016. Bcl2 is a critical regulator of bile acid homeostasis by dictating Shp and lncRNA H19 function.. Scientific reports, 6, 20559
• Lee, S., M, Zhang, Y, Tsuchiya, H, Smalling, R, Jetten, A., M, Wang, L. 2015. Small heterodimer partner/neuronal PAS domain protein 2 axis regulates the oscillation of liver lipid metabolism.. Hepatology, 61 (2), 497-505
• Zhang, Y, Xu, N, Xu, J, Kong, B, Copple, B, Guo, G., L, Wang, L. 2014. E2F1 is a novel fibrogenic gene that regulates cholestatic liver fibrosis through the Egr-1/SHP/EID1 network.. Hepatology, 60 (3), 919-30