PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Peng Zhao, Ph.D.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Email: zhaop@uthscsa.edu

​

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Structural Biology

Assitant Professor of Mays Cancer Center

Long School of Medicine

​

Postdoc: University of California San Diego

Ph.D.: Louisiana State University & Pennington Biomedical Research Center

​

​

Xiaoli Sun, M.D., Ph.D.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Email: sunx1@uthscsa.edu

​

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology

Assistant Professor of Mays Cancer Center

Assistant Professor of Transplant Center

​

Postdoc: University of California San Diego

M.D., Ph.D.: Peking University 

​

​

CURRENT LAB MEMBERS​

​

Dan Li, Ph.D.

INSTRUCTOR

​

Postdoc: Stanford University

Ph.D.: Peking University

​

​

​

Abhishek Gupta, Ph.D.

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

​

Postdoc: Ohio University

Ph.D.: Central Drug Research Institute

​

Abhishek received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Central Drug Research Institute. He received multiple academic awards for his work on the mechanisms of insulin resistance and adipocyte biology. Abhishek is interested in molecular regulation in diabetes.

​

​

Mia Ferretti, B.S.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

​

B.S., Pre-med student: Texas A&M University

​

Mia earned her B.S. in Biology at the Texas A&M University. She received multiple awards for her outstanding performance, including Lechner Scholarship and Bertha Mae and Samuel Martin Opportunity Award. Mia is highly motivated and passionate about translational research and metabolic diseases.

​

Jian Yuan, Ph.D.

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

​

Postdoc: Iowa State University, Xiamen University

Ph.D.: Ocean University of China

​

Jian has extensive experience in molecular biology and microalgae biotechnology. He received multiple awards for his achievements in developing molecular detection methods. Jian is dedicated to biomedical research and he is currently focused on the roles of lipid metabolism in liver diseases.

​​

​

Danwan Wen, M.D.

VISITING SCIENTIST

RADIATION ONCOLOGY FELLOW

​

M.D.: Sun Yat-sen University

​

Danwan received her M.D. from Sun Yat-sen University. She completed her medical and cancer research training at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University. She received multiple academic awards and honors including the highly prestigious National Scholarship. Danwan is interested in delineating the roles of signaling transduction in metabolic disorders and associated tumorigenesis. ​

​

Hong Yu, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

​

Ph.D.: Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

​

Hong received her bachelor's degree in medicine, then went on for a multidisciplinary Ph.D. training in cancer biology at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Chinese Academy of Sciences. She earned numerous academic awards and scholarships for her work on lung cancer. Hong is now studying the role of disrupted energy homeostasis in cancer development. ​

​