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.

![IMG_7638[81344]_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/072f4e_34f6a037b3254a3c8087ac0a6d0644a0~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_452,y_234,w_2020,h_2209/fill/w_268,h_293,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_7638%5B81344%5D_edited.jpg)
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.