Profile

Graduate School:
Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences - 09/1997 – 08/2003
PhD in Cell Biology - August, 2003
Mentor: Prof. Gang Pei
Dissertation:The study of the structure and function of G protein-coupled receptors

University of Louisville, Louisville, KY - 07/2000 – 10/2001
Exchange Student
Project: Mechanisms of CXCR4 activation

Undergraduate College:
Yunnan University (Joint undergraduate of Fudan University, Shanghai), Kunming, P.R. China - 09/1993 – 06/1997,
B.S. in Biochemistry - June, 1997

The long-term research goal in my laboratory is to understand mechanisms of retinal injury in ischemic retinopathy such as diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity and glaucoma. Our work includes three areas of the pathology of ischemic retinopathy: retinal neuronal injury, retinal vascular leakage and degeneration, and retinal pathological angiogenesis. 

Our group is now assessing the involvement of ER stress and inflammatory cytokines in particular chemokines in the development and progression of above diseases. In addition to inflammation, we are elucidating novel mediators for pathological angiogenesis and using nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery to treat retinal neovascular diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Since retina is an extension of the brain, we also collaborate with investigators in the fields of neurodegenerative and infectious diseases such as Alzheimer’s diseases and Zika virus infection using eye as a window.

1. Zhu S, Liu H, Sha H, Qi L, Gao DS, Zhang W. PERK and XBP1 differentially regulate CXCL10 and CCL2 production. Experimental Eye Research. In press. 
   
2. Ha Y, Liu H,  Zhu S, Yi P, Liu W, Nathanson J, Loucas B, Sun J, Frishman LJ, Motamedi M, Zhang W. Critical Role for the CXCL10/CXCR3 Axis in Leukocyte Recruitment and Neuronal Injury in Traumatic Optic Neuropathy induced by Optic Nerve Crush. Am J Pathol. In press.
    
3. Ha Y, Liu H, Xu Z, Yokota H, Narayanan SP, Lemtalsi T, Smith SB, Caldwell RW, Caldwell RB, Zhang W. Endoplasmic reticulum stress-regulated CXCL10/CXCR3 pathway mediates inflammation and neuronal injury in acute glaucoma (2015). Cell Death & Disease. 6:e1900.
    
4. Hu S, Liu H, Ha Y, Luo X, Motamedi M, Gupta MP, Ma JX, Tilton RG, Zhang W. Posttranslational Modification of Sirt6 Activity by Tyrosine Nitration (2014). Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2014 Dec 1. pii: S0891-5849(14)01374-4.
    
5. Liu R, Liu H, Ha Y, Tilton RG, Zhang W. Oxidative stress induces endothelial cell senescence via downregulation of Sirt6 (2014). Biomed Res Int. 2014:902842. doi: 10.1155/2014/902842.
    
6. Ameri H, Liu H, Liu R, Ha Y, Paulucci-Holthauzen AA, Hu S, Motamedi M, Godley BF, Tilton RG, Zhang W. TWEAK/Fn14 Pathway is a Novel Mediator of Retinal Neovascularization (2014). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 55:801-13
    
7. Zhang W, Yokota H, Xu Z, Narayanan SP, Yancey L, Yoshida A, Marcus D, Caldwell RA, Caldwell RB, Brooks SE. Hyperoxia Therapy of Pre-proliferative Ischemic Retinopathy in a Mouse Model (2011). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 52:6384-95.
    
8. Liu H, Zhang W, Kennard S, Caldwell RB, Lilly B. Notch3 is critical for proper angiogenesis and mural cell investment (2010).  Circ Res. 107, 860-70.
    
9. Zhang W, Baban B, Rojas M, Tofigh S, Virmani S, Patel C, Behzadian M, Romero M, Caldwell RW, Caldwell RB. Arginase activity mediates retinal inflammation in endotoxin-induced uveitis (2009). Am J Pathol. 175, 891-902.
    
10. Zhang W, Rojas M, Lilly B, Tsai NT, Lemtalsi T, Liou GI, Caldwell RW, Caldwell RB. NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent regulation of CCL2 production during retinal inflammation (2009). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 50, 3033-40.