Dr. Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology at the Medical University of South Carolina. He received his DVM at Hebei Agricultural University in China and MS and PhD degrees from Hokkaido University in Japan. After a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, he came to the Medical University of South Carolina in 1993. He joined the faculty of the Division of Rheumatology in 1997 to set up and run the Antibody Core Facility. This antibody facility is now very successful, and provides outstanding service to investigators.
Dr. Zhang’s major research interests are focused on autoimmune diseases and cancer immunology. Currently he is studying the role of the transcription factor Fli-1 in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) development. SLE is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease involving multiple organ systems characterized by the production of autoantibodies. He has demonstrated a profound effect of Fli-1 expression on disease phenotype and survival in MRL/lpr mice, an animal model of lupus. The long term goal of his studies is to gain better understanding of the mechanisms of autoimmune disease development and provide novel strategies for the treatment of autoimmune disease. He is also studying cancer immunology and developing new therapeutic monoclonal antibodies against cancers. His research is currently supported by NIH awards, VA Merit Review award and a biotechnology company contract.
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