Nan Zhu, Ph.D.

Nan Zhu, Ph.D. is an associate professor at J. Craig Venter Institute in the synthetic biology group. Prior to joining JCVI she was an Investigator at Versiti Blood Reach Institute in the Stem Cell and Hematopoiesis Program and held a joint appointment as an assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin in the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy (CBNA).

At Versiti, her laboratory studied the epigenetic regulation of stem cells and how dysregulation of these pathways contributes to the development of leukemia. Epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in maintaining tissue-specific gene expression patterns and are essential for normal development processes. In leukemia, cancer cells often harbor multiple genetic mutations that cause them to divide in an uncontrolled manner, leading to tumor formation and growth. Mutations in epigenetic regulators are frequently found in leukemia, highlighting their importance in malignancy.

At JCVI, Dr. Zhu’s research will build upon this body of work. Her lab will be focused on understanding the epigenetic regulation of normal and malignant hematopoiesis (the process by which the body makes blood cells), especially as it relates to Acute Myeloid Leukemia, the most aggressive form of the disease.

Dr. Zhu earned a BS in biochemistry from Nanjing University in China and a Ph.D. in biology from Boston University. Her post-graduate training includes research fellowships at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Boston (both teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School).