Yong Zhou, PhD

Dr. Yong Zhou is a tenured Professor at the Section of Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine, within the John W. Deming Department of Medicine. He holds an Endowed Chair and serves as the Associate Chief for Research in the Pulmonary Section and as Director of the Program of Lung Repair and Regeneration. Dr. Zhou earned his Bachelor in Medicine from Wuhan University in China and his Ph.D. from Kyushu University in Japan. His academic journey prior to joining Tulane University includes significant time at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he rose from a Post-doc fellow to a tenured Professor. Dr. Zhou's research is primarily focused on biomechanical signaling in lung repair and regeneration, with a special emphasis on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). His goal is to develop effective therapies for fibrotic lung diseases. A testament to his research excellence is the continuous funding from NIH since 2008. His career is marked by numerous awards and honors, notably the American Thoracic Society Recognition Award for Outstanding Early Career Investigator. An active participant in professional societies, Dr. Zhou has contributed to numerous committees and is currently a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. He is deeply dedicated and committed to advancing the field of pulmonary research.
 

Selected Publications:

1. Guo T, Jiang CS, Yang SZ, Zhu Y, He C, Carter AB, Antony VB, Peng H, Zhou Y. (2023). Mitochondrial fission and bioenergetics mediate human lung fibroblast durotaxis. JCI Insight. Jan 10;8(1):e157348. PubMed PMID: 36422990
2. Guo T, He C, Venado A, Zhou Y. (2022). Extracellular Matrix Stiffness in Lung Health and Disease. Compr Physiol. Jun 29;12(3):3523-3558 (invited review). PubMed PMID: 35766837
3. Qu J, Yang S-Z, Zhu Y, Guo T, Thannickal VJ, Zhou Y. (2021). Targeting Mechanosensitive MDM4 Promotes Lung Fibrosis Resolution in Aged Mice. J Exp Med, May 3;218(5):e20202033. PMCID: PMC7953267. (Accompanied by JEM press release)
4. Zhou Z, Qu J, He L, Zhu Y, Yang SZ, Zhang F, Guo T, Peng H, Chen P, Zhou Y. (2020). Stiff matrix instigates type I collagen biogenesis by mammalian cleavage factor I complex-mediated alternative polyadenylation. JCI Insight. Feb 13;5(3):e133972. PMCID: PMC7098798
5. Qu J, Zhu L, Zhou Z, Chen P, Liu S, Locy ML, Thannickal VJ, Zhou Y. (2018). Reversing Mechanoinductive Desmoplakin Expression by CRISPR/dCas9-Mediated Epigenome Editing. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 198;5:599-609. PMCID: PMC6118013. (Accompanied by AJRCCM editorial)
6. Chen H, Qu J, Huang X, Kurundkar A, Zhu L, Yang N, Venado A, Ding Q, Liu G, Antony VB, Thannickal VJ, Zhou Y. (2016). Mechanosensing by the alpha6-integrin confers an invasive fibroblast phenotype and mediates lung fibrosis.  Nat Commun, 18;7:12564. PMCID: PMC4992155
7. Zhou Y (co-corresponding author), Huang X, Hecker L, Kurundkar D, Kurundkar A, Liu H, Jin T-H, Desai L, Bernard K, and Thannickal VJ. (2013). Inhibition of mechanosensitive signaling in myofibroblasts ameliorates experimental pulmonary fibrosis.  J Clin Invest, 123(3):1096-108. PMCID: PMC3582144. (JCI featured article, accompanied by JCI editorial)
8. Huang X, Yang N, Fiore VF, Barker TH, Sun Y, Morris SW, Ding Q, Thannickal VJ, Zhou Y. Matrix stiffness-induced myofibroblast differentiation is mediated by intrinsic mechanotransduction. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2012 Sep;47(3):340-8. PMCID: PMC3488695 (Highlighted on the journal cover)