Fan Zhang, Ph.D.

Fan Zhang, Ph.D., joined the department of pharmaceutics as an assistant professor in January 2021. He received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in Materials Science & Engineering under the advisement of Dr. Kannan Rangaramanujam, Ph.D. His graduate work established the guiding principles for designing nanomedicines to target neuroinflammation. To expand the clinical impact of his research, he then undertook postdoctoral training with Matthias Stephan, M.D., Ph.D., at the clinical research division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This experience solidified his foundation in immuno-oncology, cell & gene therapy, and experimental tumor models. As an American Brain Tumor Association Research Fellowship awardee, he developed a polymer-based platform that genetically program immune cells for cancer treatment, which is under clinical translation. His work has led to four patents and contributed to the foundation of two start-up companies.

Dr.Zhang’s research focuses on developing synthetic nanoplatforms to direct immune cells as ‘living therapeutics’. To this end, his laboratory integrates materials science, immunology, synthetic biology, and translational medicine to create novel nanotherapeutics for controlled modulation of the immune system. The overarching goal of his research is to establish a fundamental understanding of nanotherapeutic design and the ways it interacts with the immune system. The ultimate goal of his research is to translate nanomedicine to the clinic. Dr.Zhang’s laboratory seeks to create a unique working environment by fostering interdisciplinary and translational collaboration. The current research focuses include: (1) engineering synthetic nanoplatforms; (2) engineering synthetic cell-based therapy; (3) physiology-guided drug delivery.

0000-0002-2491-3600

• CNS Cancer
• Cell and Gene Therapy
• Drug delivery
• Immuno-Oncology
• Immunotherapy
• Nanomedicine
• Neuroinflammation