Zhao Wang, Ph.D.

626-218-6565
Zhao Wang, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Diabetes & Cancer Metabolism
Academic Appointments

Professor, Department of Diabetes & Cancer Metabolism

Research Teams
Diabetes Complications and Metabolism
The Zhao Wang lab focuses on pathological cardiac remodeling due to cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, cancer treatment, myocardial infarction, senescence and diabetes. We use approaches that span biomedical disciplines, integrating genetics in lab models, tissue culture, imaging and multi-omics. Our work has yielded exciting insights about the roles of myocardial metabolism, the unfolded protein response, the integrated stress response, translation regulation and adipokines.

Education & Experience

Degrees

  • Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
  • M.S. in Molecular Genetics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
  • B.S. in Biochemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

Fellowship

  • 2008-2013, Postdoctoral fellow, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Professional Experience

  • 2026-present, Professor, Department of Diabetes & Cancer Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California
  • 2021-2025, Associate Professor, Department of Diabetes & Cancer Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California
  • 2021, Associate Professor with tenure, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
  • 2015-2021, Assistant Professor, tenure track, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Awards & Memberships

Awards

  • 2021, Fellow of American Heart Association (FAHA)

  • 2015, Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, ACRE-CNAHA Federation, Orlando, Florida

  • 2013, Finalist, the Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Science Research Prize for Young Investigators, American Heart Association, Dallas, Texas

Memberships

  • 2017-present, Member, International Society for Heart Research

  • 2009-present, Member, American Heart Association

  • 2008-present, Member, American Diabetes Association

Publications

  • X Tang, CH Lai, NK Malhi, R Chadha, Y Luo, X Liu, D Yuan, A Tapia, Non-coding RNA 9 (3), Genetic Deletion of the LINC00520 Homolog in Mouse Aggravates Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension. 2023
  • J Deng, Y Jiang, ZB Chen, JW Rhee, Y Deng, ZV Wang, Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Cardiac Arrhythmias, Cells 12 (5), 679. 2023
  • X Tang, Y Luo, D Yuan, R Calandrelli, NK Malhi, K Sriram, Y Miao, Long noncoding RNA LEENE promotes angiogenesis and ischemic recovery in diabetes models, The Journal of Clinical Investigation 133 (3). 2023
  • Y Zhu, N Li, M Huang, X Chen, YA An, J Li, S Zhao, JB Funcke, J Cao, Activating Connexin43 gap junctions primes adipose tissue for therapeutic intervention, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 12 (7), 3063-3072. 2022
  • X Wang, G Zhang, S Dasgupta, EL Niewold, C Li, Q Li, X Luo, L Tan, ATF4 protects the heart from failure by antagonizing oxidative stress, Circulation Research 131 (1), 91-105. 2022
  • B Xu, F Li, W Zhang, Y Su, L Tang, P Li, J Joshi, A Yang, D Li, Z Wang, Identification of metabolic pathways underlying FGF1 and CHIR99021-mediated cardioprotection, Iscience 25 (6), 104447. 2022
  • Y Feng, L Cai, W Hong, C Zhang, N Tan, M Wang, C Wang, F Liu, X Wang, Rewiring of 3D chromatin topology orchestrates transcriptional reprogramming and the development of human dilated cardiomyopathy. Circulation 145 (22), 1663-1683. 2022
  • G Zhang, X Wang, BA Rothermel, S Lavandero, ZV Wang, The integrated stress response in ischemic diseases, Cell Death & Differentiation 29 (4), 750-757. 2022
  • G Zhang, X Wang, C Li, Q Li, YA An, X Luo, Y Deng, TG Gillette, Integrated stress response couples mitochondrial protein translation with oxidative stress control, Circulation 144 (18), 1500-1515. 2021
  • XJ Zhang, X Liu, M Hu, GJ Zhao, D Sun, X Cheng, H Xiang, YP Huang, Pharmacological inhibition of arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase ameliorates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in multiple species, Cell Metabolism 33 (10), 2059-2075. e10. 2021
  • Q Li, C Li, A Elnwasany, G Sharma, YA An, G Zhang, WM Elhelaly, J Lin, PKM1 exerts critical roles in cardiac remodeling under pressure overload in the heart, Circulation 144 (9), 712-727. 2021
  • YA An, S Chen, Y Deng, ZV Wang, JB Funcke, M Shah, B Shan, The mitochondrial dicarboxylate carrier prevents hepatic lipotoxicity by inhibiting white adipocyte lipolysis, Journal of hepatology 75 (2), 387-399. 2021
  • Zhang G, Wang X, Rothermel BA, Lavandero S, Wang ZV. The integrated stress response in ischemic diseases. Cell Death & Differ. In press.
  • Zhang G, Wang X, Li C, Li Q, An YA, Luo X, Deng Y, Gillette TG, Scherer PE, Wang ZV. Integrated stress response couples mitochondrial protein translation with oxidative stress control. Circulation 2021; 144(18): 1500-1515.
  • Li Q, Li C, Elnwasany A, Sharma G, An YA, Zhang G, Elhelaly WM, Lin J, Gong Y, Chen G, Wang MH, Zhao S, Dai C, Smart CD, Liu J, Luo X, Deng Y, Tan L, Lv SJ, Davidson SM, Locasale JW, Lorenzi PL, Malloy CR, Gillette TG, Vander Heiden MG, Scherer PE, Szweda LI, Fu G, Wang ZV. PKM1 exerts critical roles in cardiac remodeling under pressure overload in the heart. Circulation 2021; 144(9): 712-727.
  • Li Q, Taegtmeyer H, Wang ZV. Diverging consequences of hexosamine biosynthesis in cardiovascular disease. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2021; 153: 104-105.
  • Dai C, Li Q, May HI, Li C, Zhang G, Sharma G, Sherry AD, Malloy CR, Khemtong C, Zhang Y, Deng Y, Gillette TG, Xu J, Scadden DT, Wang ZV. Lactate dehydrogenase A governs cardiac hypertrophic growth in response to hemodynamic stress. Cell Rep. 2020; 32: 108087.
  • Tran HD, May HI, Li Q, Luo X, Huang J, Zhang G, Niewold E, Wang X, Gillette TG, Deng Y, Wang ZV. Chronic activation of hexosamine biosynthesis in the heart triggers pathological cardiac remodeling. Nat. Commun. 2020; 11(1): 1771.
  • Zhang G, Wang X, Gillette TG, Deng Y, Wang ZV. Unfolded protein response as a therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease. Curr Top Med Chem. 2019; 19(21): 1902-1917.
  • Wang X, Deng Y, Zhang G, Li C, Ding G, May HI, Tran DH, Jiang DS, Li DL, Wei X, Xu L, Ferdous A, Gillette TG, Scherer PE, Jiang X, Wang ZV. Spliced X-box binding protein 1 stimulates adaptive growth through activation of mTOR. Circulation 2019; 140(7): 566-579.
  • Zhang G, Wang X, Bi X, Li C, Deng Y, Al-Hashimi AA, Luo X, Gillette TG, Austin RC, Wang Y, Wang ZV. GRP78 promotes cardiomyocyte growth through activation of GATA4. Hypertension 2019; 72(2): 390-398.
  • Wang X, Bi X, Zhang G, Deng Y, Luo X, Xu L, Scherer PE, Ferdous A, Fu G, Gillette TG, Lee AS, Jiang X, Wang ZV. Glucose-regulated protein 78 is essential for cardiac myocyte survival. Cell Death Differ. 2018; 12(12): 2181-2194.
  • Bi X, Zhang G, Wang X, Nguyen C, May HI, Li X, Al-Hashimi A, Austin RC, Gillette TG, Fu G, Wang ZV*, Hill JA*. ER chaperone GRP78 protects heart from ischemia/reperfusion injury through Akt activation. Circ Res. 2018; 122(11): 1545-1554. (*, corresponding authors).
  • Deng Y, Wang ZV, Gordillo R, Zhu Y, Ali A, Zhang C, Wang X, Shao M, Iyengar P, Gupta R, Horton JD, Hill JA, Scherer PE. Adipocyte Xbp1s overexpression drives uridine production and reduces obesity. Mol Metab. 2018; 11: 1-17.
  • Wang X, Xu L, Gillette TG, Jiang X, Wang ZV. The unfolded protein response in ischemic heart disease. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2018; 117: 19-25.
  • Wang Y, Zhang Y, Ding G, May HI, Xu J, Gillette TG, Wang H, Wang ZV. Temporal dynamics of cardiac hypertrophic growth in response to pressure overload. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2017; 313(6): H1119-H1129.
  • Deng Y, Wang ZV, Gordillo R, An Y, Zhang C, Liang Q, Yoshino J, Cautivo KM, De Brabander J, Elmquist JK, Horton JD, Hill JA, Klein S, Scherer PE. Identification of an adipo-biliary-uridine axis that regulates energy homeostasis. Science 2017; 355(6330): aaf5375.
  • Wang ZV*, Scherer PE*. Adiponectin, the past two decades. J Mol Cell Biol. 2016; 8(2): 93-100. (*, corresponding authors).
  • Li DL, Wang ZV, Ding G, Tan W, Luo X, Criollo A, Xie M, Jiang N, May HI, Kyrychenko V, Schneider JW, Gillette TG, Hill JA. Doxorubicin blocks cardiomyocyte autophagic flux by inhibiting lysosome acidification. Circulation 2016; 133(17): 1668-1687.
  • Wang ZV, Hill JA. Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: catabolism driving metabolism. Circulation 2015; 131(9): 771-773.
  • Wang ZV, Hill JA. Protein quality control and metabolism: bidirectional control in the heart. Cell Metab. 2015; 21(2): 215-226.
  • Wang ZV, Li DL, Hill JA. Heart failure and loss of metabolic control. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2014; 63(4): 302-313.
Complete list of published work in MyBibliography (Pubmed), please click HERE.