Zhen Bouman Chen, Ph.D.
- Epigenetic Regulation in Endothelial Stress Response and Its Functional and Translational Relevance in Cardiovascular Diseases.
Professor, Department of Diabetes Complications & Metabolism
Zhen Bouman Chen, M.B., Ph.D., completed her medical training in basic medical sciences from Peking University Health Science Center, where she received the prize for Best Thesis Research. She then pursued her doctoral studies in mechanosensing and vascular biology at University of California Riverside, where she received the Joy K. Tilton Cancer Research Award and an Outstanding Achievement Award in Biomedical Sciences. Her subsequent postdoctoral training at University of California San Diego was funded by a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association (AHA) and a K99 Pathway-to-Independence Award from the National Institution of Health (NIH).
Built upon her interdisciplinary training in medicine, vascular biology, bioengineering and data science, Dr. Chen joined City of Hope® in 2016 as a faculty member in the Department of Diabetes Complications & Metabolism. Here she leads a research team that integrates innovative high-throughput sequencing technologies, bioinformatics approaches, and multi-scale models to elucidate RNA-mediated endothelial biology in diabetes and diabetic complications. Her research has been funded by grants from National Institute of Health, American Heart Association, Chan Zuckerberg Foundation, and Ella Fitzgerald Foundation, including a highly selective R35 Emerging Scientist Award from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Dr. Chen was a finalist for an American Heart Association (AHA) Junior Investigator Award for Women and a recipient of a New Investigator Award from the American Physiological Society-Cardiovascular Section and Springer Junior Investigator Award from North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO). She has been a reviewer for NIH, AHA, Diabetes UK, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Czech Science Foundation, and Hong Kong Research Grant Council, and a variety of scientific journals, including Science Translational Medicine, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Circulation, Circulation Research, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Genome Research and more.
Dr. Chen is passionate about mentorship and outreach. She has served as an active member on the Women’s Leadership Committee of the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Council of the AHA and is currently Chair of the committee. She is also a volunteer coach of Science Olympiads at local middle schools.
Education & Experience
Degrees
- 2021, Certificate, University of California San Diego Extension, Data Science and Visualization
- 2010, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
- 2005, B.S., Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, China
Professional Experience
- 2025-present, Co-Director, Cardiovascular Research Center, Arthur Riggs Diabetes Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
- 2025-present, Professor, Department of Diabetes Complications & Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
- 2021-2025, Associate Professor, Department of Diabetes Complications & Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
- 2016-2021, Assistant Professor, Department of Diabetes Complications & Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
- 2012-2016, Postdoctoral scholar, Division of Cardiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
- 2010-2012 Postdoctoral scholar, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
- 2010, Visiting Scholar, Genomics Research Center, Academia, Sinica, Taiwan
- 2006-2010, Ph.D. Candidate, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
- 2004-2005, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Physiology and Diabetes Center, Peking University Health Science Center, China
Awards & Memberships
Awards
2024, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute R35 Emerging Investigator Award
2023, Chinese American Diabetes Association, Young Investigator Award
2020, North American Vascular Biology Organization, Springer Junior Investigator Award
2018, New Investigator Award, American Physiological Society-Cardiovascular Section
2014, Best of American Heart Association Specialty Conference: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
2014, Junior Investigator Award for Women finalist, American Heart Association Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Council
2014, K99 Career Development Award (K99HL122368), National Institutes of Health
2011, Postdoctoral Fellowship (11POST7590128), American Heart Association Western States Affiliate Research Programs
2010, Outstanding Achievement Award in Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside
2007, Joy K. Tilton Cancer Research Award, University of California Riverside
2005, Best Thesis, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Health Science Center
Memberships
Member and Vice-Chair, Women's Leadership Committee of the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, American Heart Association
Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Life Sciences
Member, Editorial Advisory Board, American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology
Member, American Heart Association
Member, American Diabetes Association
Member, American Physiological Society
Member, American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Publications
- Zhao GJ, Han SY, Li Y, Yuan D, Qin S, Li Y, Jang H, Chen LJ, Wei TW, He M, Li YS, Chen ZB, Shi L, Chien S, Shyy JYJ. METTL3 Mediates Atheroprone Flow-induced Glycolysis in Endothelial Cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2025.
- Chadha RS, Yang B, Yuan D, Kocheril PA, Mahajan S, Colazo A, Malhi NK, Ambarian JA, Liu X, Chen ZB*, Wei L*. Single-Cell Metabolic Imaging Reveals Glycogen-Driven Adaptations in Endothelial Cells. Adv Sci. 2025. *Corresponding authors.
- Tapia A, Liu X, Malhi NK, Yuan D, Chen M, Southerland KW, Luo Y, Chen ZB. Role of long noncoding RNAs in diabetes-associated peripheral arterial disease. Cardiovascular Diabetology. 2024.
- Huang H-C, Wang T-Y, Rousseau J, Orlando M, Mungaray M, Michaud C, Plaisier C, Bouman Chen ZB, Wang K-C. Biomimetic nanodrug targets inflammation and Suppresses YAP/TAZ to Ameliorate Atherosclerosis. Biomaterials. 2024.
- Chen L-J, Yi J-YS, Nguyen P, He M, Bouman Chen ZB, Subramaniam S, Shyy J-YJ, Chien S. Single-cell RNA sequencing unveils unique transcriptomic signatures of endothelial cells and role of ENO1 in response to disturbed Flow. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2024.
- Sriram K, Qi Z, Yuan D, Malhi NK, Liu X, Calandrelli R, Luo Y, Tapia A, Jin S, Shi J, Salas M, Dang R, Armstrong B, Priceman SJ, Wang PH, Liao J, Natarajan R., Zhong S, Bouman Chen ZB. Regulation of nuclear transcription by mitochondrial RNA in endothelial Cells. eLife. 2024.
- Malhi NK, Southerland KW, Lai L, Bouman Chen ZB. Epigenetic regulation of angiogenesis in peripheral artery disease. Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal. 2023.
- Tang X, Lai CH, Malhi NK, Chadha R, Luo Y, Liu X, Yuan D, Tapia A, Abdollahi M, Zhang G, Calandrelli R, Shiu YT, Wang ZV, Rhee JW, Zhong S, Natarajan R, Bouman Chen ZB. Genetic Deletion of the LINC00520 Homolog in mouse aggravates angiotensin II-Induced hypertension. Non-coding RNA. 2023.
- Furuta K, Tang X, Islam S, Tapia A, Bouman Chen ZB, Ibrahim SH. Endotheliopathy in the metabolic syndrome: mechanisms and clinical implications. Pharmacology & therapeutics. 2023.
- Chen ZB, He M, Yi J-S, Shyy J-YJ, Chien S. Epitranscriptional Regulation: From the perspectives of cardiovascular bioengineering. Annual review of biomedical engineering. 2023.
- Tang X, Luo Y, Yuan D, Calandrelli R, Malhi NK, Sriram K, Miao Y, Lou CH, Tsark W, Tapia A, Chen AT, Zhang G, Roeth D, Kalkum M, Wang ZV, Chien S, Natarajan R, Cooke JP, Zhong S, Chen ZB. Long non-coding RNA LEENE promotes angiogenesis and ischemic recovery in diabetes models. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2023 (Featured in an editorial “Endothelial cells LEENE on noncoding RNAs in diabetic vasculopathy”)
- Tang X, Miao Y, Luo Y, Sriram K, Qi Z, Lin FM, Gu Y, Lai CH, Hsu CY, Peterson KL, Van Keuren-Jensen K, Fueger PT, Yeo GW, Natarajan R, Zhong S, Chen ZB. Suppression of endothelial AGO1 promotes adipose tissue browning and improves metabolic dysfunction. Circulation. 2020 (Featured in an editorial “Endotheliopathy in obesity”).