Guizhi (Julian) Zhu, Ph.D.

The research in the Zhu lab lies at the interface of immunology, nucleic acid engineering, and functional biomaterials. Our current focus is to develop novel circRNA/mRNA/oligonucleotide therapeutics and vaccines and their delivery systems for the prophylaxis and immunotherapy of cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and genetic diseases. Their research has been funded by federal agencies and foundations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the American Cancer Society (ACS). Current research areas include:

• Circular RNA (circRNA) and mRNA vaccines for the immunotherapy and prophylaxis of cancer, immune disorders, and genetic diseases
• Nucleic acid immunotherapeutics for cancer immunotherapy (circRNA, immunomodulatory DNA/RNA, gene-editing gRNA)
• ADAR-related nucleic acid theranostics and immunomodulators
• cGAS-STING-targeted immunomodulation for the immunotherapy of cancer and autoimmune diseases
• Novel delivery systems for nucleic acid therapeutics and vaccines