Yu Zhang, Ph.D., M.D., DABCC
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology-Lab Medicine Div
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2009 | Tsinghua University, Beijing, CN, Biology, Ph.D |
| 2002 | Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, CN, M.D. (Outstanding Graduate) |
Postgraduate Training
| 2024-2024 | Trainee, Professional Certificate of Healthcare Management, Rice University, Houston, Texas |
| 2018-2021 | Clinical Chemistry fellow, Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology, San Francisco General Hospital at the University of California, San Francisco |
| 2018-2020 | Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics fellow, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California |
| 2011-2018 | Postdoctoral fellow, Stem Cell Biology, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2021 | Clinical Chemistry, the American Board of Clinical Chemistry |
| 2020 | Specialist in Chemistry, the American Society for Clinical Pathology |
| 2020 | Clinical Chemist, the National Registry of Certified Chemists |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, formerly known as the University of Massachusetts Medical School, 2021 - 2023
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Associate Director, Postdoctoral Clinical Chemistry Fellowship Training Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2026 - Present
Medical Director, Northwest Surgical Center, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2023 - Present
Medical Director, Houston Area Locations (League City, Sugar Land, West Houston, Woodlands), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2023 - Present
Medical Director, Life Science Plaza, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2023 - 2025
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - Present
Member, Center for Professionalism Support and Success, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2023 - Present
Member, Data & Biospecimen Access Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2023 - Present
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
Committee member, The Academy of Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine, The Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine, 2025 - Present
Member at Large, The Texas Local Section of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, 2025 - Present
Editorial Activities
Guest editor, Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 2025 - Present
Editorial Board member, Scientific Shorts, the Academy of Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine, 2025 - Present
Managing editor, Trends in Lab Medicine, the North American Chinese Clinical Chemists Association, 2021 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2025 - 2026 | William O. Russell Faculty Research Award, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2025 | 1st place of Faculty/Staff Category, Research Retreat Poster Presentation Award, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2023 | Service Award, North American Chinese Clinical Chemists Association (NACCCA) |
| 2022 | Guido Majno Teaching Award, Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School |
| 2021 | Best Abstract Award, Clinical and Translational Science Division, American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) |
| 2020 | Young Investigator Educational Grant, Mass spectrometry & Advances in Clinical Lab (MSACL) |
| 2020 | Travel Grant, North American Chinese Clinical Chemists Association (NACCCA) |
| 2019 | Student Abstract Recognition Award, American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) |
| 2019 | Student and Trainee Travel Award, American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT) |
| 2015 | Postdoctoral Career Advancement Award, Gladstone Institutes, University of California San Francisco |
| 2004 | Excellent Student Leadership, Tsinghua University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2026. Early postoperative PSA dynamics and prognostic implications after radical prostatectomy. Invited. Annual Division Research Retreat. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Liver Function tests. Invited. Hoston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Data-driven Calibration Optimization for a Quantitative Busulfan Assay. Poster. Annual Division Research Retreat. Houston, Texas, US.
National Presentations
- 2021. Diagnostic value of nucleocapsid protein in blood for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Poster. AACC Annual Scientific Conference. Atlanta, Georgia, US.
- 2021. Development of PCR-based SNP genotyping assays to identify SARS-CoV-2 strains. Panelist. AACC Annual Scientific Conference. Atlanta, Georgia, US.
- 2021. Develop PCR-based genotyping assays to identify SARS-COV-2 strains. Poster. AACC Annual Scientific Conference.
- 2019. Assessment of microRNA‑122 for drug-induced liver injury in patients with muscle injury. Invited. North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology (NACCT) Annual Conference. Nashville, Tennessee, US.
- 2019. Investigate microRNA-122 to identify liver injury in patients with rhabdomyolysis. Poster. AACC Annual Scientific Conference. Anaheim, CA, US.
- 2019. Recognizing drug-induced liver injury: common drugs with hepatotoxicity, classification, and evaluation. Panelist. AACC Annual Scientific Conference. Anaheim, California, US.
International Presentations
- 2026. Early postoperative PSA dynamics and prognostic implications after radical prostatectomy. Poster. ADLM Annual Scientific Conference.
- 2025. Application of Data Analysis for Quality Improvement in Turn-Around Time for Clinical Testing. Invited. ADLM Data Symposium Summit.
- 2024. The prevalence and clinical relevance of the DFS immunofluorescent staining pattern in a large ANA-positive cohort. Invited. Autoimmune Summit. Fredericton, CA.
- 2023. The prevalence and clinical relevance of the DFS immunofluorescent staining pattern in a large ANA-positive cohort. Poster. ADLM Annual Scientific Conference.
- 2020. Development of a high-resolution mass spectrometry method for fentanyl analogue screening. Invited. MSACL Annual Conference. Palm Springs, US.
- 2016. Induced expandable cardiovascular progenitor cells reprogrammed from fibroblasts. Poster. ISSCR Annual Meeting. San Francisco, US.
Formal Peers
- 2024. Calibration verification and linearity in clinical chemistry. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Quality control and quality assurance. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. Pain Management Opioids. Invited.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2025 - 2026 |
| Title: | Mass spectrometry-based characterization of monoclonal immunoglobulins to improve the diagnosis of plasma cell dyscrasias |
| Funding Source: | Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Role: | PI |
| Date: | 2018 - 2020 |
| Title: | Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics |
| Funding Source: | NIH |
| Role: | T32 Training Fellow |
| ID: | 5T32GM007546-42 |
| Date: | 2016 - 2018 |
| Title: | Use of Human iPSC-derived Endothelial Cells for Calcific Aortic Valve Disease (CAVD) Therapeutics |
| Funding Source: | California Institute for Regenerative Medicine |
| Role: | Key |
| ID: | CIRM-DISC2-09098 |
| Date: | 2014 - 2016 |
| Title: | Reprogram fibroblasts into expandable cardiac progenitor cells |
| Funding Source: | California Institute for Regenerative Medicine |
| Role: | Clinical Scholar |
| ID: | CIRM-TG2-01160 |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Tan Y, Meng QH, Dede M, Huang I, Song H, Chen K, Zhang Y. Early postoperative PSA dynamics and prognostic implications after radical prostatectomy. Cancers (Basel) 18(5):850, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 41827782.
- Gan Q, Ding Y, Wu Y, Zhang Y, Meng QH, Ding QQ, Lu H, Shelburne SA, Ehlers RA, Han XY. Infections due to corynebacterium kroppenstedtii with focus on granulomatous lobular mastitis for tissue specificity, pathogenesis, bacteriologic workup, and treatment. Arch Pathol Lab Med 149(9):812-821, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39800878.
- Chen L, Zhang Y, Meng QH. Prostate cancer in men under the age of 50: the Impact of race/ethnicity and family history. Ann Med, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40689716.
- Chen L, Zhang Y, Meng QH. Persistent AST elevation in a patient with ovarian cancer: a rare diagnostic challenge. J Clin Lab Anal, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40552755.
- Chen L, Zhang Y, Meng QH. Cherry-red plasma: beyond the assumption of hemolysis. Clin Chim Acta 564, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39181292.
- Zhang Y, Ong CM, Lynch K, Waksman J, Wu AHB. Serum microRNA‑122 for assessment of acute liver injury in patients with extensive skeletal muscle damage. Lab Med 55(5):609-614, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38578664.
- Zhang Y, Halifax JC, Tangsombatvisit C, Yun C, Pang S, Hooshfar S, Wu AHB, Lynch KL. Development and application of a high-resolution mass spectrometry method for the detection of fentanyl analogs in urine and serum. J Mass Spectrom Adv Clin Lab 26:1-6, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36065325.
- Lebin JA, Mudan A, Zhang Y, Wu AHB, Smollin CG. Circulating miR-122 in patients with non-toxic acute acetaminophen ingestions. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 60(4):527-529, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 34528842.
- Zhang Y, Ong CM, Yun C, Mo W, Whitman JD, Lynch KL, Wu AHB. Diagnostic value of nucleocapsid protein in blood for SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Clin Chem 68(1):240-248, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 34358289.
- Tallman CI, Zhang Y, Black N, Lynch K, Fayed M, Armenian P. Refractory vasodilatory shock secondary to metformin overdose supported with VA ECMO. Toxicol Rep 9:64-67, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 35004183.
- Theodoris CV, Zhou P, Liu L, Zhang Y, Nishino T, Huang Y, Kostina A, Ranade SS, Gifford CA, Uspenskiy V, Malaschicheva A, Ding S, Srivastava D. Network-based screen in iPSC-derived cells reveals therapeutic candidate for heart valve disease. Science 371(6530), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33303684.
- Lee S, Ong CM, Zhang Y, Wu AHB. Narrowed reference intervals for complete blood count in a multiethnic population. Clin Chem Lab Med 57(9):1382–1387, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30753155.
- Xu T, Stewart KM, Wang X, Liu K, Xie M, Ryu JK, Li K, Ma T, Wang H, Ni L, Zhu S, Cao N, Zhu D, Zhang Y, Akassoglou K, Dong C, Driggers EM, Ding S. Metabolic control of TH17 and induced Treg cell balance by an epigenetic mechanism. Nature 548:228-233, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28783731.
- Nie B, Nie T, Hui X, Gu P, Mao L, Li K, Yuan R, Zheng J, Wang H, Li K, Tang S, Zhang Y, Xu T, Xu A, Wu D, Ding S. Brown adipogenic reprogramming induced by a small molecule. Cell Rep 18(3):624–635, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28099842.
- Cao N, Huang Y, Zheng J, Spencer CI, Zhang Y, Fu JD, Nie B, Xie M, Zhang M, Wang H, Ma T, Xu T, Shi G, Srivastava D, Ding S. Conversion of human fibroblasts into functional cardiomyocytes by small molecules. Science 352:1216–1220, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27127239.
- Zhang Y, Cao N, Huang Y, Spencer CI, Fu JD, Yu D, Liu K, Nie B, Xu T, Li K, Xu S, Bruneau BG, Srivastava D, Ding S. Expandable cardiovascular progenitor cells reprogrammed from fibroblasts. Cell Stem Cell 18:368-381, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26942852.
- Wei X, Zhu Q, Guo C, Li J, Li F, Liu N, Xie Q, Zhang J, Zhang Y, Li QY. Application of a high-resolution benchtop quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry for the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of Danhong injection in guinea pig. Int J Mass Spectrom 397:32-41, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
- Yu C, Liu Y, Ma T, Liu K, Xu S, Zhang Y, Liu H, Russa ML, Xie M, Ding S, Qi LS. Small molecules enhance CRISPR genome editing in pluripotent stem cells. Cell Stem Cell 16:142-147, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25658371.
- Wang H, Cao N, Spencer CI, Nie B, Ma T, Xu T, Zhang Y, Wang X, Srivastava D, Ding S. Small molecules enable cardiac reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts with a single factor, Oct4. Cell Rep 6:951-960, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24561253.
- Li K, Zhu S, Russ HA, Xu S, Xu T, Zhang Y, Ma T, Hebrok M, Ding S. Small molecules facilitate the reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into pancreatic lineages. Cell Stem Cell 14:228-236, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24506886.
- Zhu S, Ambasudhan R, Sun W, Kim HJ, Talantova M, Wang X, Zhang M, Zhang Y, Laurent T, Parker J, Kim HS, Zaremba JD, Saleem S, Sanz-Blasco S, Masliah E, McKercher SR, Cho YS, Lipton SA, Kim JH, Ding S. Small molecules enable OCT4-mediated direct reprogramming into expandable human neural stem cells. Cell Res 24:126-129, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24296783.
- Liu X, Xiong C, Jia S, Zhang Y, Chen YG, Wang Q, Meng A. Araf kinase antagonizes Nodal-Smad2 activity in mesendoderm development by directly phosphorylating the Smad2 linker region. Nat Commun 4(1):1728, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23591895.
- Li W, Sun W, Zhang Y, Wei W, Ambasudhan R, Xia P, Talantova M, Lin TX, Kim J, Wang X, Kim WR, Lipton SA, Zhang K, Ding S. Rapid induction and long-term self-renewal of primitive neural precursors from human embryonic stem cells by small molecule inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108:8299–8304, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21525408.
- Zhao X, Zhao L, Tian T, Zhang Y, Tong J, Zheng X, Meng A. Interruption of cenph causes mitotic failure and embryonic death, and its haploinsufficiency suppresses cancer in zebrafish. J Biol Chem 285:27924–27934, 2010. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20573960.
- Zhang Y, Li X, Qi J, Wang J, Liu X, Zhang H, Lin SC, Meng A. Rock2 controls TGF-β signaling and inhibits mesoderm induction in zebrafish embryos. J Cell Sci 122:2197–2207, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19509062.
- Sun Z, Zhao J, Zhang Y, Meng A. Sp5l is a mediator of Fgf signals in anteroposterior patterning of the neuroectoderm in zebrafish embryo. Dev Dyn 235:2999–3006, 2006. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 16958103.
- Penberthy WT, Zhao CT, Zhang Y, Jessen JR, Yang ZA, Bricaud O, Collazo A, Meng AM, Lin S. Pur alpha and Sp8 as opposing regulators of neural gata2 expression. Dev Biol 275:225–234, 2004. e-Pub 2004. PMID: 15464585.
- Zhang L, Zhou H, Su Y, Sun Z, Zhang H, Zhang L, Zhang Y, Ning Y, Chen YG, Meng A. Zebrafish Dpr2 inhibits mesoderm induction by promoting degradation of nodal receptors. Science 306:114–117, 2004. e-Pub 2004. PMID: 15459392.
Invited Articles
- Zhang Y, Meng QH. How to handle viscous specimens. AACC Sci Short, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Zhang Y. Ask the expert: What labs need to know about detecting and monitoring drug-induced liver injury. CLN 46(9):36, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
Review Articles
- Zhang Y, Li W, Laurent T, Ding S. Small molecules, big roles–the chemical manipulation of stem cell fate and somatic cell reprogramming. J Cell Sci 125:5606-5620, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 23420199.
Editorials
- Wu AHB, Zhang Y, Webber R. Extracellular vesicles released in blood of COVID-19 patients: mechanism for detection of cardiac troponin after myocardial injury?. Biomarkers 25(8):613-615, 2020. PMID: 32977728.
Abstracts
- Tan Y, Meng QH, Dede M, Huang I, Song H, Chen K, Zhang Y. Early postoperative PSA dynamics and prognostic implications after radical prostatectomy. The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) Annual Scientific Conference, 2026. e-Pub 2026.
- Zhang Y, Rao LV. The prevalence and clinical relevance of the DFS immunofluorescent staining pattern in a large ANA-positive cohort. The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) Annual Scientific Conference, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Zhang Y, Ong CM, Yun C, Mo W, Whitman JD, Lynch KL, Wu AHB. Diagnostic value of nucleocapsid protein in blood for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Scientific Conference, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Zhang Y, Smith AC, Yun C, Pecora N, Wang J, Cameron A, Velu P, Con L, Ruggiero P, Dillard A, David MP, He W, Rennert H, Zhang V, Whitman JD, Lynch KL, Wu AHB. Develop PCR-based genotyping assays to identify SARS-COV-2 strains. The American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Scientific Conference, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Zhang Y, Tangsombatvisit C, Yun C, Pang SK, Hooshfar S, Wu AHB, Lynch KL. Develop a high-resolution mass spectrometry method for fentanyl analog screening. The American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Scientific conference, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
- Zhang Y, Ong CM, Lynch KL, Waksman J, Wu AHB. Investigate microRNA-122 to identify liver injury in patients with rhabdomyolysis. The American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Scientific Conference, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Zhang Y, Cao N, Huang Y, Spencer IC, Fu JD, Chen Y, Liu K, Nie B, Xu T, Li K, Xu S, Bruneau B, Srivastava D, Ding S. Induced expandable cardiovascular progenitor cells reprogrammed from fibroblasts. The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
Letters to the Editor
- Chen L, Zhang Y, Meng QH. Persistent hypoglycemia and lactic acidosis in lymphoma: implications of the Warburg effect. Mayo Clin Proc 100: 1257-1259, 2025.
- Wu AHB, Jankowski T, Zhang Y, Lynch KL. The reference range for the anion gap Is dependent on the instrument's electrolyte assay. J Appl Lab Med 6: 1697-1699, 2021.
Patents
- Zhang Y, Cao N, Ding S. Generation of expandable cardiovascular progenitor cells. Patent Number: International Patent Application Publication WO2017/147381.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified September 10, 2026