Yu Zhang, Ph.D., M.D., DABCC
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology-Lab Medicine Div
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2009 | Tsinghua University, Beijing, CN, Biology, Ph.D |
| 2002 | Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, CN, Laboratory Medicine, MD |
Postgraduate Training
| 2018-2020 | Pharmacology and Therapeutics Fellow, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California |
| 2018-2021 | Clinical Chemistry Fellowship, Chemistry and Toxicology, San Francisco General Hospital at University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California |
| 2011-2018 | Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stem Cell Biology, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2024 | Professional Certificate of Healthcare Management |
| 2021 | American Board of Clinical Chemistry |
| 2020 | National Registry of Certified Chemists |
| 2020 | American Society for Clinical Pathology |
| 2020 | Clinical Chemists Scientist |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 2021 - 2023
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - Present
Member, Junior Faculty Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - Present
Member, Data & Biospecimen Access Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2023 - Present
Member, Center for Professionalism Support and Success, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2023 - Present
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
Committee member, ADLM Academy, The Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine, 2025 - 2028
Member at Large, The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, Texas Local Section, The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, 2025 - Present
Editorial Activities
Editorial Board member, Scientific Short, ADLM Academy, 2025 - 2028
Guest editor, Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS, 2025 - Present
Managing editor, Trends in Lab Medicine, NACCCA, 2021 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2025 - 2026 | William O. Russell Faculty Research Award, DPLM, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2025 | 1st place of Faculty/Staff Category, DPLM Research Retreat Poster Presentation Award, DPLM, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2023 | Service Award, Travel Grant, NACCCA |
| 2022 | Guido Majno Teaching Award, UMass Chan Medical School, Department of Pathology |
| 2021 | Best Abstract Award, American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Clinical and Translational Science Division |
| 2020 | Travel Grant, North American Chinese Clinical Chemists Association (NACCCA) |
| 2020 | Young Investigator Educational Grant, Mass spectrometry & Advances in Clinical Lab (MSACL) |
| 2019 | Student Abstract Recognition Award, American Association for Clinical Chemistry |
| 2019 | Student and Trainee Travel Award, American Academy of Clinical Toxicology |
| 2015 | Postdoctoral Career Advancement Award, Gladstone Institutes |
| 2004 | Excellent Student Leadership, Tsinghua University |
| 2002 | Excellent Graduate (Top 2%), Beijing Municipal Commission of Education |
| 2002 | Excellent Graduate (Top 3%), Peking University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2025. Data-driven Calibration Optimization for a Quantitative Busulfan Assay. Poster. 2025 DPLM Research Retreat. Houston, Texas, US.
National Presentations
- 2019. Assessment of microRNA‑122 for drug-induced liver injury in patients with muscle injury. Invited. NACCT Annual Conference, 2019, US.
International Presentations
- 2025. Application of Data Analysis for Quality Improvement in Turn-Around Time for Clinical Testing. Invited. 2025 ADLM Data Symposium Summit. Chicago, US.
- 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, US.
- 2021. Diagnostic value of nucleocapsid protein in blood for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Poster. AACC Annual Scientific Conference, 2021, US.
- 2021. Develop PCR-based genotyping assays to identify SARS-COV-2 strains. Poster. AACC Annual Scientific Conference, 2021, US.
- 2021. Development of PCR-based SNP genotyping assays to identify SARS-CoV-2 strains. Panelist. AACC Annual Scientific Conference, 2021, US.
- 2020. Development of a high-resolution mass spectrometry method for fentanyl analogue screening. Invited. MSACL Annual Conference, 2020, US.
- 2019. Investigate microRNA-122 to identify liver injury in patients with rhabdomyolysis. Poster. AACC Annual Scientific Conference, 2019, US.
- 2019. Recognizing drug-induced liver injury: common drugs with hepatotoxicity, classification, and evaluation. Panelist. AACC Annual Scientific Conference, 2019, US.
- 2016. Induced expandable cardiovascular progenitor cells reprogrammed from fibroblasts. Conference. ISSCR Annual Conference, 2016, US.
Formal Peers
- 2021. Pain Management Opioids. Invited, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2026 - 2028 |
| Title: | Developing an AI-based Clinical Risk-Adaptive Forecasting Tool for Prostate Cancer |
| Funding Source: | AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, NATIONAL |
| Role: | Key |
| Date: | 2026 - 2028 |
| Title: | Developing AI-Driven Personalized Early Detection and Clinical Decision Support for Prostate Cancer |
| Funding Source: | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH |
| Role: | Key |
| Date: | 2025 - 2026 |
| Title: | Mass Spectrometry-Based Characterization of Monoclonal Immunoglobulins to Improve the Diagnosis of Plasma Cell Dyscrasias |
| Funding Source: | DPLM, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Role: | PI |
| Date: | 2018 - 2020 |
| Title: | Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics |
| Funding Source: | NIH |
| Role: | T32 Training Fellow |
| Date: | 2014 - 2015 |
| Title: | California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Scholars |
| Funding Source: | California Institute for Regenerative Medicine |
| Role: | Clinical scholarship |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Yukun Tan, Qing H. Meng, Merve Dede, Ingold Huang, Hui Song, Ken Chen, Zhang Yu. Early Postoperative PSA Dynamics and Prognostic Implications After Radical Prostatectomy. Cancers 18(5):850, 2026. e-Pub 2026.
- Lechuang Chen, Zhang Yu, Qing H. Meng. Prostate Cancer in Men Under the Age of 50: The Impact of Race/Ethnicity and Family History. Annals of Medicine, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40689716.
- lechuang chen, Zhang Yu, Qing H Meng. Persistent AST Elevation in a Patient With Ovarian Cancer: A Rare Diagnostic Challenge. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40552755.
- Lechuang Chen, Zhang Yu, Qing H Meng. Cherry-red plasma: Beyond the assumption of hemolysis. Clin Chim Acta 564, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39181292.
- Zhang Y, Ong C, Lynch K, Waksman J, Wu AA. Serum microRNA‑122 for assessment of acute liver injury in patients with extensive skeletal muscle damage. Laboratory Medicine 55(5):609-614, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38578664.
- Zhang, Y, Halifax, JC, Tangsombatvisit, C, Yun, C, Pang, S, Hooshfar, S, Wu, AH, Lynch, K. Development and application of a High-Resolution mass spectrometry method for the detection of fentanyl analogs in urine and serum. Journal of Mass Spectrometry and Advances in the Clinical Lab 26:1-6, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36065325.
- Lebin, JA, Mudan, A, Zhang, Y, Wu, AH, Smollin, CG. Circulating miR-122 in patients with non-toxic acute acetaminophen ingestions. Clinical Toxicology 60(4):527-529, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 34528842.
- Zhang, Y, Ong, CM, Yun, C, Mo, W, Whitman, JD, Lynch, K, Wu, AH. Diagnostic Value of Nucleocapsid Protein in Blood for SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Clinical Chemistry 68(1):240-248, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 34358289.
- Ives Tallman, C, Zhang, Y, Black, N, Lynch, K, Fayed, M, Armenian, P. Refractory vasodilatory shock secondary to metformin overdose supported with VA ECMO. Toxicology Reports 9:64-67, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 35004183.
- Wu A, Jankowski T, Zhang Y, Lynch K. The reference range for the anion gap is dependent on the instrument’s electrolyte assay. Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine 6(6):1697-1699, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34534316.
- Theodoris C, Zhou P, Liu L, Zhang Y, Nishino T, Huang Y, Kostina A, Ranade S, Gifford C, Uspenskiy V, Malaschicheva A, Ding S, Srivastava D. Network-based screen in iPSC-derived cells reveals a therapeutic candidate for cardiac valve disease. Science 371(6530), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33303684.
- Wu A, 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. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32977728.
- Lee S, Ong CM, Zhang Y, Wu AHB. Narrowed reference intervals for complete blood count in a multiethnic population. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine 57(9):1382–1387, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30753155.
- 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 Reports 18(3):624–635, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28099842.
- Xu T, Stewart K, Wang X, Liu K, Xie M, Ryu J, Li K, Ma T, Wang H, Ni L, Zhu S, Cao N, Zhu D, Zhang Y, Akassoglou K, Dong C, Driggers E, 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.
- Wei X, Zhu Q, Guo C, Li J, Li F, Liu N, Xie Q, Zhang J, Zhang Y, Li Q. Application of a high-resolution benchtop quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry for the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of Danhong injection in guinea pig. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry 397:32-41, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
- Zhang Y, Cao N, Huang Y, Spencer CI, Fu J, Yu C, 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 cells 18:368-381, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26942852.
- Cao N, Huang Y, Zheng J, Spencer CI, Zhang Y, Fu J, 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.
- Yu C, Liu Y, Ma T, Liu K, Xu S, Zhang Y, Liu H, Russa M, 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.
- 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, Kim J, Ding S. Small molecules enable OCT4-mediated direct reprogramming into expandable human neural stem cells. Cell Research 24:126-129, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24296783.
- Li K, Zhu S, Russ H, Xu S, Xu T, Zhang Y, Ma T, Hebrok M, Ding AS. Small molecules facilitate the reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into pancreatic lineages. Cell Stem Cell 14:228-236, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24506886.
- 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. Cell Reports 6:951-960, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24561253.
- 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. Nature Communications 4(1):1728, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23591895.
- Zhang Y, Li W, Laurent T, Ding S. Small molecules, big roles–the chemical manipulation of stem cell fate and somatic cell reprogramming. Journal of Cell Science 125:5606-5620, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 23420199.
- Li W, Sun W, Zhang Y, Wei W, Ambasudhan R, Xia P, Talantova M, Lin T, 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. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108:8299–8304, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21525408.
- Zhao X, Zhao L, Tian T, Zhang Y, Tong J, Zheng X, Meng AA. Interruption of cenph causes mitotic failure and embryonic death, and its haploinsufficiency suppresses cancer in zebrafish. Journal of Biological Chemistry 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. Journal of Cell Science 122:2197–2207, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19509062.
- Sun Z, Zhao J, Zhang Y, Meng AA. Sp5l is a mediator of Fgf signals in anteroposterior patterning of the neuroectoderm in zebrafish embryo. Developmental Dynamics 235:2999–3006, 2006. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 16958103.
- Penberthy WT, Zhao C, Zhang Y, Jessen JR, Yang Z, Bricaud O, Collazo A, Meng A, Lin AS. Pur alpha and Sp8 as opposing regulators of neural gata2 expression. Developmental Biology 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 Q. How to handle viscous specimens. AACC Scientific Short, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Zhang Y. Ask the Expert: What labs need to know about detecting and monitoring drug-induced liver injury. Clinical Laboratory News 46(9):36, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
Abstracts
- Zhang Yu. The prevalence and clinical relevance of the DFS immunofluorescent staining pattern in a large ANA-positive cohort. ADLM Annual Scientific Conference.
- Zhang Yu. Induced expandable cardiovascular progenitor cells reprogrammed from fibroblasts. ISSCR Annual Scientific Conference.
- Zhang Yu. Investigate microRNA-122 to identify liver injury in patients with rhabdomyolysis. AACC Annual Scientific Conference.
- Zhang Yu. Develop PCR-based genotyping assays to identify SARS-COV-2 strains. AACC Annual Scientific Conference.
- Zhang Yu. Diagnostic value of nucleocapsid protein in blood for SARS-CoV-2 infection. AACC Annual Scientific Conference.
Letters to the Editor
- Lechuang Chen, Zhang Yu, Qing H Meng. Persistent Hypoglycemia and Lactic Acidosis in Lymphoma: Implications of the Warburg Effect. Mayo Clin Proc 100: 1257-1259, 2025.
- Wu, AH, Jankowski, T, Zhang, Y, Lynch, K. The Reference Range for the Anion Gap Is Dependent on the Instrument's Electrolyte Assay. Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine 6: 1697-1699, 2021.
Patents
- Zhang Y, Cao N, Ding AS. Generation of expandable cardiovascular progenitor cells. Patent Number: International Patent Application Publication WO2017/147381.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified March 26, 2026