During her 20+ years of independent research, Li Zhang has made major contributions to the understanding of Heme signaling and function in gene regulation,[1][2][3] neuronal differentiation and survival,[4] and lung cancer bioenergetics.
She then completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) and did her postdoctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Biology.
Zhang's lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Heme function and signaling in eukaryotic cells.
Professor Li Zhang's studies on the Hap1-heme system are a classical example of how heme acts to mediate cellular signaling and gene regulation.
[1][3] Recent work in her lab has demonstrated that elevated heme synthesis and uptake underpin intensified oxidative metabolism and tumorigenic functions in non-small-cell lung cancer cells.