Kang Zhang
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Kang Zhang () is a Chinese-American ophthalmologist specializing in ophthalmic
genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...
and
aging Ageing (or aging in American English) is the process of becoming Old age, older until death. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi; whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentiall ...
processes in the eye. He is currently a Professor of the Faculty of Medicine at
Macau University of Science and Technology The Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) is a private university in Taipa, Macau, China. Founded in 2000, the university has been acknowledged by Macau Education and Youth Development Bureau. It offers courses instructed in Eng ...
. He was previously a Professor of Ophthalmology and the Founding Director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Zhang is particularly known for his work on
lanosterol Lanosterol is a tetracyclic triterpenoid and is the compound from which all animal and fungal steroids are derived. By contrast, plant steroids are produced via cycloartenol. In the eyes of vertebrates, lanosterol is a natural constituent, havin ...
,
stem cell research In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...
(particularly
limbal stem cell Limbal stem cells, also known as corneal epithelial stem cells, are unipotent stem cells located in the basal epithelial layer of the corneal limbus. They form the border between the cornea and the sclera. Characteristics of limbal stem cells incl ...
s),
gene editing Gene editing may refer to: *Genetic engineering of any organism by genome editing. Gene editing is the emerging molecular biology technique which makes very specific targeted changes by insertion, deletion or substitution of genetic material in an ...
, and
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
.


Education

Born in
Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
,
Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
Province, China, Zhang obtained his B.S. in
Biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...
from
Sichuan University Sichuan University (SCU) is a public university in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. The university is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. I ...
in
Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
, China in 1984. In 1991, Zhang graduated with a Ph.D. in
Genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...
from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. Subsequently, Zhang obtained his M.D. from a
Harvard University Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the United States. It provides patient ca ...
and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
Joint M.D. Program with ''
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' honors in 1995.


Career

After completing an ophthalmology residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute at
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
, Zhang became Assistant Staff at the Cole Eye Institute at the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland Clinic is an American nonprofit academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation, Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 by a group of faculty and alu ...
. Zhang completed a retina fellowship at the
University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
, and afterwards became Assistant Professor at the
University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
from 2002 to 2006. In 2013, Zhang, along with Trey Ideker, identified that the molecular aging clock could be measured by blood and tissues, and made use of epigenetic markers. In 2014, Zhang, along with Yizhi Liu and Xiangdong Fu, investigated mechanisms and developed a new method of
limbal stem cell Limbal stem cells, also known as corneal epithelial stem cells, are unipotent stem cells located in the basal epithelial layer of the corneal limbus. They form the border between the cornea and the sclera. Characteristics of limbal stem cells incl ...
repair and regeneration. Zhang has also pioneered the usage of
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
in diagnosing eye diseases. In 2015, Zhang discovered that
lanosterol Lanosterol is a tetracyclic triterpenoid and is the compound from which all animal and fungal steroids are derived. By contrast, plant steroids are produced via cycloartenol. In the eyes of vertebrates, lanosterol is a natural constituent, havin ...
can be used in eyedrop form to help prevent
cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens (anatomy), lens of the eye that leads to a visual impairment, decrease in vision of the eye. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colours, blurry or ...
s. In 2019, Zhang took on a new position at the Faculty of Medicine of
Macau University of Science and Technology The Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) is a private university in Taipa, Macau, China. Founded in 2000, the university has been acknowledged by Macau Education and Youth Development Bureau. It offers courses instructed in Eng ...
.


Awards

Some of Kang Zhang's selected awards are listed below.Kang Zhang awards and publications
/ref> *The Ophthalmologist World 100 Power List (2016, 2018) *Fellow,
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It represents 50,000 medical and Biomedical engineering, biomedical engineers, and academic i ...
(2016) *Fellow,
Association of American Physicians The Association of American Physicians (AAP) is an honorary medical society founded in 1885 by the Canadian physician Sir William Osler and six other distinguished physicians of his era for "the advancement of scientific and practical medicine ...
(2011) *Fellow,
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
(2011) *America's Top Ophthalmologists, Consumer's Research Council of America (2011) * NIH Director's Transformative R01 Program (2010) *Senior Investigator Award, Research to Prevent Blindness (2010) *Outstanding Achievement Award, Chinese Ophthalmological Society (2009) *
Burroughs Wellcome Fund The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) is an American non-profit medical research organization that provides funding for biomedical research, STEM education, and areas of career development for scientists. Since 1970, it has been headquartered in Nor ...
Clinical Scientist Award in Translational Research (2008) * Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award, Research to Prevent Blindness (2006) *
Macular Society The Macular Society is a UK charity that offers support to anyone affected by central vision loss. Many of the charity's members have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but its services are open to people with various retinal conditions, ...
membership (2006) *American Society of Clinical Investigation membership (2006) *Macular Vision Research Award (2002) *Ruth Steinbach Fund for Macular Degeneration (2001) *
Charles Schepens Charles Louis Schepens (March 13, 1912 – March 28, 2006) was a Belgian and American ophthalmologist, regarded by many in the profession as "the father of modern retinal surgery",American Academy of Ophthalmology2003 Laureate Award. and member ...
Award for Excellence in Retina Research (2001) *
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, Johns Hopkins is cons ...
Clinician Scientist Award (1999)


Professional affiliations

Kang Zhang's professional affiliations are listed below. *
American Academy of Ophthalmology The American Academy of Ophthalmology is a professional association, professional medical association of ophthalmologists. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its membership of 32,000 medical doctors includes more than 90 percent ...
*
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It represents 50,000 medical and Biomedical engineering, biomedical engineers, and academic i ...
*
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
*
American Society for Clinical Investigation The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), established in 1908, is one of the oldest and most respected medical honor societies in the United States. Organization and purpose The ASCI is an honorary society to which more than 2,800 p ...
*
American Society of Human Genetics The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), founded in 1948, is a professional membership organization for specialists in human genetics. As of 2009, the organization had approximately 8,000 members. The society's members include researchers, ...
*Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology *
Association of American Physicians The Association of American Physicians (AAP) is an honorary medical society founded in 1885 by the Canadian physician Sir William Osler and six other distinguished physicians of his era for "the advancement of scientific and practical medicine ...
*Macula Society


Selected publications

To date, Zhang has published more than 150 papers. Some selected publications are listed below.Kang Zhang publications on PubMed
/ref> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


References


External links


Kang Zhang official websitePublications on PubMed
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Kang American medical academics Living people American ophthalmologists Harvard Medical School alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni University of California, San Diego faculty People from Chengdu Year of birth missing (living people) Educators from Sichuan