In 2023, Professor Qizhou LIAN joined Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology（SUAT）under the National Major Talent Program in the Faculty of Synthetic Biology. He also serves as a Principal Investigator at the Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academic Sciences. Over the past 20 years, he has held teaching and research positions at institutions including the National University of Singapore, the University of Hong Kong, the University of Aberdeen, the Edinburgh National Blood Transfusion Advanced Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility, the Cell Therapy Center at the University of Hong Kong, and the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.

Professor Lian’s research centers on stem cells and gene therapy for genetic and degenerative diseases. He was a pioneer in establishing clinical-grade mesenchymal stem cells from pluripotent stem cell sources and their global therapeutic applications. He played a crucial role in establishing a Cell Therapy Manufacturing Center at the University of Hong Kong, meeting the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. Since 2014, Professor Lian has led Asia's first hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), successfully treating patients with this fatal lipid storage-provoked white matter degeneration and enabling their long-term recovery. His patented technologies and research results have been translated into industrial applications. He has over 190 research publications on esteemed scientific journals such as Circulation, Cell Stem Cell, Nature Metabolism, and Nature Communications. Additionally, he serves as a scientific grant reviewer for international funding agencies such as ANR, ISF, UKRI, NSFC, and HKSPInCUBIO and has served as an Associate Editor for the international scientific journal "Transplantation" (JCR/Q1 in Surgery).

Education Background

1996–1999: Doctor of Medicine (Ph.D.), Internal Medicine, Harbin Medical University

1993–1996: Master of Medicine, Integrated Chinese and Western Internal Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

1988–1993: Bachelor of Medicine, Integrated Chinese and Western Clinical Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Professional Experience

2025.07-Present:Distinguished Professor,Faculty of Sythetic Biology, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology

2023–2025.07: Professor, Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology

2023–Present: Principal Investigator, the Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

2021–2023: Principal Investigator& Associate Director, the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, the University of Hong Kong

2021–2023: Scientific Officer, HKUMed Laboratory of Cellular Therapeutics, the GMP Cell Therapy Manufacturing Center, the University of Hong Kong

2019–2020: Senior Visiting Scientist, Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) Advanced Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facilities, Edinburgh, UK

2018–2019: Reader, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

2011–2018: Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator, Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong

2008–2010: Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong

2007–2008: Research Scientist, the National University Medical Institute (NUMI), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

2006–2007: Visiting Scientist, Utrecht University Medical Centre, Netherlands

2001–2006: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Genome Institute of Singapore and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

1999–2001: Attending Physician, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fujian Medical University affiliated Quanzhou First Hospital

1.establishment of clinically compliant mesenchymal stromal (MSCs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells and its applications (Stem cells 2008, Circulation 2011)

2.Using synthetic biology enabling technology to construct engineered cells with diverse regulatory modules

3.led the Asia’s first hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for symptoms developed metachromatic leukodystrophy and enabling long-term recovery (Protein &Cell 2024)

4.establishment of the first Cell Therapy GMP manufacturing facilities in HKU （Medicinal Research Review 2024）

5.Awards ：2004: Young Scientist Award, Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA), USA；2012 Travel Award, 10th International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR),Japan；2023: Excellent Research Award, LKS faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong ；2024 Scientific Research Contribution Award, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology

Projects

1.2023: National Key R&D Program: Spatiotemporal Intervention Techniques for Tumor Cell Death by using Synthetic Biology Strategies (In progress).

2.2022: National Key R&D Program: Role of Stem Cells in the Pathogenesis and Damage Repair Mechanisms of COVID-19 (In progress).

Representative Publications

Publication Records >190 research articles have been published. Full research publications can be found separately in Pubmed and Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=I1j8ZWcAAAAJ&hl=en).

Ten Representative Papers (* Corresponding / Co-Corresponding Author)

1.Zhang Z, Jiang H, Huang L, Liu S, Zhou X, Cai Y, Li M, Gao F, Liang X, Tsang KS, Chen G, Ma CY, Chai YH, Liu H, Yang C, Yang M, Zhang X, Han S, Du X, Chen L, Hwu WL, Zhuo J, Lian Q*. Lentivirus-modified hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for advanced symptomatic juvenile metachromatic leukodystrophy: A long-term follow-up pilot study. Protein Cell, 2025, 16(1): 16- 27; doi: 10.1093/procel/pwae037.

2.Ma CY, Zhai Y, Li CT, Liu J, Xu X, Chen H, Tse HF*, Lian Q*. Translating mesenchymal stem cell and their exosome research into GMP compliant advanced therapy products: Promises, problems and prospects. Medicinal Research Reviews. 2024 May;44(3):919-938

3.Jin L, Geng L, Ying L, Shu L, Ye K, Yang R, Liu Y, Wang Y, Cai Y, Jiang X, Wang Q, Yan X, Liao B, Liu J, Duan F, Sweeney G, Woo CWH, Wang Y, Xia Z, Lian Q*, Xu A*. FGF21-Sirtuin 3 Axis Confers the Protective Effects of Exercise Against Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Governing Mitochondrial Integrity. Circulation. 2022 Nov 15;146(20):1537-1557.

4.Geng L, Liao B, Jin L, Yu J, Zhao X, Zhao Y, Zhong L, Wang B, Li J, Liu J, Yang JK, Jia W, Lian Q*, Xu A*. β-Klotho promotes glycolysis and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion via GP130. Nature Metabolism. 2022 May;4(5):608-626. doi: 10.1038/s42255-022-00572-2.

5.Lian Q*, Zhang K, Zhang Z, Duan F, Guo L, Luo W, Mok BW, Thakur A, Ke X, Motallebnejad P, Nicolaescu V, Chen J, Ma CY, Zhou X, Han S, Han T, Zhang W, Tan AY, Zhang T, Wang X, Xu D, Xiang J, Xu A, Liao C, Huang FP, Chen YW, Na J, Randall G, Tse HF, Chen Z, Chen Y, Chen HJ*. Differential effects of macrophage subtypes on SARS-CoV-2 infection in a human pluripotent stem cell-derived model. Nature Communications. 2022 Apr 19;13(1):2028. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-29731-5.

6.Zhang Z, Guo L ,Huang L, Zhang C.., Tse HF, Xia H, Lian Q*. Distinct disease severity between children and older adults with COVID-19: Impacts of ACE2 expression, distribution, and lung progenitor cells . Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jan 3:ciaa1911. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1911

7.Zhang Z, Yan B, Gao F, Li Q, Meng X, Chen P, Zhou L, Deng W, Li C, Xu W, Han S, Feng H, Li Y, Chen J, Yin Z, Liao C, Tse HF*, Xu A*, Lian Q*. Pluripotent Stem Cells Reveal Poly-unsaturated Fatty Acids-provoked Mitochondrial Stress as a Central Node Potentiating Retinal Pigmented Epithelium Degeneration in Bietti’s Crystalline Dystrophy . Molecular Therapy 2020 Jul 25;S1525-0016(20)30375-0

8.Zhang Y, Zhang Z, Chen P, Ma CY, Li C, Au TYK, Tam V, Peng Y, Wu R, Cheung KMC, Sham PC, Tse HF, Chan D, Leung VY, Cheah KSE*, Lian Q*. Directed Differentiation of Notochord-like and Nucleus Pulposus-like Cells Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Cell Reports 2020 Feb 25;30(8):2791-2806.e5

9.Fu QL, Chow YY, Sun SJ ,Zeng QX, Li HB, Shi JB, Sun YQ, Wen W, Tse HF, Lian Q*, Xu G*. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells modulate T-cell phenotypes in allergic rhinitis. Allergy. 2012 Oct;67(10):1215-22.doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2012.02875.x.

10.Lian Q*, Zhang Y, Zhang J, Zhang HK, Wu X, Zhang Y, Lam FF, Kang S, Xia JC, Lai WH, Au KW, Chow YY, Siu CW, Lee CN, Tse HF*. Functional mesenchymal stem cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells attenuate limb ischemia in mice. Circulation. 2010 Mar 9;121(9):1113-20

Stem Cells

Cell Therapy

Gene Therapy