The Dean and Chair Professor of the Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, retired PI professor of the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He became a full professor in 1993 in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, CAS, and now is an Honorary Professor of the Institute.

Professor Xian-En ZHANG engages in interdisciplinary research bridging synthetic biology, biosensors, and nanobiology, and has developed advanced tools to address basic scientific problems in cell biology, virology, and tumor biology. His major achievements can be summarized into five categories:

1）Designing and synthesizing genetically encoded biosensors to interpret molecular events in living cells, analyze tumor cell antigens, and more;

2）Developing a multi-fluorescent labeling system to achieve high spatiotemporal resolution dynamic tracing of virus-host cell interactions;

3）Developing unique high-content proteome chips for the study of tuberculosis and African swine fever;

4）Designing and synthesizing a series of nanobiodevices based on microbial components, which serve as sensors and drug delivery carriers;

5）Using machine learning to discover cancer cell marker panels and predict new antimicrobial peptides.

One of his major interests currently is AI for synthetic biology.

He received B.S. (Biology) from Hubei University, MPhil. (Microbiology) and Ph.D. (Biochemistry) from the institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Alberta, Canada.

Honorary and awards

1. The First Young Scientist Award of Chinese Academy of Sciences (1989)

2. CAS's Young and Middle-aged Experts with Outstanding Contributions (1994)

3. Honorary Doctor of Science Degree, University of Alberta, Canada (2015)

4. Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2018)

5. Fellow of the American Institute of Medicine and Biological Engineering (2020)

6. National Advanced Individual in COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control in the Science and Technology Sector (2021)

7. Third-Class Merit in Scientific Management Position (2007, 2010)

8. "Annual Top 10 Hot Papers" in the Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences:

•  China in Global Landscape of Life Sciences（2022）

•  Development Landscape of China's Biotechnology in the New Era（2023）

Socio-academic activity

Zhang received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Alberta. He is an elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medicine and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). He serves as the Vice President of Chinese Society of Biotechnology; Chair of the Division of Synthetic Biology; Founding and Honorary Chair of the Division of Biosensors/Biochips/Nanobiotechnology; member of the Permanent Committee of the World Congress on Biosensors; Founding Co-Chair of the Division of Nanobiotechnology/Biosensors/Biochips of the Asian Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB); and member of the editorial boards of about 10 scientific journals.

Strategic research

Concurrently, Zhang has led multiple strategic research projects commissioned by national agencies, spanning life sciences, biotechnology, synthetic biology and biomanufacturing. One key output of these studies is “Synthetic Biology Roadmap 2022-2030”, which serves as a crucial reference or guideline for preparation of national research program, public engagement, research and university teaching. Other outputs include dozens of influential publications on science policy and development Strategy. This track record stems from his global vision and experience of serving as Director General of Basic Research Department of Ministry of Science & Technology during 2002-2012.

Representative Publications in Recent Five Years

1. Yuan Y, Jiang H, Xue R, Feng XJ, Liu BF, Li L, Peng B, Ren CS, Li SM, Li N, Li M, Wang DB, Zhang XE. Identification of a Biomarker Panel in Extracellular Vesicles Derived From Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Through Proteomic Analysis and Machine Learning. J Extracell Vesicles. 2025 May;14(5):e70078. doi: 10.1002/jev2.70078.

2. Wei Zhou, Shaojie Ma, Ruimin Gao, Yufu Tang, Hui Zhang, Ao Liang, Mengsi Yang, Chun Ma, Quli Fan, Xian-En Zhang, and Feng Li. Assembly of Matryoshka-Type Protein Nanocages for Compartmentalized Oxygen Sensing. Nano Letters 2025 25 (11), 4433-4440. DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c06699.

3. Lu Xiao, Xuexi Wang, Dujuan Liu, Chuang Yan, Xian-En Zhang, and Minghai Chen. Genetically Encoded Single-Wavelength Sensor with High Specificity for Imaging ATP in Living Cells. ACS Sensors 2025 10 (2), 1398-1406. DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c03389.

4. Yang C, Tang J, Sun J, Liu Z, Zhang G, Li Z, Wang DB, Zhang XE. Ultrasensitive detection of miRNA with single-nucleotide resolution using a high-electron-mobility transistor biosensor combined with splint-ligation. Biosens Bioelectron. 2025 Jul 2;287:117743. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2025.117743.

5. Ying Zheng, Chunyang Zhang, Ying Zhang, Kun Zhou, Pengwei Tan, Youjiang Liu, Guotao Duan, Hengfei Li, Chilai Chen, Cunlan Guo, Xiaodong Li, Chen Chen, Ashaq Ali, Yang Zhang, Xian-En Zhang, and Dong Men. A Nanomaterial-Independent Biosensor Based on Gallium Arsenide High-Electron-Mobility Transistors for Rapid and Ultra-Sensitive Pathogen Detection. ACS Sensors 2025 10 (6), 3898-3908. DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c03134.

6. Wang L, Li SM, Li X, Wu HS, Ma C, Wang DB, Zhang XE. The transmembrane nucleoporin Nup210 weakens HIV-1 infection via modulating late events of viral nuclear import. AIDS. 2025 Aug 1;39(10):1322-1330. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000004206.

7. Yang C, Sun J, Zhang Y, Tang J, Liu Z, Zhan T, Wang DB, Zhang G, Liu Z, Zhang XE. Construction of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor-based biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins and virions. Biosens Bioelectron. 2024 Aug 1;257:116171. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116171.

8. Liu Q, Wang D, Cui M, Li M, Zhang XE. A genetically encoded fluorescent protein sensor for mitochondrial membrane damage detection. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 May 21;709:149836. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149836.

9. Wang XF, Tang JY, Sun J, Dorje S, Sun TQ, Peng B, Ji XW, Li Z, Zhang XE, Wang DB. ProT-Diff: A Modularized and Efficient Strategy for De Novo Generation of Antimicrobial Peptide Sequences by Integrating Protein Language and Diffusion Models. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 Nov;11(43):e2406305. doi: 10.1002/advs.202406305.

10. Shao N, Ren C, Hu T, Wang D, Zhu X, Li M, Cheng T, Zhang Y, Zhang XE. Detection of continuous hierarchical heterogeneity by single-cell surface antigen analysis in the prognosis evaluation of acute myeloid leukaemia. BMC Bioinformatics. 2023 Nov 28;24(1):450. doi: 10.1186/s12859-023-05561-0.

11. Xiayi Feng, Ding Gao, Juan Zhou, Zhu Gui, Aoling Cai, Jie Wang, Ji Dai, Yipeng Jing, Junchao Qian, Zongqiang Cui, Lanxiang Li, Yue You, Luyi Tian, Xian-En Zhang, Dong Men. Viral capsid-mediated efficient cell labeling of micron-sized magnetic particles for highly sensitive long-term in vivo tumor cells MRI tracking. Chem. Engin. J. 2024 498(155830), 1385-8947. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.155830.

12. Yu JF, Xu JT, Feng A, Qi BL, Gu J, Deng JY, Zhang XE. Competition between H4PteGlu and H2PtePAS Confers para-Aminosalicylic Acid Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Antibiotics (Basel). 2023 Dec 21;13(1):13. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13010013.

13. Wang K, Pan Y, Wang D, Yuan Y, Li M, Chen Y, Bi L, Zhang XE. Altered hACE2 binding affinity and S1/S2 cleavage efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutants affect viral cell entry. Virol Sin. 2023 Aug;38(4):595-605. doi: 10.1016/j.virs.2023.06.005.

14. Lu S, Hou Y, Zhang XE, Gao Y. Live cell imaging of DNA and RNA with fluorescent signal amplification and background reduction techniques. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Jun 5;11:1216232. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1216232.

15. Song L, Wang D, Abbas G, Li M, Cui M, Wang J, Lin Z, Zhang XE. The main protease of SARS-CoV-2 cleaves histone deacetylases and DCP1A, attenuating the immune defense of the interferon-stimulated genes. J Biol Chem. 2023 Mar;299(3):102990. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.102990.

16. Zhang XE, Liu C, Dai J, Yuan Y, Gao C, Feng Y, Wu B, Wei P, You C, Wang X, Si T. Enabling technology and core theory of synthetic biology. Sci China Life Sci. 2023 Aug;66(8):1742-1785. doi: 10.1007/s11427-022-2214-2.

17. Abbas G, Cui M, Wang D, Li M, Zhang XE. Construction of Genetically Encoded Biosensors to Monitor Subcellular Compartment-Specific Glutathione Response to Chemotherapeutic Drugs in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells. Anal Chem. 2023 Feb 7;95(5):2838-2847. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04255.

18. Zheng L, Wang K, Chen M, Qin F, Yan C, Zhang XE. Characterization and Function of Glycans on the Spike Proteins of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern. Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Dec 21;10(6):e0312022. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.03120-22.

19. Feng X, Gao D, Jing Y, Qian J, Cui Z, Zhou J, Zhang XE, Men D. Intracellular Delivery of Micron-Sized Magnetic Particles through a Virus Infection Pathway. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 Oct 19;14(41):46850-46856. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c11991.

20. Chen M, Yan C, Qin F, Zhang XE. Near-Infrared Luciferase Complementation Assay with Enhanced Bioluminescence for Studying Protein-Protein Interactions and Drug Evaluation Under Physiological Conditions. Anal Chem. 2022 Oct 11;94(40):13700-13709. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01238.

21. Su W, Qiu J, Mei Y, Zhang XE, He Y, Li F. A microfluidic cell chip for virus isolation via rapid screening for permissive cells. Virol Sin. 2022 Aug;37(4):547-557. doi: 10.1016/j.virs.2022.04.011.

22. Gong R, Yang C, Abbas G, Wang D, Zhang XE, Nie G, Ding H. Diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma using an ultrasensitive immunoassay method based on nanoparticles. Nanoscale. 2023 Feb 16;15(7):3475-3481. doi: 10.1039/d2nr05848k.

23. Tang J, Zhang G, Li F, Zeng R, Song J, Abbas G, Cui M, Zhang W, Zhang XE, Wang DB. Two-Dimensional Protein Nanoarray as a Carrier of Sensing Elements for Gold-Based Immunosensing Systems. Anal Chem. 2022 Jul 5;94(26):9355-9362. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01190.

24. Hou Y, Wang D, Lu S, Guo D, Li M, Cui M, Zhang XE. Optogenetic Control of Background Fluorescence Reduction for CRISPR-Based Genome Imaging. Anal Chem. 2022 Jun 21;94(24):8724-8731. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01113.

25. Lin R, Xiao M, Cao S, Sun Y, Zhao L, Mao X, Chen P, Tong X, Ou Z, Zhu H, Men D, Li X, Deng Y, Zhang XE, Wen J. Distinct gut microbiota and health outcomes in asymptomatic infection, viral nucleic acid test re-positive, and convalescent COVID-19 cases. mLife. 2022 Jun;1(2):183-197. doi: 10.1002/mlf2.12022.

26. Ma Y, Mao G, Yang W, Wu G, Li G, Li X, Lin X, Lu J, Zhao S, Zhao W, Dai J, Zhang XE. Studying bona fide SARS-CoV-2 biology in a BSL-2 biosafety environment using a split-virus-genome system. Sci China Life Sci. 2022 Sep;65(9):1894-1897. doi: 10.1007/s11427-022-2114-8.

27. Mao G, Wu G, Chen M, Yan C, Tang J, Ma Y, Zhang XE. Synthesis of Dual-Emitting CdZnSe/Mn:ZnS Quantum Dots for Sensing the pH Change in Live Cells. Anal Chem. 2022 May 10;94(18):6665-6671. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.

28. Li S, Wang D, Ghulam A, Li X, Li M, Li Q, Ma Y, Wang L, Wu H, Cui Z, Zhang XE. Tracking the Replication-Competent Zika Virus with Tetracysteine-Tagged Capsid Protein in Living Cells. J Virol. 2022 Apr 13;96(7):e0184621. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01846-21.

29. Cui, M., Abbas, G., Wang, D., Liu, Q., Gong, R., Li, M., & Xian-En Zhang. Genetically encoded redox biosensor system for H2O2 measurement in four subcellular compartments in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Science China. Life Sciences. 2022, 65 (6):1259-1262. doi: 10.1007/s11427-021-2049-6

30. Gao R, Tan H, Li S, Ma S, Tang Y, Zhang K, Zhang Z, Fan Q, Yang J, Zhang XE, Li F. A prototype protein nanocage minimized from carboxysomes with gated oxygen permeability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Feb 1;119(5):e2104964119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2104964119.

31. Ma Y, Mao G, Wu G, Zhang XE. Single-Particle Tracking Reveals the Interplay between HIV-1 Reverse Transcription and Uncoating. Anal Chem. 2022 Feb 8;94(5):2648-2654. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c05199.

32. Jin Song, Yiwei Li, Dingkun Ke, Dianbing Wang, Xian-En Zhang. In situ graphene-modified carbon microelectrode array biosensor for biofilm impedance analysis. Electrochimica Acta. 2022 403(139570), 0013-4686. doi: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.139570.

33. Cao S, Zhang Q, Song L, Xiao M, Chen Y, Wang D, Li M, Hu J, Lin L, Zheng Y, Zhou K, Ye S, Zhou J, Zhou YN, Cui J, Wang J, Sun J, Tao J, Chen Z, Chen R, Zhou P, Shi Z, Wei S, Zhao L, Wang H, Tong X, Li X, Men D, Hou B, Zhang XE. Dysregulation of Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses in Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection with Delayed Viral Clearance. Int J Biol Sci. 2022 Jul 11;18(12):4648-4657. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.72963.

34. Gong R, Wang D, Abbas G, Li S, Liu Q, Cui M, Zhang XE. A switch-on molecular biosensor for detection of caspase-3 and imaging of apoptosis of cells. Sci China Life Sci. 2022 Mar;65(3):540-549. doi: 10.1007/s11427-021-1986-7.

35. Chen M, Yan C, Zheng L, Zhang XE. The smallest near-infrared fluorescence complementation system for imaging protein-protein and RNA-protein interactions. Chem Sci. 2021 Dec 25;13(4):1119-1129. doi: 10.1039/d1sc04839b.

To view the full publication list of Prof.Zhang, please visit Google Scholar:https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=zh-CN&user=s5StRroAAAAJ