Fen Zhu is a Research Assistant Professor at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT) and holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences. She received a Ph.D. from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA, and subsequently conducted research in cancer biology and translational medicine at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying B-cell lymphoma pathogenesis, epigenetic regulation, apoptosis and drug sensitivity, as well as the development of novel anticancer agents and combination therapeutic strategies. Fen Zhu was awarded the 2024 NSFC Young Scientists Fund (Category C). In recent years, she has published seven papers as first author or co-first author in leading international journals, including PNAS, Leukemia, and Haematologica, and has contributed to a total of 11 SCI-indexed publications through collaborative research.

1. Mechanisms of Cancer Development, including oncogenic signaling, epigenetics, and the tumor microenvironment.

2. Novel anticancer therapeutics and combination therapy strategies.

Education:

2014-2019: University of Wisconsin–Madison，PhD in Cellular and Molecular Pathology (Supervisor: Prof. Lixin Rui)

2006-2011: Wuhan University，Bachelor in Medicine

Work Experience:

2026.06–Present: Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology,Research Assistant Professor (Prof. Zhonghua Gao's group)

2024.04-2026.05: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Medical Oncology, Postdoctoral Fellow (Prof. Matthew S. Davids'group)

2023.08-2024.04: Chongqing University, School of Medicine, Associate Professor

2020.08-2023.08: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Medical Oncology, Postdoctoral Fellow (Prof. Matthew S. Davids' group)

2019.08-2020.08: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Medical Oncology, Postdoctoral Fellow (Prof. Lixin Rui’s group)

Research Projects:

Young Scientists Fund (Category C),National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2025–2027, Principal Investigator

Selected publications:

(1) Zhu, F.¹; Wang, J.¹; Ryan, C. E.; Hackett, L.; Zhang, J.; Chamberlain, S.; Ung, J.; Chong, S. J. F.; Davids, M. S. Inhibition of PRMT5 Sensitizes B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cells to Both Intrinsic and Extrinsic Apoptotic Cell Death.Blood Neoplasia 2026,3(3), 100249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bneo.2026.100249

(2) Zhu, F.¹; Crombie, J. L.; Ni, W.; Hoang, N.-M.; Garg, S.; Hackett, L.; Chong, S. J. F.; Collins, M. C.; Rui, L.; Griffin, J.; Davids, M. S. Hypomethylating Agent Decitabine Sensitizes Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma to Venetoclax.Haematologica 2023. https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2023.283245

(3) Zhu, F.¹; Guo, H.; Bates, P. D.; Zhang, S.; Zhang, H.; Nomie, K. J.; Li, Y.; Lu, L.; Seibold, K. R.; Wang, F.; Rumball, I.; Cameron, H.; Hoang, N. M.; Yang, D. T.; Xu, W.; Zhang, L.; Wang, M.; Capitini, C. M.; Rui, L. PRMT5 Is Upregulated by B-Cell Receptor Signaling and Forms a Positive-Feedback Loop with PI3K/AKT in Lymphoma Cells.Leukemia 2019,33(12), 2898–2911. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-019-0489-6

(4) Lu, L.¹;Zhu, F.¹; Zhang, M.; Li, Y.; Drennan, A. C.; Kimpara, S.; Rumball, I.; Selzer, C.; Cameron, H.; Kellicut, A.; Kelm, A.; Wang, F.; Waldmann, T. A.; Rui, L. Gene Regulation and Suppression of Type I Interferon Signaling by STAT3 in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.2018,115(3), E498–E505. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1715118115

(5) Zhu, F.¹; Rui, L. PRMT5 in Gene Regulation and Hematologic Malignancies.Genes Dis.2019,6(3), 247–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gendis.2019.06.002

(6) Zhu, F.¹; Wang, K. B.; Rui, L. STAT3 Activation and Oncogenesis in Lymphoma.Cancers 2019,12(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12010019

(7) Zhu, F.¹; Hwang, B.; Miyamoto, S.; Rui, L. Nuclear Import of JAK1 Is Mediated by a Classical NLS and Is Required for Survival of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.Mol. Cancer Res. MCR 2017,15(3), 348–357. https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-16-0344

(8) Liu, Y.; Chen, R.; Gao, X.;Zhu, F.; Ni, Q.; Bates, P. D.; Wu, S.; Zai, Z.; Obernberger, V. A.; Weerawardhene, K.; Tourdot, T. K.; Petta, S.; Conyers, M. J.; Capitini, C. M.; Rui, L. PRMT5 Inhibition Sensitizes B-Cell Lymphoma Cells to Ferroptosis.Leukemia 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-026-02932-3

(9) Chong, S. J. F.;Zhu, F.; Dashevsky, O.; Mizuno, R.; Lai, J. X. H.; Hackett, L.; Ryan, C. E.; Collins, M. C.; Iorgulescu, J. B.; Guièze, R.; Penailillo, J.; Carrasco, R.; Hwang, Y. C.; Muñoz, D. P.; Bouhaddou, M.; Lim, Y. C.; Wu, C. J.; Allan, J. N.; Furman, R. R.; Goh, B. C.; Pervaiz, S.; Coppé, J.-P.; Mitsiades, C. S.; Davids, M. S. Hyperphosphorylation of BCL-2 Family Proteins Underlies Functional Resistance to Venetoclax in Lymphoid Malignancies.J. Clin. Invest.2023,133(22). https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI170169

(10) Hoang, N.-M.; Liu, Y.; Bates, P. D.; Heaton, A. R.; Lopez, A. F.; Liu, P.;Zhu, F.; Chen, R.; Kondapelli, A.; Zhang, X.; Selberg, P. E.; Ngo, V. N.; Skala, M. C.; Capitini, C. M.; Rui, L. Targeting DNMT3A-Mediated Oxidative Phosphorylation to Overcome Ibrutinib Resistance in Mantle Cell Lymphoma.Cell Rep. Med.2024,5(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101484

(11) Kimpara, S.; Lu, L.; Hoang, N. M.;Zhu, F.; Bates, P. D.; Daenthanasanmak, A.; Zhang, S.; Yang, D. T.; Kelm, A.; Liu, Y.; Li, Y.; Rosiejka, A.; Kondapelli, A.; Bebel, S.; Chen, M.; Waldmann, T. A.; Capitini, C. M.; Rui, L. EGR1 Addiction in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.Mol. Cancer Res.2021,19(8), 1258–1269. https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-21-0267

(12) Masle-Farquhar, E.; Russell, A.; Li, Y.;Zhu, F.; Rui, L.; Brink, R.; Goodnow, C. C. Loss-of-Function of Fbxo10, Encoding a Post-Translational Regulator of BCL2 in Lymphomas, Has No Discernible Effect on BCL2 or B Lymphocyte Accumulation in Mice.PLOS ONE 2021,16(4), e0237830. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237830