Zimei Wu is a Research Assistant Professor at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT). She received her Ph.D. in Biology from the School of Medicine at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), and subsequently worked as a postdoctoral researcher and assistant researcher at Sun Yat-sen University. Her research focuses on materials for targeted delivery across the blood–brain barrier and on the mechanisms of crosstalk between bone and other organs, with particular interest in the role of inter-organ signaling networks in disease initiation and progression. She also works on the design and translational development of smart delivery systems and biomaterials. She was awarded a Young Scientist Fund project (Category C) by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). She leads two General Program projects funded by the Shenzhen Municipal Natural Science Foundation and has participated in multiple national, provincial, and municipal research projects. She has published five papers as first or co-first author in international journals including Advanced Science, Biomaterials, Materials Today Bio, Genes & Diseases, and holds two granted Chinese invention patents as the first inventor. She serves as a reviewer for several international journals, including Advanced Science, Advanced Materials, and Biomaterials.

1. Bone-organ crosstalk

2. Osteo-immuno-metabolism

3. Smart biomaterials

4. Blood-brain barrier-targeted delivery

Education:

2019–2023: Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Ph.D. in Biology (Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Lin Wang)

2016–2019: Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Master's in Basic Theory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Supervisor: Prof. Yiwei Li and Prof. Dongfeng Chen)

2011–2016: Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Bachelor's in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Work Experience:

2026.03–Present: Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT), Research Assistant Professor (Prof. Qizhou Lian's group)

2023.08–2025.08: Sun Yat-sen University, Postdoctoral Researcher

Research Projects:

1. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Young Scientists Fund (Category C), 2027–2029 (Principal Investigator)

2. Shenzhen Science and Technology Program , 2024–2027 (Principal Investigator)

3. Shenzhen Science and Technology Program , 2025–2028 (Principal Investigator)

4. Guangdong Provincial Medical Science and Technology Research Fund, 2026–2028 (Principal Investigator)

5. Guangdong General Project, 2025–2027 (Participant)

6. Shenzhen Science and Technology Program, 2024–2027 (Participant)

Selected publications:

1.(Co-first author，IF14.1)Wu Z*, Xu Y*, Qin L, Mai Y, Guo X, Chen J, Ling Z, Yan L, Wang L, Bian L, Wei F.(2026)ROS-Responsive Wedelolactone Hydrogel Promotes Intervertebral Disc Repair by Disrupting the NF-κB–LCN2 Inflammatory Feedback Loop.AdvancedScience.13(14):e21709.

2.(Co-first author，IF14.1)Wu Z*, Hou Q*, Liu Y*, Chen T, Yang K, Li L, Wang L.(2025)NOX2-Driven Oxidative Stress Promotes EndMT and Uncouples Angiogenesis-Osteogenesis at the Bone-Implant Interface in Diabetes.AdvancedScience. 10:e17885.

3.(first author，IF10.2)Wu Z*, Hou Q, Qin L, Chen T, Yang K, Wei F, Wang L.(2025)GPx-mimetic selenium-enriched yeast nanozymes ameliorate diabetic bone disease via dual-targeting of ROS scavenging and angiogenesis-osteogenesis coupling.MaterialsToday Bio. 6;32:101836.

4.(Co-first author，IF14.3)Wu Z*, Hou Q*, Chi H*, Liu J, Mei Y, Chen T, Yang K, Zheng J, Xu J, Wei F, Wang L.（2023）Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals a distinct profile of bone immune microenvironment and decreased osteoclast differentiation in type 2 diabetic mice.Genes&Diseases. 17;11(6):101145.

5.(Co-first author，IF12.9)Wu Z*,Hou Q*, Chen T, Jiang X, Wang L, Xu J, Wang L.(2022)ROS-reactive PMS/PC drug delivery system improves new bone formation under diabetic conditions by promoting angiogenesis-osteogenesis coupling via down-regulating NOX2-ROS signalling axis.Biomaterials. 291:121900.

6.(Co-first author)Wang Y*,Wu Z*, He Y, Zeng X, Gu Z, Zhou X, Si W, Chen D.(2024)Fat mass and obesity-associated protein regulates RNA methylation associated with spatial cognitive dysfunction after chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.Neuropeptides. 105:102428.

7.Chen T,Wu Z, Hou Q, Mei Y, Yang K, Xu J, Wang L.(2022)The Dual Angiogenesis Effects via Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway of Melatonin Nanocomposite Scaffold on Promoting Diabetic Bone Defect Repair.Int J Nanomedicine. 2024 Mar 16;19:2709-2732.

8.Wang Z, Chen T,Wu Z, Jiang X, Hou Q, Miao S, Xia R, Wang L.(2022)The dual-effects of PLGA@MT electrospun nanofiber coatings on promoting osteogenesis at the titanium-bone interface under diabetic conditions.J Mater Chem B. ;10(21):4020-4030.

9.Wang L, Shen M, Hou Q,Wu Z, Xu J, Wang L.(2022)3D printing of reduced glutathione grafted gelatine methacrylate hydrogel scaffold promotes diabetic bone regeneration by activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.Int J Biol Macromol. 222(Pt A):1175-1191.