Hao Zhu, M.D.
Associate Professor

Download Curriculum Vitae

Hao Zhu earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Duke University, followed by an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and MIT. He underwent training in internal medicine at University of California, San Francisco and medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. From 2008 to 2012, Dr. Zhu performed postdoctoral research at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he explored connections among RNA biology, cancer and regeneration in mouse models. In 2012, he joined the faculty of UT Southwestern and the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern. He is also an attending physician in the Multidisciplinary Liver Cancer Clinic at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Zhu is the recipient of a Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists (2012), a CPRIT Scholar Award (2012) and a Stand Up To Cancer Innovative Research Grant (2016).

The Zhu laboratory is interested in understanding the relationship between injury, regeneration, and cancer. They are focused on identifying the genes and mechanisms that regulate regenerative capacity in the liver and understanding how these contribute to hepatocellular carcinoma development – the third leading cause of cancer death in the world.

Zhu Laboratory

Medical School

Harvard Medical School (2005)

Residency

University of California, San Francisco (2007), Internal Medicine

Fellowship

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (2011), Hematology Oncology

• Chronic liver disease
• In vivo genetic screening
• Liver cancer
• Liver regeneration
• Mechanisms of organ regeneration

Featured Publications

In vivo CRISPR screening identifies BAZ2 chromatin remodelers as druggable regulators of mammalian liver regeneration.

Jia Y, Li L, Lin YH, Gopal P, Shen S, Zhou K, Yu X, Sharma T, Zhang Y, Siegwart DJ, Ready JM, Zhu H, Cell Stem Cell 2022 Jan

Liver homeostasis is maintained by midlobular zone 2 hepatocytes.

Wei Y, Wang YG, Jia Y, Li L, Yoon J, Zhang S, Wang Z, Zhang Y, Zhu M, Sharma T, Lin YH, Hsieh MH, Albrecht JH, Le PT, Rosen CJ, Wang T, Zhu H, Science 2021 02 371 6532

Mice With Increased Numbers of Polyploid Hepatocytes Maintain Regenerative Capacity but Develop Fewer Tumors Following Chronic Liver Injury.

Lin YH, Zhang S, Zhu M, Lu T, Chen K, Wen Z, Wang S, Xiao G, Luo D, Jia Y, Li L, MacConmara M, Hoshida Y, Singal A, Yopp A, Wang T, Zhu H, Gastroenterology 2020 Jan

Somatic Mutations Increase Hepatic Clonal Fitness and Regeneration in Chronic Liver Disease.

Zhu M, Lu T, Jia Y, Luo X, Gopal P, Li L, Odewole M, Renteria V, Singal AG, Jang Y, Ge K, Wang SC, Sorouri M, Parekh JR, MacConmara MP, Yopp AC, Wang T, Zhu H, Cell 2019 Apr

The Polyploid State Plays a Tumor-Suppressive Role in the Liver.

Zhang S, Zhou K, Luo X, Li L, Tu HC, Sehgal A, Nguyen LH, Zhang Y, Gopal P, Tarlow BD, Siegwart DJ, Zhu H Dev. Cell 2018 Feb

Knockdown of Anillin Actin Binding Protein Blocks Cytokinesis in Hepatocytes and Reduces Liver Tumor Development in Mice without Affecting Regeneration.

Zhang S, Nguyen LH, Zhou K, Tu HC, Sehgal A, Nassour I, Li L, Gopal P, Goodman J, Singal AG, Yopp A, Zhang Y, Siegwart DJ, Zhu H Gastroenterology 2017 Dec

Arid1a Has Context-Dependent Oncogenic and Tumor Suppressor Functions in Liver Cancer.

Sun X, Wang SC, Wei Y, Luo X, Jia Y, Li L, Gopal P, Zhu M, Nassour I, Chuang JC, Maples T, Celen C, Nguyen LH, Wu L, Fu S, Li W, Hui L, Tian F, Ji Y, Zhang S, Sorouri M, Hwang TH, Letzig L, James L, Wang Z, Yopp AC, Singal AG, Zhu H Cancer Cell 2017 Nov 32 5 574-589.e6

Suppression of the SWI/SNF Component Arid1a Promotes Mammalian Regeneration.

Sun X, Chuang JC, Kanchwala M, Wu L, Celen C, Li L, Liang H, Zhang S, Maples T, Nguyen LH, Wang SC, Signer RA, Sorouri M, Nassour I, Liu X, Xu J, Wu M, Zhao Y, Kuo YC, Wang Z, Xing C, Zhu H Cell Stem Cell 2016 Mar

Lin28b is sufficient to drive liver cancer and necessary for its maintenance in murine models.

Nguyen LH, Robinton DA, Seligson MT, Wu L, Li L, Rakheja D, Comerford SA, Ramezani S, Sun X, Parikh MS, Yang EH, Powers JT, Shinoda G, Shah SP, Hammer RE, Daley GQ, Zhu H Cancer Cell 2014 Aug 26 2 248-61

Lin28 enhances tissue repair by reprogramming cellular metabolism.

Shyh-Chang N, Zhu H, Yvanka de Soysa T, Shinoda G, Seligson MT, Tsanov KM, Nguyen L, Asara JM, Cantley LC, Daley GQ Cell 2013 Nov 155 4 778-92

• Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Award
  (2021-2024)
• Member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation
  (2018)
• SU2C Innovative Research Grant
  (2016-2019)
• Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists
  (2012)
• CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
  (2012)