Shanghai Institute of Material Medical Chinese Academy of Sciences

Biography

Yu-Peng Zhou, PhD, Professor and Principal Investigator of Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery. Dr. Zhou earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 2012 and master's degree in inorganic chemistry in 2014 from Sun Yat-sen University in China. He then pursued his PhD in chemistry at Technische Universitat Berlin in Germany and obtained his PhD degree in 2018. Then Dr. Zhou moved to United States and joined the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) as a research fellow. Dr. Zhou was promoted to instructor in 2023 at MGH/HMS. Since March 2024, Dr. Zhou has worked at Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery. Dr. Zhou’s research interests include organometallic chemistry, radiopharmaceutical, and PET imaging. Dr. Zhou’s research in US was funded by NIH-K99 grant and MGH. Dr. Zhou received the MGH Medical Discovery Award in 2020 and National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence Award (K99) in 2022.

Education

2014.09 - 2018.06 PhD in chemistry, Technische Universitat Berlin, Berlin, Germany

2012.09 - 2014.06, MSc in inorganic chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

2008.09 - 2012.06, BSc in chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

Work Experience

2024.03 – present, Professor and Principal Investigator, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery

2023.06 - 2024.02, Instructor, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

2018.09 - 2023.05, Research Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

Research Directions

1. Development of new radiopharmaceutical

2. Development of new molecular imaging tools for CNS diseases

Grants & Research Projects

Achievements

1. We have developed the first generation of small molecule calcium channel α2δ-1 subunit PET tracer, [18F]tGBP4F and [18F]cGBP4F, for neuropathic pain imaging. We have also co-developed [11C]3MeO4AP, a potassium channel PET tracer for MS, and led its radiation dosimetry evaluation (now preparing the IND and IRB application).

2. We have contributed to building the [11C]CHF3 radiosynthesis system at PET center of Massachusetts General Hospital.

3. We have developed a series of novel low-valent silicon compound and studied their applications in homogeneous catalysis.

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Social Titles

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Awards & Honors

2022, National Institutes of Health (USA) K99: Pathway to Independence Awards

2020, Massachusetts General Hospital Fund for Medical Discovery Award

2018, Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad

2018, Chinese-German Chemical Association Young Researchers Award

2014-2017, Berlin International Graduate School of Natural Sciences and Engineering BIG-NSE Scholarship

2013, National Scholarship for Master student

2012, Sun Yat-sen University Excellent Undergraduate Thesis

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Pubilcations

Full Publication List

Selected Publications

1.Y. P. Zhou#, M. D. Normandin#, V. Belov, M. T. Macdonald-Soccorso, S. H. Moon, Y. Sun, G. El Fakhri, M., N. J. Guehl*, P. Brugarolas*, Evaluation of trans- and cis-4-[18F]Fluorogabapentin for Brain PET Imaging. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2023, 14, 4208–4215.

2.Y. P. Zhou, Y. Sun, K. Takahashi, V. Belov, N. Andrews, C. J. Woolf, P. Brugarolas*, Development of a PET radioligand for α2δ-1 subunit of calcium channels for imaging neuropathic pain, Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2022, 242, 114688.

3.N. J. Guehl#, R. Neelamegam#, Y. P. Zhou#, S. H. Moon, M. Dhaynaut, G. El Fakhri, M. D. Normandin*, P. Brugarolas*, Radiochemical Synthesis and Evaluation in Non-Human Primates of 3-[11C]methoxy-4-aminopyridine: A Novel PET Tracer for Imaging Potassium Channels in the CNS. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2021, 12, 756-765.

4.Y. P. Zhou, M. Driess*, Isolable Silylene Ligands Can Boost Efficiencies and Selectivities in Metal-Mediated Catalysis, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 3715-3728.

5.Y. P. Zhou, M. Karni, S. Yao, Y. Apeloig*, M. Driess*, A Bis(silylenyl)pyridine Zero-Valent Germanium Complex and Its Remarkable Reactivity, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 15096-15099.

6.Y. P. Zhou#, S. Raoufmoghaddam#, T. Szilvási, M. Driess*, A Bis(silylene)-Substituted ortho-Carborane as a Superior Ligand in the Nickel-Catalyzed Amination of Arenes, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 12868-12872.

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