Welcome to the Lei (Justan) Zhang Lab
Geroscience Drug Discovery
Developing pharmaceutics that target the biology of aging to extend healthspan and treat age-related diseases
What is geroscience?
Geroscience is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand how the biology of aging drives chronic diseases.
Aging is the root cause and the greatest risk factor of most chronic diseases.
The Geroscience Hypothesis posits that, rather than targeting each disease individually, we can prevent, delay, or treat multiple age-related conditions simultaneously by targeting the biology of aging.
Why Target Aging?
Aging is malleable.
Research has shown that genetics, pharmaceutical compounds, metabolites, diet, and exercise can modulate aging and extend healthspan.
Aging hallmarks are druggable.
Advances in the biology of aging have identified conserved aging hallmarks that can be targeted pharmacologically, opening new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Aging hallmarks are interconnected.
Modulating one hallmark often improves others, creating synergistic effects for targeting aging.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to transforming the discoveries in aging biology into actionable gerotherapeutics to combat aging and age-related diseases.
Our current research focuses on three key hallmarks of aging: cellular senescence, chronic inflammation, and genomic instability. Our long-term vision is to develop pharmacological strategies that target all hallmarks of aging.
Our research is driven by two synergistic arms:
Gerotherapeutic Discovery and Development
Guided by geroscience, we develop drug candidates targeting fundamental aging processes using:
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High-throughput screening
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Cell-based high-content screening
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Virtual screening
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Medicinal chemistry
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Computer-aided drug design
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AI/ML-aided drug discovery
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Drug repurposing
Mechanistic Exploration of Aging Biology
We apply interdisciplinary tools, including biochemistry, chemical/molecular/cellular biology, multi-omics, and bioinformatics, to:
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Evaluate gerotherapeutic potential
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Understand drug mechanisms
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Validate therapeutic targets
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Discover novel regulators of aging and longevity
Our Values
At the Lei (Justan) Zhang Lab, we are guided by the following principles:
“做好人，做好事，做好学问”
Be a good person, do good work, do good science.
1. Be a Good Person
We believe in kindness, empathy, and respect for one another, for the animals we work with, and for the communities we serve.
2. Do Good Work
We are driven by purpose. Our goal is to conduct meaningful research that benefits humanity, improves lives, and leaves a positive mark on the world.
3. Do Good Science
We uphold scientific rigor and integrity in all we do. Driven by curiosity and a spirit of continuous learning, we ask bold questions, follow the evidence, and advance discovery through transparent, collaborative science to improve human health and longevity.