Dr. Xueqing Zhang is a Professor at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Her research focuses on nucleic acid delivery systems and biomaterials for biomedical applications. She obtained her Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry and Physics from Wuhan University and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Professor Robert Langer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University in December 2017. Dr. Zhang has published over 60 peer-reviewed SCI-indexed articles in leading journals, including Nature Communications, Science Advances, Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), Science Translational Medicine, Advanced Materials, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Her work has been cited more than 10,000 times, with five papers recognized as ESI Highly Cited Papers. She holds 17 granted patents, including three U.S. patents. She has led multiple national and provincial-level research projects, including a subproject under the National Key Research and Development Program of China and grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Dr. Zhang has been selected for several prestigious talent programs, including the Chang Jiang Scholars Program of the Ministry of Education, the National High-Level Young Talent Program, the Shanghai “Pearl” Talent Program, and the Jiangsu “Double Innovation” Leading Talent Program.
Education
(1) Oct 2010 – Aug 2013, Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(2) Apr 2006 – Sep 2010, Postdoctoral Researcher, Northwestern University
(3) Sep 1999 – Dec 2004, Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry and Physics, Wuhan University
(4) Sep 1995 – Jun 1999, B.S. in Applied Chemistry, Wuhan University
Research Focus
(1) Design of RNA delivery systems and mechanistic studies of their delivery processes
(2) Development of mRNA-based nanovaccines and novel therapeutics
(3) Design and application of biomaterials with functions in tissue regeneration and immunomodulation
Honors and Awards
(1) Chang Jiang Scholars Program (Ministry of Education), 2025
(2) Outstanding Advisor, Shanghai Division of the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition, 2024
(3) Shanghai “Pearl” Talent Program (Leading Talent), 2023
(4) Jiangsu “Double Innovation” Program (Leading Talent), 2019
(5) National High-Level Young Talent Program (10th Batch), Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee
Professional Service and Academic Activities
(1) Member, Pharmaceutics Committee, Shanghai Pharmaceutical Association
(2) Editorial Board Member, Introduction to Pharmacy, a “14th Five-Year Plan” medical textbook (Higher Education Press)
(3) Technical Consultant, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd., Sinopharm Group
(4) Adjunct (Joint Appointment) Graduate Supervisor, Department of Ophthalmology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University
(5) Editorial Board Member, Regulatory Science for Pharmaceuticals and Modern Pharmaceutical Administration
(6) Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Biologicals
Mentorship and Training
(1) Students supervised by Dr. Zhang have received multiple honors, including Silver Award in the Shanghai Division of the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition (2024), National Graduate Scholarship (2022), Outstanding Graduate of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2022), Excellent Poster Award at the International Pharmaceutical Graduate Academic Forum (2023), and First/Second/Outstanding Prizes at the Shanghai Pharmaceutics Annual Meeting and Young Investigator Presentation (2022)
(2) Postdoctoral fellows under her supervision have been awarded the Shanghai Magnolia Talent Program (2024), Pudong New Area “Pearl” Young Talent Program (2024), General Program of the 66th China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2019), and the “Morning Star” Postdoctoral Incentive Program (2019)
Textbook Contributions
(1) Contributing Editor, Experimental Methods in Drug Development (2nd Edition), approved as a 2023 undergraduate-level textbook project at Shanghai Jiao Tong University
(2) Contributing Editor for the “14th Five-Year Plan” new-form medical textbook Introduction to Pharmacy (Higher Education Press), currently in final proofreading and scheduled for publication in the second half of 2025
Products and Industry Standards
(1) Based on proprietary ionizable lipids and an LNP delivery platform, collaborative development with industry partners has led to prophylactic herpes zoster mRNA vaccines and therapeutic human papillomavirus (HPV) mRNA vaccines, both of which have received IND approvals from China’s CDE and the U.S. FDA, respectively
(2) Invited core expert in formulating the industry guideline Guidelines for the Development of (Cellular) Immunotherapy Products Based on mRNA-LNP Technology (Standard No. T/FDSA0055-2024)