Yanfang ‘Peipei’ Zhu, Ph.D.

We are a young group of scientists who are enthusiastic about how neutrophils, conventionally recognized as “ghost cells” in the tissue, harness immune responses by leaving traces upon their death during chronic inflammation. 

 

 

Yanfang ‘Peipei’ Zhu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Immunology Center of Georgia
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Cancer Immunology, Inflammation, and Tolerance (CIIT) Division
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

 

 

 

What We Study

Neutrophils are the most abundant immune cells in circulation. These short-lived cells are equipped with potent toxins and play a crucial role in day-to-day immune surveillance. Their extravasation from the bloodstream and subsequent infiltration into tissues are transient yet critical steps in the immune response that help maintain our health.

Local microenvironmental cues trigger the activation of the neutrophils’ cell death machinery, initiating multifaceted downstream immune responses. Historically, the transcriptionally inactive nature of neutrophils, their short lifespan, and the diversity in surface marker expression have hindered our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate these neutrophil-induced immune responses. Our lab has characterized the heterogeneity within the neutrophil lineage in both steady and inflammatory states in human and mouse models. Our ongoing research focuses on uncovering the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which neutrophil lineage cells orchestrate local immune responses, using state-of-the-art single-cell approaches to overcome historical technical challenges. The long-term goal of our research is to elucidate the initiation and critical steps of neutrophil-mediated immune responses in chronic inflammation, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and periodontal diseases. This work aims to improve treatment outcomes through the discovery of innovative therapeutic and pharmaceutical targets.