Xianzheng Zhou, Ph.D.

Other Information

About Dr. Zhou
Dr. Zhou is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, and member of the Masonic Cancer Center, Center for Immunology, and Center for Genome Engineering. Dr. Zhou is also on the faculty of Graduate Program in Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology (MICaB) and MD/PhD Program.

Career Milestones
Dr. Zhou received his M.D. in 1983 from Jiangxi Medical College, MSc. in microbiology and immunology in 1986 from Tongji Medical University, China, and his Ph.D. in immunology in 1994 from Karolinska Institute, Sweden, where he was tutored by Professor Mikael Jondal and Dr. Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren on viral antigen processing and presentation to CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. Dr. Zhou completed his first postdoctoral fellowship from October 1994 to March 1997 in the laboratory of Professor Herman Eisen at the Center for Cancer Research and the Department of Biology, M.I.T., where he studied peptide-specific CD8 T cells in p53 mutant mice and heat shock protein 70 as a cancer vaccine. From April 1997 to June 1999, Dr. Zhou completed his 2nd postdoctoral fellowship in human cancer immunology in the laboratories of Professor Drew Pardoll and Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore and became Research Associate from July 1999 to July 2002. At Hopkins, Dr. Zhou studied CD8 T cell responses in kidney cancer and identified kidney cancer associated antigens. Dr. Zhou joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in September 2002.

Research Interests
Dr. Zhou's long-term research interest focuses on development of novel strategies for separating graft versus leukemia from graft versus host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. His current research is to study DNA transposon (i.e., Sleeping Beauty) mediated genetic modification of umbilical cord blood T cells and CD34+ stem/progenitor cells and translate his lab research into novel cell therapies for Phase I trials in patients with refractory leukemia and lymphoma. He has received several prestigious awards including the American Society of Hematology Faculty Award and the Sidney Kimmel Scholar Award. He has 24 peer-reviewed research publications, 1 chapter book, and 5-7 manuscripts in preparation for publications.

Honors & Awards

• 1982, Excellent Student, Jiangxi Medical College
• 1993-1994, Research Scholarship, Karolinska Institute
• 2003, Masonic Dietz Family Award for Travel
• 2005-2007, American Society of Hematology (ASH) Junior Faculty Scholar Award in Translational Research
• 2006-2008, The Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research Kimmel Scholar Award in Translational Research
• 2006-2009, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy Young Investigator Award
• 2007, The Alexander Charles Jundt Research Award, Department of Pediatrics and University Pediatric Foundation