College of Medicine
Zhang Lab
Led by Weizhou Zhang · Pathology
What we study
The Zhang Lab studies breast cancer and its interactions with obesity, diabetes, and the immune system. They explore how immune cells, signaling pathways, and genetics influence cancer progression and treatment responses.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Computational
- Mice
- Coding required
- Projects
- 6
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Immune system and breast cancer under comorbid conditions
How obesity and diabetes affect immune cells like macrophages and how this impacts cancer progression.
Mammary epithelial cell interactions in breast cancer
How two types of breast cells interact and influence cancer development and relapse.
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Cancer genetics and immunotherapy
How DNA repair pathways affect immune responses in breast cancer and potential immunotherapy strategies.
Regulatory T cells in cancer immunotherapy
Using single-cell RNA sequencing to study heterogeneous Treg cells and their role in cancer and immunotherapy.
NR4A1 targeting PROTACs for melanoma therapy
Developing new drugs to target NR4A1 in melanoma for cancer therapy and immunotherapy.
Roles of MSH2 and MLH1 in Basal Like Breast Cancer
The lab studies two DNA repair genes, MSH2 and MLH1, in a mouse model of aggressive breast cancer. Students will examine how removing MSH2 changes tumor spread and immune cell activity, and compare it to the effects of removing MLH1.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 204
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- CerS2 Is a Druggable Target in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
2026 · Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
Finds a new drug target for triple-negative breast cancer by activating ceramide synthase 2.
- Updates on Clinical Trials and Molecular Characteristics of Locally Advanced and Oligometastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
2026 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Summarizes clinical trials and molecular traits of locally advanced and oligometastatic renal cell carcinoma.
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- Profiling protein post-translational modifications in plasma-derived extracellular vesicles as fingerprints for breast cancer subtypes
2026 · Genome biology
Uses blood samples to identify cancer subtypes by studying modified proteins in tiny cell fragments.
- A Review of the Relationship Between Obesity and Immunotherapy Response in Cancer
2026 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Reviews how obesity affects cancer treatment responses, including immune therapy.
- PROTAC-mediated targeting of IKKβ and NR4A1 for AML therapy
2026 · Oncogene
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Weizhou Zhang hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.