University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College of Medicine: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Zijun Zhang

5th year, GPIBS-Biochemistry and Molecular Biology track

Education

University of Minnesota Twin Cities: B.S. Biochemistry

University of Minnesota Twin Cities: M.S. Pharmacology

Research

My research focuses on investigating the function of CST6, a lysosomal protease inhibitor, in the multiple myeloma microenvironment. I focus on CST6’s immunosuppressive function in the microenvironment, as it has been shown to induce anti-inflammatory responses in macrophages. I used mainly mouse bone marrow primary cells and the KaLwRij mouse model to analyze the immunosuppressive effect of CST6. Using the co-culture assay, flow cytometry, and ELISA, I demonstrated that CST6 can further inhibit T-cell activity and induce T-cell exhaustion. Via mutagenesis, I found that a CST6 mutant, CST6N137D, does not have an immunosuppressive effect while retaining its ability to inhibit myeloma-induced bone lesion formation. Further mouse study also showed a better therapeutic outcome of CST6N137D on our KaLwRij model.

Notable about his time as a Graduate

I became surprisingly good at mouse tail vein injections, yet it was the task I dreaded the most during my PhD. It taught me an important lesson: “You can be excellent at something and be applauded for it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to enjoy it.”

Career Goals

I am planning to transition into the industry and get a job at a biotech or pharmaceutical company. Currently, I am actively sending applications to these companies located in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and San Diego.

Experiment or Technique you would most like to do

If there’s any chance – a systematic training on bioinformatics analysis will be nice!

Fun Facts

I like to write fantasy adventure stories. And I get cursed by my friends (also my audience), not just once, for how sad those stories end.

Publications

  1. Zhang Z, Zhan F. Type 2 Cystatins and Their Roles in the Regulation of Human Immune Response and Cancer Progression. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Nov 10;15(22):5363. doi: 10.3390/cancers15225363IF: 4.4 Q2 . PMID: 38001623; PMCID: PMC10670837.
  2. Guo W, Zhan Y, Mery D, Siegel ER, Sun F, Cheng Y, Ashby TC, Zhang Z, Bailey C, Alapat DV, Peng H, Hadidi SA, Thanendrarajan S, Schinke C, Zangari M, van Rhee F, Tricot G, Shaughnessy JD, Zhan F. Prognostic value of ferritin in ASCT MM patients: integration with GEP models and ISS series systems. Blood Cancer J. 2024 Feb 14;14(1):30. doi: 10.1038/s41408-024-00998-9IF: 11.6 Q1 . PMID: 38355688; PMCID: PMC10866867.
  3. Gai D, Caviness PC, Lazarenko OP, Chen JF, Randolph CE, Zhang Z, Cheng Y, Sun F, Xu H, Blackburn ML, Tricot G, Shaughnessy JD Jr, Chen JR, Zhan F. Cystatin M/E Ameliorates Multiple Myeloma-Induced Hyper Osteolytic Bone Resorption. Cancers (Basel). 2025 Feb 27;17(5):833. doi: 10.3390/cancers17050833. PMID: 40075680; PMCID: PMC11899016.
  4. Guo W, Strouse C, Mery D, Siegel ER, Munshi MN, Ashby TC, Cheng Y, Sun F, Wanchai V, Zhang Z, Bailey C, Alapat DV, Peng H, Al Hadidi S, Thanendrarajan S, Schinke C, Zangari M, van Rhee F, Tricot G, Shaughnessy JD Jr, Zhan F. A Risk Stratification System in Myeloma Patients with Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Mar 11;16(6):1116. doi: 10.3390/cancers16061116. PMID: 38539451; PMCID: PMC10969019.

Awards

2023 – American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting 2024 – Abstract Achievement Award

2026 – American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) – 2026 Graduate Student or Postdoctoral Researcher Award