Wenhan Zhu received his Ph.D. at Purdue University in Biological Sciences and is an Assistant Professor in Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology. In his lab, they focus on the metabolic interactions that dictate the changes or resilience of the microbiota. Insight into such interactions could enable precise manipulation of gut microbiota composition, thus restoring a balanced community in situ and improving host health. To precisely manipulate the microbiota, they use a multidisciplinary discovery pipeline that consists of next-generation sequencing, bacterial genetics and a mechanistic understanding of bacterial physiology in vivo. This pipeline allows them to discover druggable targets of the microbiota and translate the findings using high-throughput screening.
Coffee: Starbucks or Dunkin'?
Starbucks!
When you were 5, what did you want to be when you grew up?
It is a little bit of cliche, but I wanted to be a scientist.
How, When, and Why did you decide to become a scientist?
I wanted to be one growing up. I was always fascinated by rockets and spacecrafts that could take us into space. Therefore, I wanted to be a “rocket scientist”, but my math and physics test scores told me otherwise.
How long have you been at VU/VUMC?
9 months.
Why did you decide to start your lab with us?
I really like Vandy because it has great people, great environment and I have a strong gut feeling (pun intended) that I could belong here. Plus, Nashville is such a great place, wonderful culture, great food.
What does your lab do/study?
The metabolic interactions between host and the microbes in the inflamed intestine.
How do you foresee these discoveries impacting human health?
The microbes in our gut, termed gut microbiota, have enormous impacts on our physiology during health and diseases. We want to learn about how microbes in the gut compete with other microbes and the host for nutrients/food, which is what they evolve to do and crucial for their survival. We then want to leverage the gained knowledge to restore the gut microbiota to a healthy state and improve disease outcomes.
What is one topic in your field that you are excited about right now?
How a pathogenic bacterium uses its supposingly carcinogenic toxin to modify host cellular metabolism so it can gain access to the nutrients to supports its growth.
For your undergrad, you attended Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong, China. Why did you decide to come to America, and what has influenced your decision to stay?
Many of the exciting and foundational findings in the textbooks were done here in the US, so I thought this is a great place do science and obtain my degree. After coming here, I really enjoy the friendly and inclusive culture here.
Zhu Lab
Current lab members:
Wenhan Zhu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Luisella Spiga, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Katrina Richardson, M.S.
Lab Manager
