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Academic Staff

Prof. Yao Zhong-ping
PolyU Scholars Hub

Prof. Yao Zhongping

Assoc. Head(ABCT) & Professor

PolyU Scholars Hub
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Research Overview

We conduct interdisciplinary research by developing and applying mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches to address fundamental and applied problems in chemistry, biology, pharmacy, medicine, information science, food science, etc.

Our current research topics include:
• Molecular data storage
• Conformational dynamics of proteins and protein interactions
• Peptide drug discovery
• Mechanistic study and biomarker discovery of diseases and biological processes
• Molecular assembly and recognition
• Food safety
• New analytical techniques

Research Interests

  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Molecular Assembly and Recognition
  • Molecular Data Storage
  • Peptide and Protein Sequencing
  • Peptide Drug Discovery
  • Protein Structures, Dynamics and Interactions
  • Disease Biomarkers
  • Mechanisms of Biological Processes
  • Food Safety

Education and Academic Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, Fudan University
  • Master of Science, Fudan University
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • Postdoc, University of Maryland at College Park
  • Postdoc, University of Cambridge

Professional Qualifications

  • Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry

Academic and Professional Experience

  • Editor for the book series on New Developments in Mass Spectrometry, The Royal Society of Chemistry (2018 – Present)
  • Associate Editor, Frontiers in Chemistry (2022 – Present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Instrumental Analysis (2023 – Present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Chinese Mass Spectrometry Society (2023 – Present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Analytica Chimica Acta (2022 – Present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Mass Spectrometry (2020 – Present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Chemical Biology Letters (2015 – Present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (2013 – Present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Natural Products Chemistry & Research (2012 – Present)
  • Member of Organic Analysis Committee, The Chinese Chemical Society (2016 – Present)
  • Member, Asian Chemical Biology Initiative (2011 – Present)
  • Panel Member for the Physical Sciences Subject (Joint Research Schemes), RGC (2019 - 2025)
  • Assessment Panel Member for the Biology and Medicine Subject (Competitive Research Funding Schemes for the Local Self-financing Degree Sector), RGC (2019 - 2025)
  • President, The Hong Kong Society of Mass Spectrometry (2018 - 2022)
  • International Committee Member, Asia Oceania Mass Spectrometry Society (2017 - 2022)

Achievements

  • World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientist, Stanford University (2023, 2024, 2025)
  • Faculty Award for Outstanding Researcher, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2024)
  • Most Valued Project Award (Merit), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2019)
  • “Changbaishan Scholar” Chair Professorship, Jilin Province, China (2015 - 2018)
  • Visiting Associate Professorship, Kyoto University (2013)
  • RCUK Academic Fellowship, Research Council UK (2006 – 2008)
  • First Class Prize (First Accomplisher), CAIA Award, The China Association for Instrumental Analysis (CAIA) (1995)

  • Zhongping YAO, Michael Ho Yin MA, Suying LI, “System, Method and Medium for Rapid Identification of Edible Oils”, PCT Patent (Application No. PCT/ CN2025/090677, filed on 23 April 2025; filed in the US on 11 June 2025; filed in China on 6 August 2025)
  • Zhongping YAO, Yin ZHOU, Cheuk Chi Albert NG, Chengxi LIU, “Data Storage Using Proteins”, PCT Patent (Application No. PCT/CN2023/108347, filed on 20 July 2023)
  • Zhongping YAO, Cheuk Chi Albert NG, Francis Chung Ming LAU, Wai Man TAM, “Sequencing Data-Encoded Peptides from Tandem Mass Spectra”, US Patent (Application No. 18/297,685, filed on 10 April 2023); EP Patent (Patent No. 4261826, granted on 6 February 2025)
  • Zhongping YAO, Cheuk Chi Albert NG, Francis Chung Ming Lau, Wai Man TAM, “Data Storage Using Peptides”, US Patent (Patent No. 11,315,023, granted on 26 April 2022); US Continuation-in-part Patent (Zhongping YAO, Cheuk Chi Albert NG, Haidi YIN, Patent No. 11,302,421 B2, granted on 12 April 2022); European Patent (Patent No. 3776557, granted on 29 January 2025), Chinese Patent (Patent No. ZL 201880094641.4, granted on 7 February 2025)
  • Zhongping YAO, Cheuk Chi Albert NG, Tsz Tsun NG, Suying LI, “Improved Edible Oil Analysis System and Method”, US Patent (Patent No. US10859552B208, granted on 8 December 2020); Taiwan Patent (Patent No. TWI714784B, granted on 1 January 2021); EU Patent (Application No.17181140.9-1408, filed on13 July 2017); China Patent (Patent No. ZL201710588321.1, granted on 21 October 2022)
  • Zhongping YAO, Tsz Tsun NG, Pui-Kin SO, “A Method for Authentication of Edible Oils (鉴别食用油的方法)”, China Patent (Patent No.: ZL201410538320.2, granted on 2 July 2019)
  • Zhongping YAO, Haixing WANG, “An Electrospray Ionization Device for Direct Analysis of Solid Samples”, China Patent (Patent No.: 201320743737.3, granted on 24th March 2014)
  • Zhongping YAO, Bin HU, “Electrospray Ionization Device”, China Patent (Patent No. 201310291014.9, granted on 8 February 2018)

  1. Peng, Z.; Fan, J.; Liu, Y.; Jia, Q.; An, J.; Wang, J.; Huang, Y.; Yao, Z.-P.; Guo, Y. Uncovering cargo clients and accessory factors of AP-1 and AP-4 through vesicle proteomics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2025, 122, e2508961122. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2508961122
  2. Luo, X.; Ng, C. C. A.; Lam, H. H. N.; Yao, Z.-P. Advances in protein sequencing: Techniques, challenges and prospects. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry 2025, 191, 118341. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2025.118341
  3. Huang, L.; Wong, T.-F.; Cheng, Q.; So, P.-K.; Liu, M.; Li, X.; Chen, S.; Yao, Z.-P. Inhibitor-Dependent Tolerance of New Delhi Metallo-β-Lactamase Driven by Single Mutation-Induced Conformational Changes. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2025, 147, 26389–26401. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c05669
  4. Li, T.; Yang, F.; Heng, Y.; Zhou, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, J.; Wang, J.; Chen, X.; Yao, Z.-P.; Wu, Z.; Guo, Y. TMED10 mediates the trafficking of insulin-like growth factor 2 along the secretory pathway for myoblast differentiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2023, 120, e2215285120. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215285120
  5. Hu, B.; Yao, Z.-P. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with wooden tips: A review. Analytica Chimica Acta 2022, 1209, 339136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2021.339136
  6. Ng, C. C. A.; Tam, W. M.; Yin, H.; Wu, Q.; So, P.-K.; Wong, M. Y.-M.; Lau, F. C. M.; Yao, Z.-P. Data storage using peptide sequences. Nature Communications 2021, 12, 4242. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24496-9
  7. Li, S.; Ng, T.-T.; Yao, Z.-P. Quantitative analysis of blended oils by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and partial least squares regression. Food Chemistry 2021, 334, 127601. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127601
  8. Huang, Y.; Yin, H.; Li, B.; Wu, Q.; Liu, Y.; Poljak, K.; Maldutyte, J.; Tang, X.; Wang, M.; Wu, Z.; Miller, E. A.; Jiang, L.; Yao, Z. P.; Guo, Y. An in vitro vesicle formation assay reveals cargo clients and factors that mediate vesicular trafficking. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021, 118. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101287118 
  9. Wu, Q.; Wang, J.-Y.; Han, D.-Q.; Yao, Z.-P. Recent advances in differentiation of isomers by ion mobility mass spectrometry. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry 2020, 124, 115801. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2019.115801
  10. Huang, L.; So, P.-K.; Chen, Y. W.; Leung, Y.-C.; Yao, Z.-P. Conformational Dynamics of the Helix 10 Region as an Allosteric Site in Class A β-Lactamase Inhibitory Binding. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2020, 142, 13756–13767. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c04088
  1. Proteomic Analysis of Secreted Vesicle Proteins from the Plant Cells, Yin, H. D.; Wang, J. Y.; Yao, Z. P.* In Plant Protein Secretion: Methods and Protocols, Jiang, L. W., Shen, J. B., Gao, C. J. and Wang, X. F., Ed.; Springer Nature, Humana, New York, NY. 2024, 2841, chapter 5, pp67-73. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-4059-3_5 (ISBN: 978-1-0716-4059-3)
  2. In Vivo Detection of Secondary Metabolites, Liu, R.; So, P. K.; Wong, M. Y. M.; Hu, B.; Yao, Z. P.* In Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering, Elsevier Press, 2016, chapter 11575. (https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.11575-6)
  3. Expanding Role of Mass Spectrometry for Characterization of Proteins, So. P. K.; Yao, Z. P.* In Peptides: Chemistry, Biology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wang, R. and Wang, K. R. Ed.; Chemical Industry Press, 2011, pp97-101. (ISBN: 978-7-122-10788-6)
  4. Site Specific Hydrogen Exchange of Proteins: Insights into the Structures of Amyloidogenic Intermediates, Yao, Z. P.; Tito, P.; Robinson C. V.* In Biological Mass Spectrometry (Methods in Enzymology series, Volume 402); Burlingame, A. L., Ed.; Elsevier Press, 2005, chapter 12, pp389-402. (ISBN: 978-0-12-182807-3)

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