Dr Jing ZHANG
Research Assistant Professor
- GH162
- +852 2766 6103
- jing-jan.zhang@polyu.edu.hk
Biography
Dr Zhang received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Clinical Medicine and Ophthalmology through a combined programme at Tianjin Medical University, and obtained her PhD in Visual Neuroscience from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her doctoral research focused on neuroinflammation in retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma, integrating molecular biology with transcriptomic and proteomic approaches. Following her PhD, Dr Zhang joined the Centre for Eye and Vision Research as a Postdoctoral Fellow, where she applied single-cell technologies to investigate the mechanisms underlying ocular diseases. Dr Zhang is currently a Research Assistant Professor and lead coordinator of the PolyU-Stanford Joint Research Centre for Longitudinal Deep Omics, where she spearheads multi-omics driven ageing studies. Her research on ocular health and ageing has been published in top international journals including PNAS, Journal of Neuroinflammation, and Aging Cell.
Research Overview
Dr Zhang’s current work applies molecular biology and multi-omics approaches to study ocular diseases and ageing-related molecular changes. In parallel, she is developing multi-omics–driven digital twin models to simulate biological ageing with the goal of enabling precision ageing risk assessment and personalised health prediction.
Education and Academic Qualifications
- Bachelor of Medicine in Clinical Medicine, Tianjin Medical University
- Master of Medicine in Clinical Medicine, Tianjin Medical University
- Doctor of Philosophy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Professional Qualifications
- Licensed Ophthalmologist (Chinese Mainland)
Research Interests
Research Output
2. Wu J, Zhang J#, Lin B#. Dual-targeting CSF1R signaling attenuates neurotoxic myeloid activation and preserves photoreceptors in retinitis pigmentosa. J Neuroinflammation. 2025 Jul 26;22(1):193. (co-corresponding author)
3. Li R, Zhang J, Wu J, Fan J, Lin B. Temporal Biphasic Regulation of Photoreceptor Degeneration by Microglial TREM2: A Metabolic-Immune Nexus in Retinitis Pigmentosa. Sci Adv. 2025 Sep 12;11(37):eadw9299.
4. Li R, Zhang J, Wang Q, Fan J, Lin B. Microglial CX3CR1 deficiency regulates the selective vulnerability of cone photoreceptors via STAT3/CCL-ACKR1 signalling in the mouse retina. Exp Mol Med. (Accept)
5. Zhang J, Yu H, Man MQ, Hu L. Aging in the dermis: Fibroblast senescence and its significance. Aging Cell. 2024 Feb;23(2):e14054.
6. Zhang J, Wu J, Lu D, To CH, Lam TC, Lin B. Retinal Proteomic Analysis in a Mouse Model of Endotoxin-Induced Uveitis Using Data-Independent Acquisition-Based Mass Spectrometry. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(12):6464.
7. Yang S*, Zhang J*, Tan Y, Wang Y. Unraveling the mechanobiology of cornea: From bench side to the clinic. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2022 Oct 3:10:953590. (co-first author)
8. Zhang J, Yang S, Tan Y, Wang Y. Effects of Mechanical Compression on Cell Morphology and Function in Human Corneal Fibroblasts. Curr Eye Res. 2021 Oct;46(10):1467-1473.
9. Hu L, Mauro TM, Dang E, Man G, Zhang J, Lee D, Wang G, Feingold KR, Elias PM, Man MQ. Epidermal Dysfunction Leads to an Age-Associated Increase in Levels of Serum Inflammatory Cytokines. J Invest Dermatol. 2017 Jun;137(6):1277-1285.
