Years Experience Development

Zhenhua He, Ph.D.

**** ****** **. *****: *****@*******.***

San Mateo, CA 94403 Phone: 314-***-****

Summary

Research scientist with expertise in large molecule drug discovery in metabolic diseases

Hands-on experience in in vivo target screening, MOA exploration, structure-function

relationship characterization and in vitro cell-based assay development

5+ years experience in the gene regulation characterization and primary cell manipulation

Skilled communicator and capable leader in the lab managing assistants

Skills

Cell Biology

o Primary islets, hepatocytes, hair matrix cells isolation; Culture and genetic manipulation

of mammalian cells; Cell-based assay development and optimization (cell proliferation

assay, hormone secretion assay, gene expression assay etc.)

In vivo pharmacology

o In vivo pharmacology studies with mice and rats in metabolic diseases; Compound

dosing (oral, s.c., i.p. and i.v.); Blood/tissue collection and analysis; Glucose/insulin

tolerance tests; Islets isolation and culture; MIN6 & αTC-1 cell culture; Assay of glucose-

stimulated insulin secretion, β-cell mass quantification, metabolic biomarker

measurements (Glucagon, Insulin, C-peptide etc.)

Developmental Biology

o Knockout/Knockin mouse generation; Micro-injections and micro-dissections of embryos;

Tumorigenicity xenograft assays; Tissue culture

Molecular Biology

o Gene cloning and expression analysis (DNA/RNA preparations, qPCR, immuno -

histochemistry, RNA in situ, RNAi); EMSA; Confocal and electron microscopy; Western

blot; Immunoprecipitation; ELISA; Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP); Virus

production and injection

Statistical data analysis (SPSS); Microarray data analysis (Illumnia Mouse WG -6 and Affymetrix);

GraphPad Prism; Microsoft Office

Work and Research Experience

2011-present Research scientist, NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

Identify targets through bariatric surgery, deep sequencing data analysis and IHC/ISH; Validate

targets in vivo through viral over-expression in various mouse models (C57L/B6, BDF and DIO)

Develop cell-based assays to support neutralizing antibody generation; Validate candidate

antibodies through biochemical binding assay and cell-based gene expression/secretion assays

in vitro

Develop in vitro cell-based assays (proliferation, differentiation hormone secretion) and screen

targets for β-cell regeneration; Validate candidates in vivo through metabolic biomarker

measurements and β-cell mass quantification

Perform structure/function analysis (truncation, domain swapping and site mutagenesis) to

identify regions required for pharmacological effects

Determine the endogenous target function on glucose metabolism and tissue histomorphology

through phenotypic characterization of KO mice

2004-2011 Ph.D., Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St Louis

Characterized MSX2 and FGFR2 direct protein interaction by immunoprecipitation and Msx2

Knockin mice; Determined Msx2 function domain by Msx2 (T147A) conditional Knockin mice;

Demonstrated BMP4/Msx2/Fgf signaling pathway in hair matrix by hair follicle organ culture and

Msx2/Fgfr2 double mutant mice

Identified a new Zinc transcription factor (ZNF431) and characterized its function during the

mouse development

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2003-2004 Research associate, Nanjing University, Nanjing, P. R. China

Characterized the function of TSC-36 in TSC-36 conditional knockout mice

1999-2003 Undergraduate research, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R.China

Identified target gene regulated by the two-component system Sll0789-Sll0790 in Synechocystis

6803

Publications and Presentations

1. Kaplan D., Saberi M., Hong Y., Chen M., He Z. et al., (2013) New gut mediators of bypass surgery.

Presentation at 2013 Diabetes keystone conference

2. G. Jason, Z He and Ma L (2012) ZFP932 Suppresses Cellular Hedgehog Response and Patched1

Transcription. (Vitamins and Hormones, Volume 88)

3. He,Z., Cai,J., and Ma, L. (2012) Role of Msx2 homeobox gene in epithelial differentiation.

(Development Cell, submitted)

4. He, Z., Cai, J., Lim, J., Kroll, K., and Ma, L. (2010) A novel KRAB domain-containing Zinc-finger

transcription factor ZNF431 directly represses Patched1 transcription. (J Biol Chem.)

5. J Cai, Z He and L Ma. (2009) Genetic interplays between Msx2 and Foxn1 in regulating Notch1

expression. Presentation at 2008 Annual Meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology

6. He Z, Cai J and Ma, L (2010) Hair Loss: Pathogenesis, Prognosis and Treatments . (an invited book

chapter)

7. Liao XL, Wu QY, He Z. Patent: two steps half-sterile culture method for Chlorella. (P.R.China)

References

Available upon request

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