What We Study

Liver diseases often develop through complex interactions among metabolism, inflammation, bile acid signaling, the gut microbiome, and cellular stress responses. Our lab investigates these pathways using molecular, cellular, animal-model, and translational approaches.

Major research areas include:

• Bile acid-mediated activation of S1PR2 and SphK2 signaling

• Long noncoding RNA H19 in cholestatic liver injury and fibrosis

• Sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling in NAFLD/NASH and alcohol-associated liver disease

• Gut-liver axis mechanisms in liver disease

• ER stress in drug-, alcohol-, and HIV protease inhibitor-associated liver injury

• Therapeutic mechanisms of berberine in metabolic liver disease

Why It Matters

Chronic liver diseases remain a major health challenge, and many patients still have limited treatment options. By defining how signaling pathways become disrupted during liver injury, fibrosis, inflammation, and cancer progression, we aim to uncover targets that can guide better prevention and treatment strategies.

Our work connects basic molecular mechanisms with clinically relevant questions in hepatology, gastroenterology, metabolism, and inflammation.

Training and Mentorship

The Zhou Lab is committed to rigorous science, collaboration, and mentorship. We welcome motivated students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, and trainees who are interested in liver biology, molecular signaling, metabolism, inflammation, and translational research.

Trainees in the lab gain experience in experimental design, molecular and cellular techniques, animal models, manuscript preparation, conference presentations, and collaborative research.

Button: Meet the Lab