The Zhou Laboratory 

At the Zhou Laboratory, we conduct interdisciplinary research at the intersection of vascular biology, immunology, metabolism, aging, and regenerative medicine, with a particular focus on the lung vascular niche—a specialized microenvironment composed of endothelial cells (ECs), perivascular cells, immune cells, and the extracellular matrix (ECM).

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Our research seeks to understand how these cellular and molecular components interact to regulate lung injury, inflammation, vascular dysfunction, repair, and regeneration. We are particularly interested in how disruption of the vascular niche contributes to severe pulmonary diseases, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and pulmonary hypertension (PH).

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These diseases remain major unmet medical challenges and are especially prevalent or severe in aging populations and in individuals with metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. By investigating how aging, metabolic dysfunction, and inflammation reshape the pulmonary vascular niche, the Zhou Laboratory aims to uncover fundamental mechanisms driving disease initiation and progression.

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Our long-term goal is to identify new therapeutic targets and develop innovative, comprehensive strategies that restore vascular function, enhance tissue repair and regeneration, and ultimately improve the treatment of severe pulmonary vascular and lung diseases.