Ping Zhang, Ph.D.

Kinase Fusion proteins, produced by chromosomal rearrangements, represent an important class of oncoproteins that are viable targets for the development of anti-cancer drugs. Our work in this area includes projects such as DNAJB1-PKACA, the driver of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLHCC) and ALK fusion proteins which are present in multiple cancers. My group uses a combination of biochemical and structural (single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) and X-ray crystallography) approaches to reveal the molecular mechanisms of such multi-component biological complexes and provide new strategies for therapeutic targeting.
We also collaborate with different laboratories on projects that tend to have a translational component, including the study of nucleosome complexes.
Contact Info
Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute
Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF), Room B2230
Frederick, MD 21701
Ph: 301-228-4092
ping.zhang@nih.gov
My laboratory studies the structural and mechanistic basis of kinases that are closely related to human cancers. We apply interdisciplinary approaches spanning many fields such as cryoEM, X-ray crystallography, solution methods, biochemistry, cell signaling and post-translational modification, etc. We aim to combine structural and functional studies to reveal the molecular mechanism of kinase complexes' dysfunction and help develop novel reagents that may eventually lead to a cure for cancer and other diseases.
Selected Recent Publications
- Structure. 23(9): 1563-72, 2015. [ Journal Article ]
- PLoS Biol. 13(7): e1002192, 2015. [ Journal Article ]
- Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 13(10): 646-58, 2012. [ Journal Article ]
- Science. 335(6069): 712-6, 2012. [ Journal Article ]
- Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 105(47): 18284-9, 2008. [ Journal Article ]
Dr. Zhang received her Ph.D. training in Dr. Michael Rossmann’s lab at Purdue University in the field of biochemistry and structural virology. Her Ph.D. project was resolving the structures of poliovirus-receptor complexes using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). She completed her postdoctoral training in Dr. Susan Taylor’s laboratory at UCSD, working on a signal transduction system related to human diseases and learning other techniques in structural biology and cell signaling that are suited for studying dynamic signaling complexes. She joined the Structural Biophysics Laboratory at NCI as a Stadtman Tenure Track Investigator in August 2016.
Name | Position |
---|---|
Baohua Cao Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow (Visiting) |
Juliana Andrea Martinez Fiesco Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow (Visiting) |
Sathish Narashimiha Yadav Kadapalakere Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Fellow (Visiting) |