2022.10-present, Associate Professor, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, CAS
2020.7-2022.10, Postdoctoral fellow, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, CAS

2014.9-2020.7, Ph.D., Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, CAS
2010.9-2014.7, B.S., SiChuan University (SCU)

Using original epigenetic gene editing technology as methods to study the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms that mediate Plasmodium immune escape and multi-pathway infection during the pathogenesis of malaria, thereby discovering new targets for the development of malaria vaccines and antimalarial drugs, and exploring new strategies for malaria prevention and control. The research directions are as follows:

1) Study on the transcriptional regulation mechanism of Plasmodium growth and development in asexual stage

2) Development of multi-stage antimalarial drugs based on new targets and new mechanisms

3) Development of malaria vaccines and antibody drugs

Selected publications

1. Li, Z., Yin, S., Sun, M., Cheng, X., Wei, J., Gilbert, N., Miao, J., Cui, L., Huang, Z., Dai, X., & Jiang, L. (2019). DNA helicase RecQ1 regulates mutually exclusive expression of virulence genes in Plasmodium falciparum via heterochromatin alteration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(8), 3177–3182. （Co-corresponding）

2. Huang, Z., Li, R., Tang, T., Ling, D., Wang, M., Xu, D., Sun, M., Zheng, L., Zhu, F., Min, H., Boonhok, R., Ding, Y., Wen, Y., Chen, Y., Li, X., Chen, Y., Liu, T., Han, J., Miao, J., Fang, Q., … Jiang, L. (2020). A novel multistage antiplasmodial inhibitor targeting Plasmodium falciparum histone deacetylase 1. Cell discovery, 6(1), 93. （Co-First/Co-corresponding）

3. Chen, W., Huang, Z., Wang, W., Mao, F., Guan, L., Tang, Y., Jiang, H., Li, J., Huang, J., Jiang, L., & Zhu, J. (2017). Discovery of new antimalarial agents: Second-generation dual inhibitors against FP-2 and PfDHFR via fragments assembely. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry, 25(24), 6467–6478. (Co-First)

4. Liang, X., Jiang, Z., Huang, Z., Li, F., Chen, C., Hu, C., Wang, W., Hu, Z., Liu, Q., Wang, B., Wang, L., Qi, Z., Liu, J., Jiang, L., & Liu, Q. (2020). Discovery of 6'-chloro-N-methyl-5'-(phenylsulfonamido)-[3,3'-bipyridine]-5-carboxamide (CHMFL-PI4K-127) as a novel Plasmodium falciparum PI(4)K inhibitor with potent antimalarial activity against both blood and liver stages of Plasmodium. European journal of medicinal chemistry, 188, 112012. （Co-First）

5. Chen, W., X. Yao, Z. Huang, F. Mao, L. Guan, Y. Tang, H. Jiang, J. Li, J. Huang, L. Jiang and J. Zhu (2019). "Novel dual inhibitors against FP-2 and PfDHFR as potential antimalarial agents: Design, synthesis and biological evaluation." Chinese Chemical Letters 30(1): 250-254.（Co-First）

6. Xiao, B., Yin, S., Hu, Y., Sun, M., Wei, J., Huang, Z., Wen, Y., Dai, X., Chen, H., Mu, J., Cui, L., & Jiang, L. (2019). Epigenetic editing by CRISPR/dCas9 in Plasmodium falciparum. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(1), 255–260.

7. Zhou, J., Huang, Z., Zheng, L., Hei, Z., Wang, Z., Yu, B., Jiang, L., Wang, J., & Fang, P. (2020). Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum Lysyl-tRNA synthetase via an anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor. Nucleic acids research, 48(20), 11566–11576.

8. Li, R., Ling, D., Tang, T., Huang, Z., Wang, M., Ding, Y., Liu, T., Wei, H., Xu, W., Mao, F., Zhu, J., Li, X., Jiang, L., & Li, J. (2021). Discovery of Novel Plasmodium falciparum HDAC1 Inhibitors with Dual-Stage Antimalarial Potency and Improved Safety Based on the Clinical Anticancer Drug Candidate Quisinostat. Journal of medicinal chemistry, 64(4), 2254–2271.

9. Wang, M., Tang, T., Li, R., Huang, Z., Ling, D., Zheng, L., Ding, Y., Liu, T., Xu, W., Zhu, F., Min, H., Boonhok, R., Mao, F., Zhu, J., Li, X., Jiang, L., & Li, J. (2022). Drug Repurposing of Quisinostat to Discover Novel Plasmodium falciparum HDAC1 Inhibitors with Enhanced Triple-Stage Antimalarial Activity and Improved Safety. Journal of medicinal chemistry, 65(5), 4156–4181.

10. Yang, Y., Yu, Y., Li, X., Li, J., Wu, Y., Yu, J., Ge, J., Huang, Z., Jiang, L., Rao, Y., & Yang, M. (2017). Target Elucidation by Cocrystal Structures of NADH-Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase of Plasmodium falciparum (PfNDH2) with Small Molecule To Eliminate Drug-Resistant Malaria. Journal of medicinal chemistry, 60(5), 1994–2005.

11. Li, R., D. Ling, T. Tang, Z. Huang, M. Wang, F. Mao, J. Zhu, L. Jiang, J. Li and X. Li (2020). "Repurposing of antitumor drug candidate Quisinostat lead to novel spirocyclic antimalarial agents." Chinese Chemical Letters.

12. Wang, M., T. Tang, Z. Huang, R. Li, D. Ling, J. Zhu, L. Jiang, J. Li and X. Li (2022). "Design and synthesis of novel hydroxamic acid derivatives based on quisinostat as promising antimalarial agents with improved safety." Acta Materia Medica 1(2).

13. Yang, Y., T. Tang, X. Li, T. Michel, L. Ling, Z. Huang, M. Mulaka, Y. Wu, H. Gao, L. Wang, J. Zhou, B. Meunier, H. Ke, L. Jiang and Y. Rao (2021). "Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of multiple targeting antimalarials." Acta Pharm Sin B 11(9): 2900-2913.

14. Cheng, Z. L., Zhang, M. L., Lin, H. P., Gao, C., Song, J. B., Zheng, Z., Li, L., Zhang, Y., Shen, X., Zhang, H., Huang, Z., Zhan, W., Zhang, C., Hu, X., Sun, Y. P., Jiang, L., Sun, L., Xu, Y., Yang, C., Ge, Y., … Ye, D. (2020). The Zscan4-Tet2 Transcription Nexus Regulates Metabolic Rewiring and Enhances Proteostasis to Promote Reprogramming. Cell reports, 32(2), 107877.

15. Xu, Y., Qiao, D., Wen, Y., Bi, Y., Chen, Y., Huang, Z., Cui, L., Guo, J., & Cao, Y. (2021). PfAP2-G2 Is Associated to Production and Maturation of Gametocytes in Plasmodium falciparum via Regulating the Expression of PfMDV-1. Frontiers in microbiology, 11, 631444.

16. Gao, H., Bai, L., Jiang, Y., Huang, W., Wang, L., Li, S., Zhu, G., Wang, D., Huang, Z., Li, X., Cao, J., Jiang, L., Jacobs-Lorena, M., Zhan, S., & Wang, S. (2021). A natural symbiotic bacterium drives mosquito refractoriness to Plasmodium infection via secretion of an antimalarial lipase. Nature microbiology, 6(6), 806–817.