Wei Cheng

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Wei Cheng, PhD

Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, and Professor of Biological Chemistry, Medical School

College of Pharmacy
428 Church St
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1065

3565 NUB

Role Overview and Bio

Wei Cheng is a tenured professor with expertise in biochemistry, biophysics and B cell biology. Prof. Cheng’s lab has pioneered the development of synthetic virus-like structures (SVLS) for the study of mechanisms of B cell responses to particulate antigens such as viruses and nanoparticles. Besides running a research lab, Prof. Cheng teaches undergraduate students in the Physical Chemistry of Drug Products, and graduate students in Analytical Methods in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Highlights

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California at Berkeley, HHMI

  • PhD, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO

  • BS, University of Science and Technology of China (the ‘Caltech’ of China)

Research Interests

  • Understanding the mechanisms of B cell activation in response to antigens

  • The development and use of synthetic virus-like structures for therapeutic applications

Awards

  • Nontenured Faculty Award, 3M

  • CAREER Award, NSF

  • Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar, March of Dimes Foundation

  • Director’s New Innovator Award, NIH

Selected Publications

J. F. Brooks, J. Riggs, J. L. Mueller, R. Mathenge, Wei-Yun Wholey, A. R. Meyer, Sekou-Tidiane
Yoda, V. S. Vykunta , H. V. Nielsen, W. Cheng* and J. Zikherman*. (2023) Molecualr Basis for
Potent B Cell Responses to Antigen displayed on Particles of Viral Size. Nature Immunology
24: 1762-1777. *Co-Corresponding authors.

J. Zikherman*, J. F. Brooks, W. Cheng*. (2023) Multivalent virus-like epitope display amplifies
BCR signaling independent of avidity. Nature Immunology 24: 1610-1611. *Co-Corresponding
authors.

Y. Pang, H. Song, J. H. Kim, X. Hou, and W. Cheng. (2014). Optical Trapping of Individual
Human Immunodeficiency Viruses in Culture Fluid Reveals Heterogeneity with Single-Molecule
Resolution. Nature Nanotechnology 9: 624-630.

W. Cheng*, S. G. Arunajadai, J. R. Moffitt, I. Tinoco Jr., and C. Bustamante*. (2011). Single
Base Pair Unwinding and Asynchronous RNA Release by the HCV NS3 Helicase. Science 333:
1746-1749. *Co-Corresponding authors.