Summary

Haojie Zhu is a Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. He graduated from the China Pharmaceutical University with a major in Pharmacy, and further received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the same University. He also holds an MBA degree from Nanjing University. He was a licensed Pharmacist as well as a trained Dentist in China. Dr. Zhu completed his post-doctoral training in Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacokinetics, and Neuropsychopharmacology at the Medical University of South Carolina. His research focuses on identifying genetic variants and environmental regulators that impact pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of various therapeutic agents using an integrated multi-omics approach (e.g., genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics). The generated information can be used to guide the personalized use of medications to maximize efficacy while minimizing the risk of adverse effects. 

Research Interests

  • Utilize an integrated multi-omics approach combining pharmacogenomics, proteomics, and metabonomics to identify biomarkers associated with interindividual variability in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

  • Determine tissue-specific protein expression patterns of prodrug-activating enzymes and apply the information to prodrug design to enhance the activation and accumulation of prodrugs in target tissues 

  • Develop innovative LC-MS/MS-based technologies to address the challenges in quantifying proteins and metabolites in complex biomatrices such as blood and solid tissues

Awards

  • 2016 JBC/Herbert Tabor Young Investigator Award, The Journal of Biological Chemistry
  • 2015 AACP New Investigator Award , American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)

Selected Publications

  • Shi J, Xiao J, Wang X, Jung SM, Bleske BE, Markowitz JS, Patrick KS, Zhu HJ. Plasma Carboxylesterase 1 Predicts Methylphenidate Exposure: A Proof-of-Concept Study Using Plasma Protein Biomarker for Hepatic Drug Metabolism. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2022 Apr;111(4):878-885. doi: 10.1002/cpt.2486. Epub 2021 Nov 30. PubMed PMID: 34743324; NIHMSID:NIHMS1816163.

    Li J, Shi J, Xiao J, Tran L, Wang X, Zhu HJ. Contributions of Cathepsin A and Carboxylesterase 1 to the Hydrolysis of Tenofovir Alafenamide in the Human Liver, and the Effect of CES1 Genetic Variation on Tenofovir Alafenamide Hydrolysis. Drug Metab Dispos. 2022 Mar;50(3):243-248. doi: 10.1124/dmd.120.000323. Epub 2021 Dec 21. PubMed PMID: 34933885; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8969131.

    Her LH, Wang X, Shi J, Choi HJ, Jung SM, Smith LS, Wu AH, Bleske BE, Zhu HJ. Effect of CES1 genetic variation on enalapril steady-state pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in healthy subjects. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021 Dec;87(12):4691-4700. doi: 10.1111/bcp.14888. Epub 2021 May 26. PubMed PMID: 33963573.

    Li J, Liu S, Shi J, Zhu HJ. Activation of Tenofovir Alafenamide and Sofosbuvir in the Human Lung and Its Implications in the Development of Nucleoside/Nucleotide Prodrugs for Treating SARS-CoV-2 Pulmonary Infection. Pharmaceutics. 2021 Oct 11;13(10). doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101656. PubMed PMID: 34683949; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8540046.

    Shi J, Xiao J, Li J, Wang X, Her L, Sorensen MJ, Zhu HJ. FRACPRED-2D-PRM: A Fraction Prediction Algorithm-Assisted 2D Liquid Chromatography-Based Parallel Reaction Monitoring-Mass Spectrometry Approach for Measuring Low-Abundance Proteins in Human Plasma. Proteomics. 2020 Dec;20(24):e2000175. doi: 10.1002/pmic.202000175. Epub 2020 Nov 3. PubMed PMID: 33085175; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7744362.

    He B, Shi J, Wang X, Jiang H, Zhu HJ. Genome-wide pQTL analysis of protein expression regulatory networks in the human liver. BMC Biol. 2020 Aug 10;18(1):97. doi: 10.1186/s12915-020-00830-3. PubMed PMID: 32778093; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7418398.