Zhiqiang An
Professor
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
McGovern Medical School
Institute of Molecular Medicine
Dr. Zhiqiang An is Professor of Molecular Medicine, the Robert A. Welch Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry, Director of the Texas Therapeutics Institute, and Vice President of Drug Discovery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. His laboratory focuses on antibody drug resistance mechanisms, biomarkers for therapeutic antibodies, and antibody drug discovery targeting human diseases. During the last five years, more than 12 novel antibody drug leads discovered in his laboratory were licensed to eight biotechnology companies, and six (6) have advanced to clinical trials for diseases ranging from acute myeloid leukemia (IO-202), breast cancer bone metastasis (ALMB-0168), solid tumor (IO-108), spinal cord injury (ALMB-0166), COVID-19 (IGM6268), and solid tumor (PRTH-101). Previously, he served as Chief Scientific Officer at Epitomics, Inc. and was Director of Biologics Research at Merck Research Laboratories. He has authored over 200 journal articles and two books including the award-winning book “Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies: from Bench to Clinic. Dr. An is an elected fellow of the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB), the American Academy of Microbiology (ASM), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He is the recipient of the 2024 Scientific Achievement Award in Drug Discovery and Development given by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). Dr. An received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Kentucky and his postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Professional Highlights
- Professor, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, 2009-present
- Vice President of Drug Discovery, UTHealth Houston, 2023-present
- Director, Texas Therapeutics Institute (TTI), IMM, UTHealth Houston, 2009-present
- Chief Scientific Officer, Epitomics, Inc, 2008-2009
- Director, Senior Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Merck Research Laboratories, 1998-2008
- Scientist, Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., 1996-1998
Research Projects
- Therapeutic monoclonal antibody drug discovery. Our group has built a comprehensive antibody drug discovery platform with a focus on antibody lead optimization technologies such as antibody phage display, deep sequencing of antibody encoding genes from individual antibody expressing B cells, affinity maturation and humanization. Currently, we have multiple antibody drug discovery projects targeting human diseases such as cancer, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Antibodies response to viral infections and vaccination. Design of highly immunogenic vaccines that induce neutralizing antibodies against a broad range of clinical isolates is one of the approaches in developing effective viral vaccine. We have on-going projects on the design of vaccines and therapeutics antibodies for a variety of viruses such as HCMV, EBV, and coronavirus.
Education & Training
Ph.D. - University of Kentucky - 1991