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Chan Zhou PhD

TitleAssistant Professor
InstitutionUMass Chan Medical School
DepartmentPopulation and Quantitative Health Sciences
AddressUMass Chan Medical School
368 Plantation Street AS9-1079
Worcester MA 01605
Phone508-856-5159
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    Other Positions
    InstitutionT.H. Chan School of Medicine
    DepartmentPopulation and Quantitative Health Sciences
    DivisionBiostatistics And Health Services Research

    InstitutionMorningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
    DepartmentMasters in Clinical Investigation

    InstitutionMorningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
    DepartmentPopulation Health Sciences

    InstitutionMorningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
    DepartmentSystems Computational and Quantitative Biology


    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, , ChinaBSMathematics/Applied Mathematic
    Mass General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MAPostdocRNA epigenomics
    Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, , ChinaPHDBioinformatics
    University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA Visiting PhD studentComputational Biology
    Fudan University , Shanghai, ChinaVisiting PhD studentBioinformatics

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview

    Research: 

    We develop innovative computational methods, machine learning architectures, and scalable pipelines to decode the genomic "dark matter"—specifically non-canonical DNA and RNA variants driving human diseases. By integrating multi-omics data, our lab bridges the gap between molecular mechanisms and precision clinical translation.

    • AI-Driven Multi-Omics Modeling: We design deep learning algorithms to predict and reveal the role of non-canonical DNA and RNA variants, including lncRNAs, circRNAs, gene fusions, and epi-transcriptomic modifications, as well as to elucidate how DNA variants (such as SNPs and CNVs) disrupt these regulatory networks.
    • Scalable Multi-Platform Tools: We build end-to-end computational workflows for bulk and single-cell multi-omic profiling, chromatin dynamics, and long-read sequencing to harmonize data from large-scale population health biobanks.
    • Translational Disease-associated Variant Discovery: We leverage multi-omics molecular data with clinical informatics to discover novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

     

    Current Lab member:

    Euijin Kwon (Graduate student 2021 – Present)

    Lina Yan (Postdoc 2026 – Present)

     

    Former Lab member:

    Zixiu Li (Postdoc 2020 – 2026)

    Peng Zhou (Graduate student 2020 – 2025)

    TienChan Hsieh (Clinical Fellow 2022 – 2025) 



    Lab News: 

     

    March, 2026: Welcome Lina to the lab as a new postdoctoral associate.

    December 2025: Congratulations to Billy on passing his PhD dissertation defense. 



     

    Join our team!  We are looking for creative and passionate Postdoctoral Candidate:  

    The lab member will benefit from collaboration with world-class biologists and physicians from UMass and Harvard medical area, MIT and other prestigious institutes. To ensure the success of career development of our lab member, Dr. Zhou will tailor Lab member’ trainings to meet the career goals of individual lab member.

    Pls email Chan Zhou : chan DOT zhou AT umassmed.edu to learn more

    Postdoctoral Associate: Please email Chan with your cover letter (including research interests) and CV (including a list of publication, computational skills, and a list of at least 2 referee).

    REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

    • Ph.D in computational biology, bioinformatics, computer science, mathematics, statistics, biophysics, engineering, biological sciences or related field. Ph.D candidates anticipating thesis defense are encouraged to apply for hire after completion of Ph.D.
    • Experience in method development and/or analysis of single-cell or long-red seq data is preferred.
    • Working knowledge of molecular biology and sequencing technologies
    • Proficiency with Unix/Linux shell and at least one of the following programming languages:  C, C++, Python, Perl or R.
    • Excellent communication and writing skills
    • Previous record of independent research with first-/corresponding- author publications.
    • Able to work both independently and in teams
    • Excellent teamwork and time management with the ability to meet deadlines and multi-task across multiple research projects. 

     



    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Zixiu Li, Chen Fu, Peng Zhou, Ryan W Logan, Chan Zhou. Integrative transcriptomic analysis identifies long noncoding RNA dysregulation and circadian disruption in reward and executive circuits of opioid use disorder. MedRxiv. 2026. View Publication.
    2. Tak KA, Lessard D, Zhou P, Zhou C, Kiefe CI, Parker M, Aurigemma GP, McManus DD, Tran KV. Circulating extracellular RNAs, myocardial remodeling, and elevated BMI in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Am J Cardiovasc Dis. 2025; 15(4):223-234. PMID: 40979654.
      Citations:    
    3. Wang Y, Liu J, Zhu S, Hu S, Chen X, Mandon E, Tran NT, Zhang S, Qi Y, Ma H, He R, Cao Y, Su Q, Gallagher TL, Li Z, Zhou C, Tai PWL, Gao G, Xie J. miR-375 protects against acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure by orchestrating pharmacogene expression. Mol Ther. 2025 Oct 01; 33(10):4874-4888. PMID: 40598772.
      Citations:    
    4. Zhou P, Li Z, Liu F, Kwon E, Hsieh TC, Ye S, Vasudevan S, Lee JA, Tran KV, Zhou C. BAMBI integrates biostatistical and artificial intelligence methods to improve RNA biomarker discovery. Brief Bioinform. 2025 Mar 04; 26(2). PMID: 40121554.
      Citations:    
    5. Li W, Sparks RP, Sun C, Yang Y, Pantano L, Kirchner R, Arghiani N, Weilheimer A, Toles BJ, Chen JY, Moran SP, Barrera V, Li Z, Zhou P, Brassil ML, Wrobel D, Ho Sui SJ, Aspnes G, Schuler M, Smith J, Medoff BD, Zhou C, Boustany-Kari CM, Rippmann JF, Santos DM, Doerner JF, Mullen AC. Screening the human druggable genome identifies ABHD17B as an anti-fibrotic target in hepatic stellate cells. Nat Commun. 2025 Mar 02; 16(1):2109. PMID: 40025044.
      Citations:    
    6. Zixiu Li, Joae Wu, Peng Zhou, Chan Zhou. Frequent lncRNA-derived fusions in pediatric neuroblastoma identified by LncFusion : potential biomarker and therapeutic implications. MedRxiv. 2025. View Publication.
    7. Li Z, Wu J, Zhou P, Zhou C. Frequent lncRNA-derived fusions in pediatric neuroblastoma identified by LncFusion : potential biomarker and therapeutic implications. medRxiv. 2025 Jan 21. PMID: 39974126.
      Citations:    
    8. Friedline RH, Noh HL, Suk S, Albusharif M, Dagdeviren S, Saengnipanthkul S, Kim B, Kim AM, Kim LH, Tauer LA, Baez Torres NM, Choi S, Kim BY, Rao SD, Kasina K, Sun C, Toles BJ, Zhou C, Li Z, Benoit VM, Patel PR, Zheng DXT, Inashima K, Beaverson A, Hu X, Tran DA, Muller W, Greiner DL, Mullen AC, Lee KW, Kim JK. Author Correction: IFN?-IL12 axis regulates intercellular crosstalk in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Nat Commun. 2024 Jul 23; 15(1):6195. PMID: 39043691.
      Citations:    
    9. Friedline RH, Noh HL, Suk S, Albusharif M, Dagdeviren S, Saengnipanthkul S, Kim B, Kim AM, Kim LH, Tauer LA, Baez Torres NM, Choi S, Kim BY, Rao SD, Kasina K, Sun C, Toles BJ, Zhou C, Li Z, Benoit VM, Patel PR, Zheng DXT, Inashima K, Beaverson A, Hu X, Tran DA, Muller W, Greiner DL, Mullen AC, Lee KW, Kim JK. IFN?-IL12 axis regulates intercellular crosstalk in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 29; 15(1):5506. PMID: 38951527.
      Citations:    
    10. Hsieh TC, Yeo YH, Zou G, Zhou C, Ash A. Disparities in Palliative Care Use for Patients With Blood Cancer Who Died in the Hospital. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2025 Mar; 42(3):236-243. PMID: 38803232.
      Citations:    
    11. Sun C, Zhou C, Daneshvar K, Ben Saad A, Kratkiewicz AJ, Toles BJ, Arghiani N, Hess A, Chen JY, Pondick JV, York SR, Li W, Moran SP, Gentile SD, Rahman RU, Li Z, Zhou P, Sparks RP, Habboub T, Kim BM, Choi MY, Affo S, Schwabe RF, Popov YV, Mullen AC. Conserved long noncoding RNA TILAM promotes liver fibrosis through interaction with PML in HSCs. Hepatology. 2025 Mar 01; 81(3):853-869. PMID: 38563629.
      Citations:    
    12. Li Z, Zhou P, Kwon E, Fitzgerald KA, Weng Z, Zhou C. Flnc: Machine Learning Improves the Identification of Novel Long Noncoding RNAs from Stand-Alone RNA-Seq Data. Noncoding RNA. 2022 Oct 13; 8(5). PMID: 36287122.
      Citations:    
    13. Melendez J, Sieiro D, Salgado D, Morin V, Dejardin MJ, Zhou C, Mullen AC, Marcelle C. TGF? signalling acts as a molecular brake of myoblast fusion. Nat Commun. 2021 02 02; 12(1):749. PMID: 33531476.
      Citations: 18     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    14. Daneshvar K, Ardehali MB, Klein IA, Hsieh FK, Kratkiewicz AJ, Mahpour A, Cancelliere SOL, Zhou C, Cook BM, Li W, Pondick JV, Gupta SK, Moran SP, Young RA, Kingston RE, Mullen AC. lncRNA DIGIT and BRD3 protein form phase-separated condensates to regulate endoderm differentiation. Nat Cell Biol. 2020 10; 22(10):1211-1222. PMID: 32895492.
      Citations: 67     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    15. Zhou C, Molinie B, Daneshvar K, Pondick JV, Wang J, Van Wittenberghe N, Xing Y, Giallourakis CC, Mullen AC. Genome-Wide Maps of m6A circRNAs Identify Widespread and Cell-Type-Specific Methylation Patterns that Are Distinct from mRNAs. Cell Rep. 2017 Aug 29; 20(9):2262-2276. PMID: 28854373.
      Citations: 212     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    16. Zhou C, York SR, Chen JY, Pondick JV, Motola DL, Chung RT, Mullen AC. Long noncoding RNAs expressed in human hepatic stellate cells form networks with extracellular matrix proteins. Genome Med. 2016 Mar 23; 8(1):31. PMID: 27007663.
      Citations: 30     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    17. Batista PJ, Molinie B, Wang J, Qu K, Zhang J, Li L, Bouley DM, Lujan E, Haddad B, Daneshvar K, Carter AC, Flynn RA, Zhou C, Lim KS, Dedon P, Wernig M, Mullen AC, Xing Y, Giallourakis CC, Chang HY. m(6)A RNA modification controls cell fate transition in mammalian embryonic stem cells. Cell Stem Cell. 2014 Dec 04; 15(6):707-19. PMID: 25456834.
      Citations: 613     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    18. Zhou C, Mao F, Yin Y, Huang J, Gogarten JP, Xu Y. AST: an automated sequence-sampling method for improving the taxonomic diversity of gene phylogenetic trees. PLoS One. 2014; 9(6):e98844. PMID: 24892935.
      Citations:    
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