Zhou Xuequan

Dr. Zhou Xuequan joined the Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University in June 2024 as an assistant professor and doctoral supervisor. He graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Nankai University in 2013 and 2016 for bachelor and master degree, and received his doctorate from the Institute of Chemistry at Leiden University in the Netherlands in 2021. He has been engaged in scientific research at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Italy and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany. In 2023, he was selected as a Humboldt Scholar in Germany and won the 2024 European Photochemistry Association Best Doctoral Prize (evaluated every two years, one person is selected each time). His research involves the field of coordination chemistry/metal organic chemistry, photochemistry, peptide chemistry, photodynamic therapy, electrochemiluminescence, supramolecular self-assembly, nanodrug delivery, tumor diagnosis and treatment, etc.

The research group is recruiting postdoctorals, research assistants, doctoral students, and master students. Applicant with backgrounds in chemical synthesis, chemical biology, photochemistry, pharmacy, medical materials, biology, etc. who are interested in engaging in drug development related research are welcome to join us.  Applicants are requested to send their application materials (personal profile, research results, future work plans, etc.) to xuequan.zhou@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn。Recruitment is always valid, and resumes are welcome.

2016.09-2021.05  Leiden University, The Netherlands, Bioinorganic Chemistry, PhD

2013.09-2016.06  Nankai University, Inorganic Chemistry, Master

2009.09-2013.06  Nankai University, Material Chemistry, Bachelor

2023.09-2024.05  Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Peptide Chemistry, Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow 

2021.02-2023.07  Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Nanomaterial, postdoctoral

Dr. Zhou Xuequan has been engaged in the research of metal complexes for a long time. His research fields include coordination chemistry/metal organic chemistry, photochemistry, peptide chemistry, photodynamic therapy, electrochemiluminescence, supramolecular self-assembly, nano-drug delivery, tumor diagnosis and treatment, etc. He focuses on molecular structure design, photosensitizer property regulation, supramolecular self-assembly, targeted nano-anticancer drugs, etc. In recent years, he has published more than 20 academic papers in related fields, including many papers published in top international journals such as Nat. Chem., JACS, Adv. Mater., CCS Chem., JACS Au as the first author/corresponding author, and obtained two international authorized patents and one Chinese patent. The relevant achievements have been widely reported by many well-known international and domestic media such as MIT Deep Technology, phys.org World Science Portal, and x-mol.

[1] Xue-Quan Zhou*, Selda Abyar, Sylvestre Bonnet*, et al. Multitarget Thiol-Activated Tetrapyridyl Gold(III) Complexes for Hypoxic Cancer Therapy. CCS Chemistry, 2024, 6(3): 783-797.

[2] Xue-Quan Zhou, Alexander Kros, Sylvestre Bonnet*, et al. In vivo metallophilic self-assembly of a light-activated anticancer drug. Nature Chemistry, 2023, 15: 980–987

[3] Xue-Quan Zhou, Sylvestre Bonnet*, et al. Gene therapy of brain cancer by drug delivery nanocapsules. Matter_, 2022, 5(8): 2502-2504.

[4] Xue-Quan Zhou, Sylvestre Bonnet*, et al. Intracellular dynamic assembly of deep-red emitting supramolecular nanostructures based on the Pt…Pt metallophilic interaction. Advanced Materials, 2021, 33(37): 2008613.

[5] Xue-Quan Zhou, Sylvestre Bonnet*, et al. Rollover cyclometalation vs. nitrogen coordination in tetrapyridyl anticancer gold(III) complexes: effect on protein interaction and toxicity. JACS Au, 2021, 1(4) : 380–395.

[6] Xue-Quan Zhou, Sylvestre Bonnet*, et al. The self-assembly of a cyclometalated palladium photosensitizer into proteins-stabilized nanorods triggered drug uptake in vitro and in vivo. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2020, 142(23) : 10383–10399.

[7] Xue-Quan Zhou, Sylvestre Bonnet*, et al. The two isomers of a cyclometalated palladium sensitizer show different photodynamic properties in cancer cells. Chemical Communications, 2019, 55(32): 4695-4698.

[8] Xue-Quan Zhou^#, Yang Li^# ,Jin-Lei Tian*, et al. Copper complexes based on chiral Schiff-base ligands: DNA/BSA binding ability, DNA cleavage activity, cytotoxicity and mechanism of apoptosis. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2016, 114: 244-256.

[9] Xue-Quan Zhou, Jin-Lei Tian*, et al. Synthesis, characterization, DNA/BSA interactions and anticancer activity of achiral and chiral copper complexes. Dalton Transactions, 2015, 44(20): 9516-9527.

[10] Yue Liu, Xue-Quan Zhou*, Jin-Lei Tian*, et al. Biological evaluation of rare earth complexes bearing 1H‐imidazo [4, 5‐f]‐1, 10‐phenanthroline moiety as promising anticancer chemotherapeutics. Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 2018, 32(12): e4617.