Bing Zhang, PhD
Bing Zhang, PhD, a computational biologist with a focus on cancer bioinformatics, has been named the newest McNair Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine.
The McNair Scholar program at Baylor identifies influential researchers in breast and pancreatic cancers, juvenile diabetes, and neuroscience. It is funded by The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation and managed by the McNair Medical Institute.
“It is a great honor to be selected as a McNair Scholar. This accolade will bring recognition to the field of bioinformatics as it relates to cancer,” said Dr. Zhang. “I am excited to have the opportunity to interact with other McNair scholars and collaborate with these renowned physicians and researchers.”
Research Focus
Dr. Zhang’s work focuses on integrating proteomic and genomic data into the study of cancer to improve overall cancer care. Analyzing the proteomic data helps to understand what exactly within the tumor needs to be targeted in order to see the most impactful results from treatment.
Some of Dr. Zhang’s early accomplishments include a groundbreaking study in integrating proteomics into the study of colon cancer, which stimulated the emerging research field of cancer proteogenomics, and the development of WebGestalt (Web-based gene set analysis toolkit), a popular systems biology tool that aids biologists in translating omics data into biologic insights.
Dr. Zhang will continue his work in proteogenomics and systems biology at Baylor, focusing on their impact in the treatment of breast cancer. He will be Professor in Molecular and Human Genetics at the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center within the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Zhang received degrees in biology and genetics from Nanjing University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, respectively. He also attended the University of Tennessee and the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ■
