3rd Year Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Graduate Program Student

Shao received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Ocean University of China in 2018. As a sophomore, he participated in the research of Pharmaceutical Synthesis Laboratory and Laboratory of Molecular Biology, focusing on the synthesis of diosgenin and designed the trigger aiming at the zebrafish HMG20B biological target respectively. During his senior year, his project in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology focused on understanding the catalytic reaction mechanism of alginate lyase VxAly7A. Shao then joined the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Masters Program at Stony Brook University before transitioning into the Ph.D. program. In Colognato’s lab, Shao’s research focuses on Circulating extracellular vesicles in pregnancy: investigating their potential to regulate oligodendrocyte regenerative capacity following myelin damage. Meanwhile, to investigate whether oligodendrocytes with mutations affecting several dystrophin isoforms have functional deficits, and whether dystrophin restoration therapies interfere with endogenous dystrophin functions, Shao also joined the SBMS program.

Outside of the lab, he enjoys light exercise and cooking. Although his name is Zijian, he prefers to be called with a more recognizable short syllable. So everyone calls him Shao.