KunJu Zhu, MD

MD-Trained Scientific Writer & Computational Researcher
Lakeland, US.

About

MD-trained scientific writer and computational researcher with a robust publication record in peer-reviewed journals, specializing in genetics, bioinformatics, and disease mechanisms. Leverages clinical expertise and advanced R programming for statistical analysis to bridge complex computational and clinical disciplines. Drives advancements in cancer and dermatology research by crafting compelling scientific documents, grant proposals, and comprehensive literature reviews.

Work

Gene Reports (Elsevier)
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Associate Editor

Remote, Remote, US

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Summary

Currently serves as an Associate Editor for Gene Reports (Elsevier), overseeing the rigorous review and enhancement of scientific manuscripts in genetics and computational biology.

Highlights

Reviewed and edited a high volume of manuscripts in genetics and computational biology, ensuring scientific rigor, clarity, and adherence to publication standards for a leading Elsevier journal.

Provided critical peer-review feedback, significantly enhancing data interpretation and presentation quality for authors, contributing to the journal's reputation and impact factor.

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept. of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI)
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Computational Biology Research Fellow

Pittsburgh, PA, US

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Summary

As a Computational Biology Research Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh, conducted advanced genomic and transcriptomic analyses, developing novel algorithms to investigate molecular mechanisms in cancer and immune diseases.

Highlights

Co-developed the Boolean Matrix Factorization (BEM) algorithm, published in *Bioinformatics (2020)*, to precisely identify co-regulation modules from complex transcriptomics data.

Contributed to the OR-gate Network model, published in *PLOS Computational Biology (2021)*, enabling patient-specific pathway dysregulation analysis for enhanced disease understanding.

Executed large-scale genomic and transcriptomic data analyses, including TCGA datasets, to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying cancer and immune diseases.

Jinan University, Clinical Medicine Research Institute
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Researcher Assistant Professor & Dermatologist

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

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Summary

Served as a Researcher Assistant Professor and Dermatologist at Jinan University, leading genetic epidemiology studies and multidisciplinary teams to identify disease-associated variants in complex immune disorders.

Highlights

Directed multiple genetic epidemiology studies, successfully identifying novel disease-associated variants in complex immune disorders, including psoriasis.

Led multidisciplinary research teams through comprehensive data analysis, manuscript preparation, and findings dissemination, applying statistical genetics and bioinformatics tools.

Utilized advanced statistical genetics and bioinformatics methodologies to reveal critical genotype-phenotype correlations, contributing to a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms.

Guangdong Medical University, Institute of Dermatology
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Postdoctoral Associate

Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China

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Summary

Conducted advanced research as a Postdoctoral Associate at Guangdong Medical University, focusing on integrative genomics and meta-analyses to identify genetic markers in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Highlights

Executed integrative genomics and meta-analyses, successfully identifying key genetic markers associated with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, specifically psoriasis.

Developed and refined expertise in high-throughput data quality control, Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) meta-analysis, and ensuring research result reproducibility.

Education

Anhui Medical University
Hefei, Anhui, China

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M.D.

Dermatology

Anhui Medical University
Hefei, Anhui, China

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B.S.

Medicine

Publications

Using Psoriasis Genes to Readout Overlap Pathways from TCGA

Published by

Research Square

Summary

Zhu KJ, Liang L, Lu S. Using Psoriasis Genes to Readout Overlap Pathways from TCGA. Research Square, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2078652/v1

Inferring patient-specific dysregulation status of pathway modules in cancer with OR-gate Network

Published by

PLoS Comput Biol

Summary

Liang L, KunJu Zhu, Tao J, Lu S. Inferring patient-specific dysregulation status of pathway modules in cancer with OR-gate Network. PLoS Comput Biol 04/2021/:17,(4):e1008792. 2021;doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008792

BEM: Mining Coregulation Patterns in Transcriptomics via Boolean Matrix Factorization

Published by

Bioinformatics

Summary

Lifan Liang, KunJu Zhu, Songjian Lu, BEM: Mining Coregulation Patterns in Transcriptomics via Boolean Matrix Factorization, Bioinformatics,01/2020: DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btz977

A Multiplex Approach to integrate data and knowledge for functional module identification

Published by

BMC bioinformatics

Summary

Lifan Liang, Vicky Chen, KunJu Zhu, Xiaonan Fan, Xinghua Lu, Songjian Lu: A Multiplex Approach to integrate data and knowledge for functional module identification. BMC bioinformatics,09/2019, 20 (1), 225;doi: 10.1186/s12859-019-2800-y

Prediction of IncRNA-disease associations by integrating diverse heterogeneous information sources with RWR algorithm and positive pointwise mutual information

Published by

BMC bioinformatics

Summary

Xiao-Nan Fan, Shao-Wu Zhang, Song-Yao Zhang, KunJu Zhu, Songjian Lu: Prediction of IncRNA-disease associations by integrating diverse heterogeneous information sources with RWR algorithm and positive pointwise mutual information, BMC bioinformatics, 05/2019,20 (1), 87.doi: 10.1186/s12859-019-2675-y.

An association study on the CHRNA5/A3/B4 gene cluster, smoking and psoriasis vulgaris

Published by

Archives for Dermatological Research

Summary

Zhu KJ, Zhong Liu, Huan Liu, Shi-Jie Li, Cheng-Yao Zhu, Ke-Shen Li, Yi-Ming Fan: An association study on the CHRNA5/A3/B4 gene cluster, smoking and psoriasis vulgaris. Archives for Dermatological Research ; 306(10).10/2014, DOI:10.1007/s00403-014-1510-6

Combined effects of the BDNF rs6265 (Val66Met) polymorphism and environment risk factors on psoriasis vulgaris

Published by

Molecular Biology Reports

Summary

Cheng Quan, Zhu KJ, Chi Zhang, Zhong Liu, Huan Liu, Cheng-Yao Zhu, Ke-Shen Li, Yi-Ming Fan, Jie Zheng: Combined effects of the BDNF rs6265 (Val66Met) polymorphism and environment risk factors on psoriasis vulgaris. Molecular Biology Reports ; 41(10), 07/2014. DOI:10.1007/s11033-014-3589-4

Combined effect between CHRNB3-CHRNA6 region gene variant (rs6474412) and smoking in psoriasis vulgaris severity

Published by

Gene

Summary

Zhu KJ, Cheng Quan, Chi Zhang, Zhong Liu, Huan Liu, Ming Li, Shi-Jie Li, Cheng-Yao Zhu, Ge Shi, Ke-Shen Li, Yi-Ming Fan: Combined effect between CHRNB3-CHRNA6 region gene variant (rs6474412) and smoking in psoriasis vulgaris severity. Gene 04/2014; 544(2)., DOI:10.1016/j.gene.2014.04.070

Psoriasis regression analysis of MHC loci identifies shared genetic variants with vitiligo

Published by

PLoS One

Summary

Zhu KJ, et al. Psoriasis regression analysis of MHC loci identifies shared genetic variants with vitiligo. PLoS One. 2011; 6(11): e23089.

Languages

English
Mandarin Chinese

Skills

Team Leadership

Multidisciplinary Team Leadership, Project Management, Collaboration.

Clinical Expertise

Disease Mechanisms, Dermatology, Cancer Research, Autoimmune Diseases, Inflammatory Diseases.

Research Documentation

Manuscript Preparation, Scientific Writing, Grant Writing, Literature Reviews, Peer Review, Editing, Scientific Communication, Data Interpretation, Publication Standards.

Computational Skills

R Programming, Statistical Analysis, Bioinformatics, Genomic Analysis, Transcriptomic Analysis, GWAS Meta-analysis, High-Throughput Data QC, Algorithm Development, Boolean Matrix Factorization (BEM), OR-gate Network Model, TCGA Data Analysis.

Genetic Epidemiology

Disease-Associated Variants, Genotype-Phenotype Correlations, Integrative Genomics, Meta-analysis.