Recently, Oncogene, a top-notch scientific journal on cancer research (latest impact factor 8.559), and Chemical Society Reviews, a top-notch scientific journal published by Royal Society of Chemistry (latest impact factor 30.425) published online two invited papers respectively entitled “An enhanced functional interrogation/manipulation of intracellular signaling pathways with the peptide“stapling” technology” and“The chemical biology of sirtuins” by our School’s Professor Weiping Zheng’s research group. For both papers, Professor Zheng is the sole corresponding author, Jiangsu University School of Pharmacy is the sole affiliation, and all the other authors are the graduate students in Professor Zheng’s research group at Jiangsu University.
Since the publication in 2013 of another high profile paper of Professor Zheng’s research group, i.e. the Cancer Cell paper entitled “Gain of interaction with IRS1 by p110a-helical domain mutants is crucial for their oncogenic functions” (the impact factor then was 26.566), the scientific community has shown an enormous interest in the paper and the work has been highly regarded. As a result, an editor of Oncogene contacted Professor Zheng inviting a contribution.
The invited paper in Chemical Society Reviews is the first review article in the research field of the chemical biology of the physiologically and therapeutically very important protein acyl-lysine deacylase enzymes known as sirtuins. Besides saliently presenting the research work from Professor Zheng’s own research group, expert opinions have also been offered in the paper concerning the future research direction in the field. As the major pioneer for the field of sirtuin chemical biology, Professor Zheng’s research group has been making tremendous contributions to the field since 2004 at University of Akron in the United States, and has received widespread recognition from the peers in the field. The publication of this invited review article in Chemical Society Reviews has further consolidated Professor Zheng’s academic standing in the field of sirtuin chemical biology (and medicinal chemistry) worldwide. The recent publication of the above two high profile invited review articles has also further enhanced the worldwide academic visibility of Jiangsu University and its School of Pharmacy.
Professor Weiping Zheng obtained his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry in 1999 from the Pharmacy School of the University of Tennessee in the United States, followed by a postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2004, Professor Zheng became the endowed James L. and Martha J. Foght Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at the Chemistry Department of the University of Akron in the United States, establishing his own research group. In 2012, Professor Zheng was selected as a Jiangsu provincial specially-appointed professor and a recipient of the Jiangsu provincial ‘‘innovation and venture talents’’ award plan.
