Dr. Yunfeng Zhao is promoted to full professor starting July 1, 2026.

Dr. Zhao has received funding from the Community Foundation of North Louisiana to support the BioStart program.

Dr. Zhao has received funding from the Louisiana Board of Regents to study whether radiation and microgravity promote skin cell transformation.

Current Research Projects

Rationale: Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and approximately 90% of primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although there is already a broad option for HCC treatment, the high death rate and increasing occurrence demand more effective therapies. ADCK1 (AarF domain-containing kinase 1) is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma tumor tissues, and higher ADCK1 expression is associated with worse survival. When ADCK1 expression is lost in HCC cells using the gene knockout approach, cell proliferation is suppressed. Based on these data, we hypothesize that ADCK1 plays an oncogenic role in HCC tumorigenesis. This hypothesis will be tested via the following two specific aims:

Specific Aim 1: To determine whether ADCK1 promotes HCC tumorigenesis.

Specific Aim 2: To identify the oncogenic pathways regulated by ADCK1 in HCC cells.

Project 2: To determine whether microgravity synergizes with radiation-induced skin cell transformation  

There is an increased risk of skin cancer in astronauts, which might be due to space radiation, microgravity, and other factors. The purpose of this proposal is to test whether microgravity promotes skin cell transformation – the first step of skin cancer development. Two specific aims are proposed:

Specific Aim 1: To grow a well-characterized skin cell transformation model: skin epidermal JB6 cells using a rotating wall vessel device to mimic microgravity in space.

Specific Aim 2: To study whether uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) inhibitors can suppress skin cell transformation.

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

1. Jacquet N.; Zhao Y. The ADCK Kinase Family: Key Regulators of Bioenergetics and Mitochondrial Function and Their Implications in Human Cancers. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 5783.
2. Jacquet N, Yu J, Shen X, Zhao Y. Inhibition of ACC1 Diminishes the Malignant Phenotype of Hepatobiliary Cancers in Vitro. Medical Research Archives, 12(11), 2024.
3. Sreedhar A, Zhang C, Jacquet N, Zhao Y. UCP2 Upregulation Increases Fra-1 Expression and S-phase Cell Population without Decreasing Apoptosis during Skin Cell Transformation. Medical Research Archives, 11(6), 2023.
4. Qi Y, Zhang C, Wu D, Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Li W. Indole-3-Carbinol Stabilizes p53 to Induce miR-34a, Which Targets LDHA to Block Aerobic Glycolysis in Liver Cancer Cells. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2022 Oct 13;15(10):1257. doi: 10.3390/ph15101257.
5. Yu J, Shi L, Lin W, Lu B, Zhao Y. UCP2 promotes proliferation and chemoresistance through regulating the NF-κB/β-catenin axis and mitochondrial ROS in gallbladder cancer. Biochem Pharmacol. 2020;172:113745.
6. Li J, Jia Y, An L, Niu C, Cong X, Zhao Y. Uncoupling protein 2 is upregulated in melanoma cells and contributes to the activation of Akt/mTOR and ERK signaling. Int J Oncol. 2020 Mar 12. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2020.5010.
7. Kaiyue Xu, Chunjing Zhang, You Li, Xin Xi, Lishuang Zheng, Ming Meng, Tongtong Liu, Yunfeng Zhao*, Wenjuan Li*, Withaferin A suppresses skin carcinogenesis by inhibiting proteasome-dependent Isocitrate Dehydrogenase 1 degradation. Transl Cancer Res., 2019 Oct; 8(6): 2449–2460.
8. Li J, Jiang R, Cong X, Zhao Y. The role of UCP2 gene polymorphisms in obesity and diabetes and the role of UCP2 in cancer. FEBS Lett. 2019; 593:2525-2534.
9. Yu, J, Shi L, Shen X, Zhao, Y. UCP2 regulates cholangiocarcinoma cell plasticity via mitochondria-to-AMPK signals. Biochem Pharmacol. 166:174-184, 2019.
10. Sreedhar A, Cassel T, Smith P, Lu D, Hyung NW, Lane AN, Zhao Y. UCP2 overexpression redirects glucose into anabolic metabolic pathways. Proteomics, 2018; 19:e1800353.
11. Sreedhar A, Li J, Zhao Y. Next-Gen therapeutics for Skin Cancer: Nutraceuticals. Nutrition & Cancer, 2018; 70:697-709.
12. Sreedhar A, Zhao Y. Dysregulated metabolic enzymes and metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells. Review. Biomed Rep. 8:3-10, 2018.
13. Sreedhar A, Petruska P, Miriyala S, Panchatcharam M, Zhao Y. UCP2 overexpression enhanced glycolysis via activation of PFKFB2 during skin cell transformation. Oncotarget. 2017;8:95504-95515.
14. Sreedhar A, Lefort J, Petruska P, Gu X, Shi R, Miriyala S, Panchatcharam M, Zhao Y. UCP2 Upregulation Promotes PLCγ-1 Signaling During Skin Cell Transformation. Mol Carcinog. 2017;56:2290-2300.
15. Sreedhar A, Zhao Y. Uncoupling protein 2 and metabolic diseases. Mitochondrion. 2017;34:135-140. Review.
16. Li W, Zhang C, Du H, Huang V, Sun B, Harris JP, Richardson Q, Shen X, Jin R, Li G, Kevil CG, Gu X, Shi R, Zhao Y. Withaferin A suppresses the up-regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 and skin tumor formation in a skin carcinogenesis mouse model. Mol Carcinog. 2016;55:1739-1746.
17. Li W, Zhang C, Ren A, Li T, Jin R, Li G, Gu X, Shi R, Zhao Y. Shikonin Suppresses Skin Carcinogenesis via Inhibiting Cell Proliferation. PLoS One. 2015;10:e0126459.
18. Li W, Zhang C, Jackson K, Shen X, Jin R, Li G, Kevil CG, Gu X, Shi R, Zhao Y. UCP2 knockout suppresses mouse skin carcinogenesis. Cancer Prev Res 2015 Jun;8(6):487-91.
19. Singleterry J, Sreedhar A, Zhao Y. Components of Cancer Metabolism and Therapeutic Interventions. Mitochondrion. Review. 17:50-5, 2014.

Lauren Pilcher (Student Worker)

Graduate Students

Graduate students interested in cancer metabolism research feel free to contact Dr. Zhao at yunfeng.zhao@lsuhs.edu.

Undergraduate research opportunities

Positions for undergraduate research internship may be available during the summer.

Medical students

Medical students interested in basic cancer research feel free to stop by Dr. Zhao’s office (5-221) to discuss your interests.

Yunfeng Zhao, PhD
Professor
LSU Health Shreveport
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience
1501 Kings Hwy
Shreveport, LA 71103

Office: (318) 675-7876