2026 publications (14+)
Accepted or published (14), In revision, Under Review or Submitted (3), Commissioned (6), or In Preparation (10+)
Interrogating cell physiology with light and chemicals.
Wang T, Zhang K, and Zhou Y#.
Annual Review of Physiology. 2026,88:21-46. Access here.
Engineering of genetically encoded programmable calcium channel inhibitory binders
Liu X, Sher A, Lan TH, Wang D, McKee B, Zhao F, Zhu MX, Huang Y, Deng Q, Ma G, and Zhou Y.
Nature Communications. 2026,17:3472. Access here. Highlighted by Vital Record: "Newly designed peptides suggest safer immunotherapies are within reach"; Bioengineer.org: “Newly Engineered Peptides Point to Safer Immunotherapy Breakthroughs”; Mirage News: “Fresh Peptides Hint at Safer Immunotherapy Advances”; NewsMedical: "Precision calcium signaling control may improve future CAR-T therapies"; AZO Life Science: "Scientists Design Decoy Peptides to Prevent Chronic Overactivation of Immune Cells"; eCancer: "Newly designed peptides suggest safer immunotherapies are within reach".
Engineering viral protease-operated nanobodies for programmable and orthogonal control of protein function. Cui M, Liu X, Wang T, Lan TH, Nonomura T, Wang R, Huang Y, and Zhou Y. Nature Communications. 2026. Access here
Glycosphingolipids Regulate Phosphatidylserine Transport Machinery that Operates at ER-PM contact sites. Gannaban R, Ali S, Chen W, Nguyen M, Moore T, Zhou Y#, Hancock J#, Liu J#.
Nature Communications. 2026. Access here.
AI-guided de novo design of a caffeine-operated protein dissociation system. Nonomura T, McKee B, Price A, Cui M, Yousuf Z, Tran F, He L, Wang T, and Zhou Y. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2026. Access here. Featured by Vital Record: “AI brews a caffeine-powered safety switch for future cell therapies”; The International Oncology Network Onco'Zine: “Crafting a Caffeine-Activated Safety Switch for Controlling Engineered Cell Therapies”; Bioengineer.org: “AI Develops Caffeine-Activated Safety Switch to Enhance Future Cell Therapies”; Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News: “AI Reimagines Caffeine as a Molecular Off Switch for Engineered Cells”; Technology Networks: “AI-Designed Caffeine Switch Enables Precise Control of Engineered Cells”; Apple Podcast: Your Morning Cup Just Became a Medical Device: Caffeine vs. Cancer.
Early driver, late bystander: stage-specific roles of DNMT3A-R882 mutations unveiled in human AML.Zhou Y, and Huang Y. Cancer Discovery. 2026,16(3):428-30. Access here.
Recent advances in optical tools for measurement and manipulation of oncogenic cellular metabolism.Boone K, Ke Y, Jang H, Shi L, Zhou Y, and Reinhart-King C.
Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering. 2026,37:100647. Access here.
A single-component optogenetic toolkit for reversible visualization and programmable control of microtubule.
Lan TH, Ma G, Liu X, Duong T, Chiu M, Du D, Reiner DJ, McKee B, Huang Y#, Ma G#, and Zhou Y#.
Cell Reports Methods. 2026. Access here.
Ectopic FGFR1 increases intracellular pool of cholesterol in prostate cancer cells.
Liu Z, Ke Y, Hong T, Smith K, Davies P, Huang Y, Zhang D, Chakraborty S, Zhou Y#, Wang F#.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026,27(3):1190. Highlighted by Vital Record: "Researchers uncover how prostate cancer cells build up cholesterol and fuel tumor growth".
Phage display driven identification and computational mapping of macrocyclic peptides targeting RhoA G17V. Abrahama S, Zhua C, Le L, Yugendar R. Alugubelli A, Nonomura T, Huang Y. Hamptona T, Zhou Y#, Liu W# Biochemistry. 2026,65(9):1465-1477. Access here.
Optogenetic tools for spatiotemporal interrogation of cytoskeletal dynamics.
Du D, Price A, Lan TH, and Zhou Y#.
Bioconjugate Chemistry. 2026,37(4):658-667. Access here.
Genetically encoded tools to monitor and interrogate membrane contact sites.Ke Y, Lan TH, Ahn T, and Zhou Y. Contact: The Journal of Inter-Organelle Communication. 2026. Access here.
Reprogramming chemically induced dimerization systems with genetically encoded nanobodies to control cell physiology
Nonomura T, Wang T, and Zhou Y.Physiology 2026,41 (S1), 2320886.
From caffeine to aspirin: everyday molecules as triggers for genetically encoded proximity systems. Mingguang Cui, Wang T, Han Y, Lan TH, and Zhou Y#. Chemistry – A European Journal. 2026. Access here.
Upconversion nano-optogenetics for programmable precision medicine.
Lan TH, Cui M, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#.
Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering. 2026 (under review)
Novel chemogenetic approaches in modulating calcium signaling.
Price A, Zhou Y#, Lan TB#.
Biochemical Society Transactions. 2026 (under review)
Genetically encoded systems for induced protein proximity.
Nonomura T, Price A, Wang T, and Zhou Y.
Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2026 (under review)
Programmable control of calcium channels with genetically encoded peptide binders.Liu, X, Liu S, Ma G, and Zhou Y. Cell Calcium. 2026 (commissioned)
The rise of programmable immunity enabled by AI.Su X, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#.Nature Reviews Immunology. 2026 (commissioned).
Opsin-free optogenetics: molecular engineering of light-responsive proteins for programmable biologyLan TB, Huang Y, Zhou YChemical Reviews. 2026 (commissioned)
Genetically Encoded Chemical Proximity Systems: Design, Engineering, and Applications in Chemical Biology.Nonomura T, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#.Accounts of Chemical Research. 2026 (commissioned).
AI-designed proteins for molecular medicine: programmable therapeutics for precision medicine.McKee B, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#.Trends in Molecular Medicine. 2026 (commissioned).
Photopharmacological tools for ion channel modulation.Price A, Nonomura T, and Zhou Y. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry. 2026 (commissioned)
A modular optogenetic toolkit for light-driven manipulation of subcellular organelles (LiSODA).Jing J, He L, Lan TH, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#. In prep
Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven de novo protein design for therapeutic innovation.
McKee B, Abdou A, Nonomura T, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#.
In prep
Engineering CAR-T Cells with a calcium channel–modulating peptide to enhance efficacy and safety (CaMP-CAR).
Liu S, Wang T, Ke Y, Liu X, Ma G, Lan TH, and Zhou Y.
In prep
Design of modular hybrid engineered recorders for tracking enzyme and protein activity (mHERTZ). Lan TH, Cui M, and Zhou Y#. In prep
Engineering of viral protease and binder-programmed dissembly by reversible oligomerization perturbation (VIPDrop). Wang T, McKee B, Nonomura T, Cui M, Lan TH, and Zhou Y#. In prep
Engineering of viral protease-based inducible oligomerization tool (VIPoligo).
Wang T, Nonomura T, McKee B, Cui M, Lan TH, and Zhou Y#.
In prep
Engineering vitamin-responsive devices for programmable protein association and dissociation (VitaPAD).
Ke Y, Cui M, Nonomura T, Wang T#, and Zhou Y#.
In prep
Engineering of Inducible Cold-Enabled Protein Association Tools via de novo Design (IcePAD). Nonomura T, Price A, McKee B, Lan TH, Cui M, Ke Y, and Zhou Y. In prep
Engineering of Falling-temperature Responsive On-demand Switching Tool for Allosteric Modulation (FROST)Lan TH, Nonomura T, Cui M, McKee B, Ke Y, and Zhou Y.
In prep
A LOV2-Based Photoswitchable Platform for Programmable Oligomerization (LOVoligo).
Nonomura T, Wang T, Cui M, Lan TH, and Zhou Y.
In prep
Optogenetic screening of calcium channel inhibitors for immunomodulation (CRACi).
Sher A, Liu X, Ma G, Tan Z, and Zhou Y.
In prep
CaMbody: Engineering of Ca2+-modulated single-domain antibody. Liu S, Wang T, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#. In prep Identification of an ER calcium regulator that drives store depletion and pathological T cell activation in lymphoma Ke Y ,Wang Q, Sher A, Zhu M, and Zhou Y Design of Transmembrane Receptor-Aided Protein Internalization Tools (TRAPIT). Lan TH, Cui M, Ke Y, Nonomura T, Mckee B, and Zhou Y. In prep De novo design of peptide-based calcium channel modulators (PeCaMP) for disease intervention. Nonomura T, McKee B, Cui M, Sher A, Wang T, Lan TH, and Zhou Y#. In prep Artificial intelligence-aided de novo design of Calcium-Modulating Polypeptides (DeCAMP). Nonomura T, McKee B, Cui M, Sher A, Wang T, Lan TH, and Zhou Y. In prep Engineering of repurposed metabolic GPCR- and beta-arrestin-based actuation system (RUBMA). Cui M, Lan TH, and Zhou Y. In prep DISCO: Design of a Dissociation Induced by Salicylic-acid Chemical Operation Tool Wang T, Nonomura T, Cui M, Zhou Y. In prep Design of Caffeine Metabolite–driven Oligomerization and Control of Heteromeric Association tools (cMOCHA). Nonomura T, McKee B, Ke Y, Wang T, and Zhou Y. In prep MELODY: Engineering of dietary supplement-responsive CAR-T cells. Lan TH, Cui M, Wang T, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#. In prep Design of an acidic lactate–operated homeostatic actuator system (ALOHA). Lan TH, Cui M, Ke Y, Wang T, and Zhou Y. In prep AROMA: Aromatic amino acid-operated molecular association system. Cui M, Lan TH, Wang T, and Zhou Y. In prep Repurposing photoswitchable domains for chemogenetic control of protein function.Cui M, Lan TH, and Zhou Y#. In prep Design of Neo-Engineered Oncotarget Surface for Universal Redirection of Functionalized CAR-T cells (NEOSURF). Ke Y, Wang T, Nonomura T, and Zhou Y. In prep Ligand-responsive Allosteric Tools for Tunable Engagement of target proteins (LATTE). Nonomura T, McKee B, Wang T, and Zhou Y. In prep Engineering of Orthogonal peptide-engaged receptor activation/actuation system (OPERAS). Lan TH, Cui M, Nonomura T, and Zhou Y. In prep Design of Synthetic ENgineered Transmembrane Receptor for Ligand-sensing (SENTRYL). Lan TH, Cui M, Nonomura T, and Zhou Y. In prep
CaMbody: Engineering of Ca2+-modulated single-domain antibody. Liu S, Wang T, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#. In prep Identification of an ER calcium regulator that drives store depletion and pathological T cell activation in lymphoma Ke Y ,Wang Q, Sher A, Zhu M, and Zhou Y Design of Transmembrane Receptor-Aided Protein Internalization Tools (TRAPIT). Lan TH, Cui M, Ke Y, Nonomura T, Mckee B, and Zhou Y. In prep De novo design of peptide-based calcium channel modulators (PeCaMP) for disease intervention. Nonomura T, McKee B, Cui M, Sher A, Wang T, Lan TH, and Zhou Y#. In prep Artificial intelligence-aided de novo design of Calcium-Modulating Polypeptides (DeCAMP). Nonomura T, McKee B, Cui M, Sher A, Wang T, Lan TH, and Zhou Y. In prep Engineering of repurposed metabolic GPCR- and beta-arrestin-based actuation system (RUBMA). Cui M, Lan TH, and Zhou Y. In prep DISCO: Design of a Dissociation Induced by Salicylic-acid Chemical Operation Tool Wang T, Nonomura T, Cui M, Zhou Y. In prep Design of Caffeine Metabolite–driven Oligomerization and Control of Heteromeric Association tools (cMOCHA). Nonomura T, McKee B, Ke Y, Wang T, and Zhou Y. In prep MELODY: Engineering of dietary supplement-responsive CAR-T cells. Lan TH, Cui M, Wang T, Huang Y, and Zhou Y#. In prep Design of an acidic lactate–operated homeostatic actuator system (ALOHA). Lan TH, Cui M, Ke Y, Wang T, and Zhou Y. In prep AROMA: Aromatic amino acid-operated molecular association system. Cui M, Lan TH, Wang T, and Zhou Y. In prep Repurposing photoswitchable domains for chemogenetic control of protein function.Cui M, Lan TH, and Zhou Y#. In prep Design of Neo-Engineered Oncotarget Surface for Universal Redirection of Functionalized CAR-T cells (NEOSURF). Ke Y, Wang T, Nonomura T, and Zhou Y. In prep Ligand-responsive Allosteric Tools for Tunable Engagement of target proteins (LATTE). Nonomura T, McKee B, Wang T, and Zhou Y. In prep Engineering of Orthogonal peptide-engaged receptor activation/actuation system (OPERAS). Lan TH, Cui M, Nonomura T, and Zhou Y. In prep Design of Synthetic ENgineered Transmembrane Receptor for Ligand-sensing (SENTRYL). Lan TH, Cui M, Nonomura T, and Zhou Y. In prep