Zhuchi Tu is a principle investigator and professor of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration (GHMICR) at Jinan University. Dr. Tu obtained Bachelor degree of Bioengineering from Shanxi Agriculture University in 2008, Master degree of Genetics from Shihezi University in 2011, and Ph.D. of Genetics from Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy Sciences, Dr. Tu’s research interests mainly include establishment of large animal models,especially nonhuman primate macaque models of neurological diseases, using new genome editing tools. Dr. Tu has already created several large animal modelssuccessfully with positive genotypes and phenotypes obtained, including the world's first gene knock-in (HD-KI) pig model for Huntington’s disease, SHANK3 and CHD8 gene knockout autism-like monkey models, PINK1 gene knockout Parkinson's disease monkey model, ASPM gene knockout microcephalymonkey model and Tau transgenic Alzheimer's disease monkey models. These large animal disease models serve as a valuable platform for better understanding the pathogenesis of neurological diseases and development of new therapeutic strategies.
Dr. Tu has published many research articles and reviews in high-impact journals including Cell, Cell stem Cell, Cell research, Molecular Neurodegeneration, Human Molecular Genetic, and Scientific Reports. Dr. Tu is a member of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and has been awarded the Chinese Academy of Sciences DiAo Scholarship (1st Class).
Education
04/2017- 04/2020 Postdoc fellow. GHMICR, Jinan University
09/2011-11/2016 Ph.D. Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology,
Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing. China
09/2008-07/2011 M.S. Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China.
09/2004-07/2008 B.S. Shanxi Agriculture University, Shanxi, China.
1. Bai, D., Li, C., Lin, Y., et al. (2019). CRISPR/Cas9-mediated disruption of SHANK3 in monkey leads to drug-treatable autism-like symptoms. Hum. Mol. Genet. 28.
2. Yan, S#., Tu, Z#., Liu, Z#., Fan, N., Yang, H., Yang, S., Yang, W., Zhao, Y., Ouyang, Z., Lai, C., et al. (2018). A Huntingtin Knockin Pig Model Recapitulates Features of Selective Neurodegeneration in
Huntington’s Disease. Cell 173.
3. Tu, Z#., W. Yang#, S. Yan#, A. Yin, J. Gao, X. Liu, Y. Zheng, J. Zheng, Z. Li, S. Yang, S. Li, X. Guo*, and X. J. Li*. (2017). Promoting Cas9 degradation reduces mosaic mutations in non-human primate embryos, Sci Rep, 7: 42081.
4. Zhao, H#., Z. Tu#, H. Xu, S. Yan, H. Yan, Y. Zheng, W. Yang, J. Zheng, Z. Li, R. Tian, Y. Lu, X. Guo, Y. H. Jiang, X. J. Li*, and Y. Q. Zhang*. (2017.) Altered neurogenesis and disrupted expression of synaptic proteins in prefrontal cortex of SHANK3-deficient non-human primate, Cell Res. doi:10.1038/cr.2017.95
5. Tu ZC, Weili Yang, Sen Yan, Xiangyu Guo and Xiao-Jiang Li*. CRISPR/Cas9:a powerful genetic engineering tool for establishing large animal models of neuro- degenerative diseases. Molecular Neurodegeneration. 2015,DOI:10.1186/s13024-015 -00 31-x
6. Li, X.J*., Tu, Z., Yang, W., and Li, S*. (2017). CRISPR: Established Editor of Human Embryos? Cell Stem Cell 21, 295-296.
