About

Zhu Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, located in the Goessmann Laboratory. His research focus is within the field of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and he is associated with the Riccio College of Engineering. His educational background includes a BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering and an MASc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, as well as a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. Further details about his specific research contributions or areas of expertise are not provided in the page text.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Chemical engineering
• Materials science
• Physical chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry
• Engineering
• Thermodynamics
• Photochemistry
• Aerospace engineering
• Computer network

Selected publications

• Ambipolar Bulk Heterojunction Semiconductor Fibers for High-Performance Neuromorphic Systems

  ACS Nano · 2026-04-06

  article

  Semiconductor fibers provide a basis for advanced bioelectronic systems, enabling the integration of sensors, logic, and signal processing into flexible, wearable designs. Recent advances in p- and n-type organic semiconductor fibers have enabled the fabrication of complementary organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) with improved performance, thereby expanding their potential in neuromorphic computing, chemical and biological sensing, and distributed logic circuits for intelligent textiles. However, conventional unipolar fibers remain limited in integrated multifunctional applications because of restricted charge transport characteristics. In this work, ambipolar bulk heterojunction (BHJ) semiconductor fibers were fabricated through a scalable wet-spinning process by blending p- and n-type conjugated polymers under controlled conditions. The optimized BHJ fibers exhibited balanced ambipolar transport, with μC* (mobility × volumetric capacitance) values of 0.81 ± 0.09 F cm–1 V–1 s–1 (n-type) and 0.63 ± 0.05 F cm–1 V–1 s–1 (p-type) in OECT configurations. Complementary logic circuits and organic electrochemical neurons (OECNs) were also demonstrated, showing spiking behavior and achieving classification accuracy of over 83% in sleep state recognition. These results indicate the potential of BHJ semiconductor fibers for integrated neuromorphic computing and fiber-based bioelectronics.

  PublisherDOI

• Gut microbial production of lithocholic acid reprograms pro-resolutive macrophages to enhance vedolizumab responsiveness via the TGR5/FXR–NF-κB axis

  The ISME Journal · 2026-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Crohn's disease (CD) is a complex chronic transmural inflammatory bowel disease. Although vedolizumab (VDZ) markedly improves clinical outcomes in CD, treatment non-response remains a significant limitation, constraining its broader utility. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying VDZ responsiveness is thus critically needed. In this research, we employed a humanized mouse model of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis to investigate VDZ treatment response in CD. Our findings indicate that VDZ significantly alleviated disease phenotypes in a portion of CD mice. Integrated metagenomic and metabolomic profiling identified baseline gut microbiota-derived secondary bile acids as potential predictors of VDZ efficacy. Subsequent fecal microbiota transplantation from clinical donors into pseudo-germ-free mice confirmed that gut microbial composition critically influences VDZ responsiveness. Targeted metabolomics further pinpointed lithocholic acid (LCA) as a key microbially derived metabolite correlated with therapeutic remission. Single-cell RNA sequencing also revealed that intestinal macrophages serve as pivotal mediators of LCA-driven modulation of treatment outcomes. Furthermore, transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that LCA polarizes macrophages toward an M2-resolutive phenotype via concurrent engagement of the TGR5/FXR and their downstream nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathways. Ultimately, using a conditioned medium co-culture system, we established that the regulatory effects of pro-resolutive macrophage niche on treatment response in a manner dependent on the TGR5/FXR-NF-κB axis. Taken together, our study elucidates a microbiota-immune circuit in which gut microbial metabolite LCA augments VDZ responsiveness in CD by reprogramming macrophages toward a pro-resolutive phenotype via the TGR5/FXR-NF-κB signaling network. These insights provide a mechanistic foundation for biomarker development and personalized therapeutic strategies in inflammatory bowel disease.

  PublisherDOI

• Ferroplasma acidiphilum enhance the growth and activity of Leptospirillum ferriphilum by affecting the genes expression of oxidative phosphorylation and stress resistance under organic matter stress

  International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation · 2025-08-13 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Filamentous cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis mediates phosphate biomineralization for efficient fluoride immobilization and drives metabolic shift toward stress resistance and biomineralization

  Journal of Hazardous Materials · 2025-11-12 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal Trade-Off Mechanisms Underlying Phosphorus Acquisition Strategies in Soybean Roots

  Research Square · 2025-10-20

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analyses provide molecular insights into the transition of flower color in the rose cultivar ‘Juicy Terrazza’

  BMC Plant Biology · 2025-07-04 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Flower color is a prominent ornamental characteristic in roses, and their petals contain a wide range of bioactive compounds. In this study, the petal development of the rose cultivar 'Juicy Terrazza' was categorized into three stages: tangerine-colored petals in the flower bud (JT-T), orange-colored petals of the blooming flower (JT-O), and pink-colored petals of the open flower (JT-P). We utilized transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches to investigate the genes and metabolites involved in the pigment metabolic pathway across all three stages of rose petals (JT-T, JT-O, and JT-P) for transcriptomics analysis and two stages (JT-T and JT-P) for metabolomics analysis. RESULT: A total of 872 metabolites were identified in rose flowers. Comparative analysis revealed significant differences in 153 accumulated metabolites between open flowers in JT-P and flower buds in JT-T. The flower coloration of this rose cultivar is primarily influenced by carotenoids and anthocyanins, with carotenoids being the main differential metabolites responsible for altering the flower colors during the transition from JT-T to JT-P, particularly β-carotene, violaxanthin and its derivatives. Furthermore, by conducting a comparative study on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during the transition of petal color, potential candidate genes related to this specific phenotypic characteristic were successfully identified. PSY, PDS, ZISO, and ZDS genes showed significant down-regulation, while RcCCD4 exhibited strong up-regulation in JT-P compared with JT-T, which could directly contribute to the reduction of carotenoid contents during the JT-P stage. The TF-gene-metabolite correlations involved in the change of pigments in rose petals were identified through comprehensive data analysis. MYB308 and MYB1 (RchiOBHmChr3g0448721, RchiOBHmChr2g0116041) could play pivotal roles in the regulation of pigment metabolism in this rose cultivar. CONCLUSIONS: These findings contribute to our understanding of the impact of specific metabolites and transcripts on flower color changes and the molecular mechanisms of carotenoid metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis in rose flowers. The candidate key genes related to pigment metabolism may serve as valuable genetic resources for molecular breeding of ornamental plants with specific flower colors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Semantic-Aware Visual Information Transmission With Key Information Extraction Over Wireless Networks

  ArXiv.org · 2025-06-15

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The advent of 6G networks demands unprecedented levels of intelligence, adaptability, and efficiency to address challenges such as ultra-high-speed data transmission, ultra-low latency, and massive connectivity in dynamic environments. Traditional wireless image transmission frameworks, reliant on static configurations and isolated source-channel coding, struggle to balance computational efficiency, robustness, and quality under fluctuating channel conditions. To bridge this gap, this paper proposes an AI-native deep joint source-channel coding (JSCC) framework tailored for resource-constrained 6G networks. Our approach integrates key information extraction and adaptive background synthesis to enable intelligent, semantic-aware transmission. Leveraging AI-driven tools, Mediapipe for human pose detection and Rembg for background removal, the model dynamically isolates foreground features and matches backgrounds from a pre-trained library, reducing data payloads while preserving visual fidelity. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) compared with traditional JSCC method, especially under low-SNR conditions. This approach offers a practical solution for multimedia services in resource-constrained mobile communications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Efficacy analysis of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with sintilimab and bevacizumab for initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

  iLiver · 2025-04-23 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  Background and aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents a significant challenge in tumor management because of its low resection rates. Conversion therapy aims to transform unresectable tumors into resectable ones through local treatments, thereby providing surgical options for some patients with HCC. However, the overall strategies and efficacy of conversion therapy for HCC remain inadequately defined. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with sintilimab and bevacizumab in patients with unresectable liver cancer. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with initially unresectable HCC who received HAIC in conjunction with sintilimab and bevacizumab. Preoperative demographic data, tumor markers, tumor size, tumor count, conversion outcomes, and surgery-related clinical data were collected and analyzed before and after treatment. Results: Twelve patients were included in this study. All patients exhibited satisfactory antitumor effects. Ten patients underwent one or two treatment cycles, while two completed four cycles. The mean alpha-fetoprotein level decreased from 73,471 ± 138,239 to 2374 ± 6325 ng/mL, and the mean tumor size decreased from 11.4 ± 2.2 to 7.6 ± 1.0 cm. Following evaluation, 10 patients were successfully converted, with 6 ultimately undergoing curative liver cancer resection; of these 6 patients, 4 achieved a pathological complete response. Conclusion: The combination of HAIC with sintilimab and bevacizumab represents a safe and effective strategy for tumor conversion. This approach can achieve significant tumor reduction and favorable effects on portal vein tumor thrombus within a short timeframe, facilitating curative resection of liver cancer.

  PublisherDOI

• Regulating Transport Preferences of Fucosylated Sugars: Revealing Transport Mechanisms via Sugar Efflux Transporter A Transformation Into a “Tight‐in, Tight‐out” Mode

  Biotechnology and Bioengineering · 2025-07-11

  articleOpen access

  Sugar transporters play a crucial role in cellular metabolism across diverse organisms, regulating essential biological processes through efficient substrate transport. Despite extensive research efforts, the structures and mechanisms of transporters responsible for sugars have remained elusive. In this study, we investigated the transport efficiency of the Escherichia coli sugar efflux transporter A (SetA) for lactose and fucosylated lactose. By employing site and combinatorial mutations, we obtained a mutant exhibiting approximately sixfold enhanced transporter efficiency for fucosylated lactose while retaining its potency for lactose transport. In this mutant, the fundamental amino acids responsible for recognizing the galactosyl moiety remained unchanged, yet the introduction of two face-to-face aromatic ring residues facilitated the enhanced recognition of the fucosyl moiety. This indicated the transformation of SetA from a universal transporter into a specific "tight-in, tight-out" transporter. Utilizing SetA-based structural modeling, we mapped and investigated mutations associated with diseases. The structural and biochemical insights from SET in this study offer a valuable investigating framework for understanding substrate specificity mechanisms of fucosylated sugar transporters and, by extension, other transporters in broader contexts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Deep joint source channel coding model based on key information extraction for wireless image transmission

  2025-06-08

  article

  With the advancement of wireless communication technology, real-time image transmission faces challenges such as limited channel bandwidth, noise interference, and high computational resource requirements. Traditional image transmission methods, which rely on separate source and channel coding, struggle to balance transmission efficiency and image quality under varying channel conditions. To address these challenges, this paper presents an optimized Deep Joint Source-Channel Coding (JSCC) model that integrates key information extraction and background matching for high-resolution wireless image transmission. Our method leverages the Mediapipe library for accurate human detection and the Rembg library for efficient background removal. By extracting essential features and matching backgrounds from a pre-established library, we reduce the amount of data transmitted, thereby decreasing computational load and improving image quality. The proposed approach also includes resolution detection and compression to further optimize transmission under limited computing resources. Experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms direct JSCC transmission, particularly under low SNR conditions, achieving higher Peak Signal-To-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and better visual quality. This approach offers a practical solution for resource-constrained applications in mobile communications and multimedia services.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Sai‐Juan Chen

  Shanghai Institute of Hematology

  340 shared

• Qing Huang

  Hefei Institutes of Physical Science

  110 shared

• Hugues de Thé

  Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

  77 shared

• Samuel Waxman

  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

  73 shared

• Xiao‐Jian Sun

  Henan Agricultural University

  73 shared

• Enhua Xiao

  Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University

  63 shared

• Qiu‐Hua Huang

  Colorado School of Mines

  59 shared

• Guoqiang Chen

  Institute of Process Engineering

  57 shared

Awards & honors

• James M. Douglas Early Career Faculty Development Award