Kang Zhang

Kang Zhang () is a Chinese-American ophthalmologist specializing in ophthalmic genetics and aging processes in the eye. He is currently a Professor of the Faculty of Medicine at Macau University of Science and Technology. He was previously a Professor of Ophthalmology and the Founding Director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Zhang is particularly known for his work on lanosterol, stem cell research (particularly limbal stem cells), gene editing, and artificial intelligence.
Education.
Born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, Zhang obtained his B.S. in Biochemistry from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China in 1984. In 1991, Zhang graduated with a Ph.D. in Genetics from Harvard University. Subsequently, Zhang obtained his M.D. from a Harvard University Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joint M.D. Program with "magna cum laude" honors in 1995.
Career.
After completing an ophthalmology residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University, Zhang became Assistant Staff at the Cole Eye Institute at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Zhang completed a retina fellowship at the University of Utah, and afterwards became Assistant Professor at the University of Utah from 2002 to 2006.
In 2013, Zhang, along with Trey Ideker, identified that the molecular aging clock could be measured by blood and tissues, and made use of epigenetic markers.
In 2014, Zhang, along with Yizhi Liu and Xiangdong Fu, investigated mechanisms and developed a new method of limbal stem cell repair and regeneration. Zhang has also pioneered the usage of artificial intelligence in diagnosing eye diseases.
In 2015, Zhang discovered that lanosterol can be used in eyedrop form to help prevent cataracts.
In 2019, Zhang took on a new position at the Faculty of Medicine of Macau University of Science and Technology.
Awards.
Some of Kang Zhang's selected awards are listed below.
Professional affiliations.
Kang Zhang's professional affiliations are listed below.
Selected publications.
To date, Zhang has published more than 150 papers. Some selected publications are listed below.