The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry in recent years has made huge strides in becoming a national center for oral cancer care and research. It received a $2 million U24 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to study oral cancer, and has reoriented its Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences toward dealing with the disease.
Now, the College has added an internationally known oral cancer researcher in Dr.Xiaofeng “Charlie” Zhou, Assistant Professor, Center for Molecular Biology of Oral Diseases.
“I am looking forward to joining the UIC College of Dentistry to build a solid research portfolio on oral cancer research,” Dr. Zhou said. “My primary research interest is to utilize molecular genetics and bioninformatics technologies to develop novel diagnostic tools and to gain a better understanding of human diseases such as head and neck/oral cancer.”
Dr. Zhou most recently had been an Assistant Professor of Oral Biology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry, and also was a member of UCLA’s JonssonComprehensiveCancerCenter and the university’s Dental Research Institute. He holds a BS in biochemistry and microbiology from HangzhouUniversity in China; a PhD in biochemistry and a postdoctorate training in human genetics from BostonUniversity; and an MS in software engineering from BrandeisUniversity.
“My current research is focused on the genetic mapping of disease genes and/or consistent genomic alterations that are associated with the development and progression of oral cancer,” Dr. Zhou continued. “The goal is to integrate my ongoing research in cancer genetics with the resources and expertise here at the UIC College of Dentistry to establish a truly state-of-the-art translational research direction in oral cancer.”
Dr. Zhou has published more than 34 journal articles, review articles, and book chapters, and brings three National Institutes of Health grant research projects with him to the College.