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Jun Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.

Professional Background

Jun Zhang, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist, principal investigator, and board-certified internist and medical oncologist. Dr. Zhang earned his medical degree from Xiang-Ya School of Medicine, Central South University in China, a PhD in Cancer Biology from LSU, completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School and UCSF, and a Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine. Passionate about frontier scientific discoveries, Dr. Zhang possesses extensive expertise in bench-to-bedside translation and the development of investigator-initiated clinical trials. He has authored over 100 publications, including articles in high-impact journals such as Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Molecular Cancer, Annals of Oncology, JAMA Oncology, Cancer Cell, and New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Zhang is a member of prestigious organizations, including AACR, ASCO, ESMO, IASLC, RSM, and CAHON, where he also served as the Committee Co-chair of Clinical Research.

His research interests encompass the following broad areas:
1) The role of microbiota in the oncogenesis, immune modulation, and immunotherapy of lung cancer.
2) Resistant mechanisms in targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer harboring driver mutations.
3) Development of innovative interventional and translational trials for various thoracic malignancies.

Currently, he serves as the co-Director of the Lung Cancer Program and Associate Director of the Early Phase Program at the University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center (KUCC). Dr. Zhang plays a vital role in leading a multidisciplinary team in both research and patient care for Thoracic Oncology at KUCC.

Education and Training
  • MD, Clinical Medicine, Hunan Medical University (present: Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University), Changsha, Hunan
  • PhD, Cellular Biology & Anatomy, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, LA
  • Residency, Internal Medicine and Pulmonology , Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, China
  • Post Doctoral Fellowship, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, LA
  • Post Doctoral Fellowship, Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, MA
  • Post Doctoral Fellowship, Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA
  • Residency, Internal Medicine, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
  • Clinical Fellowship, Hematology/Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute Emory, University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Licensure, Accreditations & Certifications
  • Internal Medicine , American Board of Internal Medicine
  • Iowa
  • Kansas License , Kansas
  • Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine- Medical Oncology
  • Missouri License , State of Missouri
Professional Affiliations
  • The Royal Society of Medicine , Member, 2022 - Present
  • European Society for Medical Oncology, Member, 2020 - Present
  • Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network, Member, 2019 - Present
  • International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, Member, 2016 - Present
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology, Member, 2012 - Present
  • American College of Physician, Member, 2009 - Present
  • American Association for Cancer Research, Member, 2001 - Present

Current Research and Grants
  • A Multi-Center Phase II Study of Combining Cabozantinib and Atezolizumab as the 1st Line Therapy for PD-L1 Negative Advanced/Metastatic NSCLC (Cabatexo-1) Clinical Trials.gov NCT 05859217, Exelixis and Genentech/Roch: Investigator- Initiated Study, PI
  • Using Ex Vivo Tumoroids to Predict Immunotherapy Response in NSCLC (TUMORIN), Nilogen Oncosystems: Investigator- Initiated Study, PI
  • ESR-19-20274: Using Microbiome to Predict Durvalumab Toxicity in Post-CCRT NSCLC Patients (Microdurva; NCT04680377), AstraZeneca Externally Sponsored Research: Investigator Initiated Study, PI
  • Microbiome in immunotherapy naïve NSCLC patients receiving PD-1/L1 blockade (MIP_NSCLC). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04636775, KUCC Pilot Grant for Cancer Research , PI
  • Part 2 (NSCLC). A study of DSP107 alone and in combination with atezolizumab for patients with advanced solid tumors. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05537987, Innocare Pharm, PI
  • A Phase 2 Study of VLS-101 in Patients with Solid Tumors (VLS-101-0003: NCT03833180), VelosBio (now part of Merck), PI
  • A Phase 2 Trial of Combination Therapies with Adagrasib in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with KRAS G12C Mutation (KRYSTAL-17), Mirati Therapeutics Inc, Site-PI
Publications
  • Jänne PA, Riely GJ, Gadgeel SM, Heist RS, Ou SI, Pacheco JM, Johnson ML, Sabari JK, Leventakos K, Yau E, Bazhenova L, Negrao MV, Pennell NA, Zhang J, Anderes K, Der-Torossian H, Kheoh T, Velastegui K, Yan X, Christensen JG, Chao RC, Spira AI. 2022. Adagrasib in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Harboring a KRASG12C Mutation. The New England Journal of Medicine 2022 Jul 14, 387 (2), 120-131. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35658005/
  • Roller JF, Veeramachaneni NK, Zhang J. 2022. Exploring the Evolving Scope of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in NSCLC. Cancers (Basel) 2022 Jan 31, 14 (3), 741. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35159008/
  • Chau J, Yadav M, Liu B, Furqan M, Dai Q, Shahi S, Gupta A, Mercer KN, Eastman E, Abu-Hejleh T, Chan C, Weiner G, Cherwin C, Lee ST, Zhong C, Mangalam A, Zhang J. 2021. Prospective correlation between the patient microbiome with response to and development of immune-mediated adverse effects to immuotherapy in lung cancer. BMC Cancer 2021 Jul 13, 21 (1), 808. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34256732/
  • Huang C, Li M, Liu B, Zhu H, Dia Q, Fan X, Mehta K, Huang C, Neupane P, Wang F, Sun W, Umar S, Zhong C, Zhang J. 2021. Relating Gut Microbiome and Its Modulating Factors to Immunotherapy in Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Oncology 2021 Mar 18, 11, 642110. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33816289/
  • Bi J, Yang S, Li L, Dai Q, Borcherding N, Wagner BA, Buettner GR, Spitz DR, Leslie KK, Zhang J#, Meng X. 2019. Metadherin enhances vulnerability of cancer cells to ferroptosis. Cell Death & Disease 2019 Sep 17, 10 (10), 682 #Co-corresponding Author . https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31527591/
  • Xu K, Park D, Magis AT, Zhang J, Zhou W, Sica GL, Ramalingam SS, Curran WJ, Deng X. 2019. Small Molecule KRAS Agonist for Mutant KRAS Cancer Therapy. Molecular Cancer 2019 April 10, 18 (1), 85. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30971271/
  • Strouse C, Mangalam A, Zhang J. 2019. Bugs in the system: bringing the human microbiome to bear in cancer immunotherapy. Gut Microbes 2019, 10 (2), 109-112 . https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30183502/
  • Li R, Ding C, Zhang J#, Xie M, Park D, Ding Y, Chen G, Zhang G, Gilbert-Ross M, Zhou W, Marcus AI, Sun SY, Chen ZG, Sica GL, Ramalingam SS, Magis AT, Fu H, Khuri FR, Curran WJ, Owonikoko TK, Shin DM, Zhou J, Deng X. 2017. Modulation of Bax and mTOR for Cancer Therapeutics. Cancer Research 2017 Jun 1, 77 (11), 3001-3012. #Co-1st author . https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28381544/
  • Schoenfeld JD, Sibenaller ZA, Mapuskar KA, Wagner BA, Cramer-Morales KL, Furqan M, Sandhu S, Carlisle TL, Smith MC, Abu Hejleh T, Berg DJ, Zhang J, Keech J, Parekh KR, Bhatia S, Monga V, Bodeker KL, Ahmann L, Vollstedt S, Brown H, Shanahan Kauffman EP, Schall ME, Hohl RJ, Clamon GH, Greenlee JD, Howard MA, Schultz MK, Smith BJ, Riley DP, Domann FE, Cullen JJ, Buettner GR, Buatti JM, Spitz DR, Allen BG. 2017. O2⋅- and H2O2-Mediated Disruption of Fe Metabolism Causes the Differential Susceptibility of NSCLC and GBM Cancer Cells to Pharmacological Ascorbate. Cancer Cell 2017 April 10, 31 (4), 487-500.e8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28366679/
  • Zhang J, Shridhar R, Dai Q, Song J, Barlow SC, Yin L, Sloane BF, Miller FR, Meschonat C, Li BD, Abreo F, Keppler D. 2004. Cystatin M: a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene for breast cancer. Cancer Research 2004 Oct 1, 64 (19), 6957-64. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15466187/