Zhao Lab
With the advance of high-throughput genome sequencing and precision medicine, the Zhao Lab is exploring the genetic basis of cardiovascular development and congenital heart disease using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We are thrilled to establish the first iPSC Genomics laboratory in the Center for Cardiovascular Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and are currently transforming our understandings on the genetic mechanisms of congenital heart disease using patient-derived cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells. Collaborating with principal investigators in The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, we are positioned to advance our perception on congenital heart disease using both human iPSCs and mouse/zebrafish/pig models. In addition, we are using genome editing tools (CRISPR/Cas9) to correct/introduce genetic variants in the context of normal and diseased heart cells originally from the patients and study how a particular genetic variant could contribute to congenital heart defects.
Previous Works in the Lab
-
Abnormal Progenitor Cell Differentiation and Cardiomyocyte Proliferation in Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome | Circulation (ahajournals.org) (2024)
- Impaired Human Cardiac Cell Development due to NOTCH1 Deficiency | Circulation Research (ahajournals.org) (2022)
- Identification of cardiac-specific regulatory DNA elements using high-throughput ChIP-seq and RNA-seq in the human heart (Circulation Research 2017)
- Evaluation of the contribution of genetic components and reprogramming mechanisms (iPSC reprogramming versus somatic cell nuclear transfer) to the transcriptional and epigenomic signatures of terminally differentiated cells (PNAS, 2017)
We're Recruiting!
The Zhao Lab is looking for motivated, curious and dedicated postdocs and graduate students.
Featured Researcher – Mingtao Zhao, DVM, PhD
Dr. Mingtao Zhao was selected as the Abigail Wexner Research Institute featured researcher in June 2021. Click the button below to learn more about Dr. Zhao and his work in the Center for Cardiovascular Research.
Lab Staff
Mingtao Zhao, DVM, PhD
Principal Investigator
Mingtao.Zhao@NationwideChildrens.org
Mingtao Zhao, DVM, PhD is a principal investigator in the Center for Cardiovascular Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus Ohio. He is an assistant professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Zhao completed his postdoctoral training with Dr. Joseph Wu at Stanford University School of Medicine, followed by an instructor position at Stanford Cardiovascular Institute in 2018. In August 2019, he moved to Columbus Ohio to set up his independent laboratory in Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Zhao’s research laboratory aims to decipher the molecular mechanisms controlling heart development and discover novel treatment for congenital heart disease using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Dr. Zhao’s research vision is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of cardiovascular development and congenital heart disease using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), combined with the cutting-edge technologies in functional genomics and genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9). In particular, Dr. Zhao is interested in how genetic variants in noncoding regions with open chromatin state could contribute to the clinical phenotypes of congenital heart disease by studying patient-derived iPSCs that retain all the genetic information of the patients in vitro. In addition, Dr. Zhao is exploring the novel regulatory roles of NOTCH signaling pathway in human cardiac and vascular lineage commitment under normal and diseased conditions.
Shiqiao Ye, PhD
Senior Research Associate
Shiqiao.Ye@NationwideChildrens.org
Dr. Ye earned his doctorate degree in 2009 in China. Before joining Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Zhao Lab in 2019, he worked as a research associate in the Myeloma Center at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr. Ye’s research focus is on the reprogramming of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and differentiation of iPSC into cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells, as well as uncovering the molecular mechanism of heart development and congenital heart disease such as Pulmonary atresia with an intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS).
Postdoctoral Scientist
Matthew.Alonzo@NationwideChildrens.org
Dr. Alonzo’s current research focuses on pioneering novel methods to detect and diagnose single-ventricle heart defects and to understand the molecular programs during cellular cardiac development that may contribute to the pathogenesis of congenital heart disease by harnessing human stem cells and next-generation sequencing technology. He joined the Zhao Lab in 2021 as a postdoctoral scientist after earning his doctorate degree in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso where he specialized in engineering artificial cardiac tissues for biomedical applications.
Yang Yu, PhD
Postdoctoral Scientist
Yang.Yu@NationwideChildrens.org
Dr. Yu joined the lab in 2021 and comes from Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, China. Yang accomplished his doctoral study on the function and trafficking properties of potassium ion channels in the College of Pharmacy at The Ohio State University. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Yang looks forward to establishing the 3D cardioid model to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms and etiologies involved in single ventricle defects. An ongoing training in bioinformatics underscores Yang’s commitment to a multidisciplinary approach in the cardiovascular research.
Meghan Hanley
Research Assistant
Meghan.Hanley@NationwideChildrens.org
In the Zhao Lab, Meghan’s research focuses on using 3D cardiac organoids to understand the pathogenesis of single ventricle heart defects from known mutations. Meghan joined the Zhao Lab in July 2023 as a research assistant after graduating from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry with a minor in American Sign Language. Meghan hopes to apply for graduate programs in molecular and developmental biology this year.
Javier Contreras
Research Student
Javier.Contreras@NationwideChildrens.org
Jerry Wang
Research Technician
Jerry.Wang@NationwideChildrens.org
Jakob Bering
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Jakob.Bering@NationwideChildrens.org
Jakob joined the lab in September 2023 and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at The Ohio State University. He works with Dr. Matthew Alonzo, assisting with his projects relating to single-ventricle heart defects. Jakob plans to apply to medical school this year.
Hannah Qin
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Hannah.Qin@NationwideChildrens.org