Name: ZHUANG Youwen
Email: youwen_zhuang@sjtu.edu.cn
Tel: 021-63846590-776452
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Research Field: Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Design of Neurotransmitter Receptors
Personal Introduction
Youwen Zhuang, Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. National High-Level Young Talents, HE Research Fellowship. His research primarily focuses on elucidating the molecular pharmacological and signaling mechanisms of neurotransmitter receptors, along with rational drug design. The membrane receptors of particular interest in his work are neurotransmitter G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are crucial for the onset and progression of neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and chronic pain. Prof. Zhuang has published more than 20 papers in top-tier journals, including 4 papers in Cell, and others in Neuron, Nat Chem Biol, PNAS, Cell Res, etc. His research has been supported by NSFC, National Key R&D Program, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, etc. He has been recognized by the Youth Talent Support Program of China Association for Science and Technology and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The awards and honors he achieved include ‘MIT Technology Review’ Innovators Under 35 China, HE Research Fellowship Program, First Prize in Shanghai Natural Science Award, and the Sanofi Outstanding Young Scientist Award, etc.
Education
2014 – 2020 Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, CAS Ph. D.
2018 – 2019 Van Andel Institute, USA Visiting Scholar
2010 – 2014 Southwest University, China B.S.
Professional Experience:
2024–Now Shanghai Jiao Tong University PI/ Professor
2021–2024 Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, CAS Associate Professor
2021–2024 Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, CAS Associate Professor
Scientific Research Projects:
HE Research Fellowship Program (Grant No. HERF2025011), 2025/10-2028/9;
National Natural Science Foundation of China Young Scientists Fund (Grant No. 32401002), 2025/01-2027/12;
National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2024YFA1307504), 2025/01-2029/11;
‘Shanghai Jiao Tong University 2030’ Project C (Grant No. WH510363003/017), 2024/01-2025/12;
The Youth Talent Promotion Project, Chinese Association for Science and Technology, 2023/01-2025/12;
The Sailing Program of Shanghai Venus Project (Grant No. 23YF1456700), 2023/04-2026/03;
The Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, China (Grant No. 23ZR1475300), 2023/04-2026/03;
The Special Research Assistant Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2020/10-2022/10
Publications:
After 2024:
Wang, Y. #, Luo, P. #, Xu, H. #, Zhan, L. #, Sakamoto, K. #, Li, M. #, Wang, J. #, Huang, X.-P. #, Zhou, J., Liu, T., Suo, Y., Fan, W., He, X., Xu, Y., Cai, Y., Wang, C., Zhao, Y., Dai, A., Lai, Y., Yuan, Q., Hu, W., Wu, K., Yang, D., Cheng, X., Lu, X., Krumm, B., Kenakin, T., Zhang, J. *, Roth, B.L. *, Gao, Z. *, Xu, H.E. *, Zhuang, Y. *. Structure-based design of an opioid receptor modulator for enhanced morphine analgesia. Sci Adv, 12(7), eaea9832 (2026).
Luo, P. #, *, Xin, W. #, Guo, S., Li, X., Zhang, Q., Xu, Y., He, X., Wang, Y., Fan, W., Yuan, Q., Wu, K., Hu, W., Zhuang, Y., Xu, H.E., Xie, X. *. Structural insights into the agonist activity of the nonpeptide modulator JR14a on C3aR. Cell Discov, 11(1), 7 (2025).
Wang, R.L., Sun, J., Liu, H., Guo, S.M., Zhang, Y., Hu, W., Wang, J., Liu, H., Zhuang, Y., Jiang, Y., Xie, X., Xu, H.E., Wang, Y. Molecular recognition of two approved drugs Macimorelin and Anamorelin by the growth hormone secretagogue receptor. Acta Pharmacol Sin, 46, 2998-3008 (2025).
Fan, L., Zhuang, Y. #, Wu, H., Li, H., Xu, Y., Wang, Y., He, L., Wang, Shishan, Chen, Z., Cheng, J. *, Xu, H.E. *, Wang, Sheng *. Structural basis of psychedelic LSD recognition at dopamine D1 receptor. Neuron, 112(19), 3295-3310 (2024).
Fan,W. #, Xu,Y. #, He, X. #, Luo, P., Zhu, J., Li, J., Wang, R., Yuan, Q., Wu, K., Hu, W., Zhao, Y., Xu, S., Cheng, X., Wang, Y. *, Xu, H.E. *, Zhuang, Y. *. Molecular basis for the activation of PAF receptor by PAF. Cell Rep, 43(7), 114422 (2024).
Wang, Y., Xu, Y., Wang, Y., Zhang, J., Chen, L., He, X., Fan, W., Wu, K., Hu, W., Cheng, X., Yang, G., Xu, H.E. *, Zhuang, Y. *, Sun, S. *. Selective ligand recognition and activation of somatostatin receptors SSTR1 and SSTR3. PNAS, 121(41), p.e2400298121 (2024).
Before 2024:
Wang, Y. #, Zhuang, Y. #, *, DiBerto, J. F. #, Zhou, X. E., Schmitz, G. P., Yuan, Q., Jain, M. K., Liu, W., Melcher, K., Jiang, Y., Roth, B. L. *, Xu, H.E. *. Structures of the entire human opioid receptor family. Cell, 186(2), 413-427 (2023).
Wang, Y. #, Liu, W. #, Xu, Y., He, X., Yuan, Q., Luo, P., Fan, W., Zhu, J., Zhang, X., Cheng, X., Jiang, Y., Xu, H.E. *, Zhuang, Y. *. Revealing the signaling of complement receptors C3aR and C5aR1 by anaphylatoxins. Nat Chem Biol, 19(11), 1351-1360 (2023).
Xu, P. #, Huang, S. #, Krumm, B.E. #, Zhuang, Y. #, Mao, C. #, Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, X.P., Liu, Y.F., He, X., Li, H., Yin, W., Jiang, Y., Zhang, Y. *, Roth, B.L. *, Xu, H.E. *. Structural genomics of the human dopamine receptor system. Cell Res, 33, 604-616(2023). (Featured article)
Zhuang, Y. #, *, Wang, Y. #, He, B. #, He, X. #, Zhou, X. E., Guo, S., Rao, Q., Yang, J., Liu, J., Zhou, Q., Wang, X., Liu, M., Jiang, X., Yang, D., Jiang, H., Shen, J., Melcher, K., Chen, H., Jiang, Y., Cheng, X., Wang, M.W. *, Xie, X. *, Xu, H.E. *. Molecular recognition of morphine and fentanyl by the human μ-opioid receptor. Cell, 185(23), 4361-4375 (2022). (Featured article; Best of Cell, 2023)
Zhuang, Y. #, Wang, L. #, Guo, J., Sun, D., Wang, Y., Liu, W., Xu, H.E. *. and Zhang, C. *. Molecular recognition of formylpeptides and diverse agonists by the formylpeptide receptors FPR1 and FPR2. Nat Commun, 13, 1054 (2022).
Zhuang, Y. #, Xu, P. #, Mao, C. #, Wang, L. #, Krumm, B. #, Zhou, X. E. #, Huang, S., Liu, H., Cheng, X., Huang, X. P., Shen, D. D., Xu, T., Liu, Y. F., Wang, Y., Guo, J., Jiang, Y., Jiang, H., Melcher, K., Roth, B. L. *, Zhang, Y. *, Zhang, C. *, Xu, H.E. *. Structural insights into the human D1 and D2 dopamine receptor signaling complexes. Cell. 184(4), 931-942 (2021). (Cover Story)
Zhuang, Y. #, Krumm, B. #, Zhang, H. #, Zhou, X. E., Wang, Y., Huang, X. P., Liu, Y., Cheng, X., Jiang, Y., Jiang, H., Zhang, C., Yi, W., Roth, B. L. *, Zhang, Y. *, Xu, H.E. *. Mechanism of dopamine binding and allosteric modulation of the human D1 dopamine receptor. Cell Res, 31(5), 593-596 (2021).
Liu, Q #, Yang, D #, Zhuang, Y. #, Croll, T. I., Cai, X., Dai, A., He, X., Duan, J., Yin, W., Ye, C., Zhou, F., Wu, B., Zhao, Q., Xu, H.E. *, Wang, M.W. *, Jiang, Y *. Ligand recognition and G-protein coupling selectivity of cholecystokinin A receptor. Nat Chem Biol, 17(12), 1238-1244 (2021).
Wang, Y. #, Guo, S. #, Zhuang, Y. #, Yun, Y. #, Xu, P. #, He, X., Guo, J., Yin, W., Xu, H. E. *, Xie, X. *, Jiang, Y *. Molecular recognition of an acyl-peptide hormone and activation of ghrelin receptor. Nat Commun, 12, 5064 (2021).
Xing, C. #, Zhuang, Y. #, Xu, T. H. #, Feng, Z. #, Zhou, X. E., Chen, M., Wang, L., Meng, X., Xue, Y., Wang, J., Liu, H., McGuire, T. F., Zhao, G., Melcher, K., Zhang, C. *, Xu, H.E. *, Xie, X. Q *. Cryo-EM structure of the human cannabinoid receptor CB2-Gi signaling complex. Cell, 180(4), 645-654(2020).
Zhuang, Y. #, Liu, H. #, Zhou, X. E., Kumar Verma, R., de Waal, P. W., Jang, W., Xu, T. H., Wang, L., Meng, X., Zhao, G., Kang, Y., Melcher, K., Fan, H., Lambert, N. A., Xu, H.E. *, Zhang, C. *. Structure of formylpeptide receptor 2-Gi complex reveals insights into ligand recognition and signaling. Nat Commun, 11, 885(2020).
Duan, J. #, Shen, D.D. #, Zhou, X.E. #, Bi, P. #, Liu, Q.F., Tan, Y.X., Zhuang, Y., Zhang, H. B., Xu, P. Y., Huang, S. J., Ma, S. S., He, X. H., Melcher, K., Zhang, Y. *, Xu, H.E. *, Jiang, Y *. Cryo-EM structure of an activated VIP1 receptor-G protein complex revealed by a NanoBiT tethering strategy. Nat Commun, 11, 4121 (2020).
Shi, Y., Ma, H., Zhuang, Y., Wang, X. X., Jiang, Y., Xu, H.E. C10ORF12 modulates PRC2 histone methyltransferase activity and H3K27me3 levels. Acta Pharmacol Sin, 40, 1457–1465 (2019).
Dutka, P., Mukherjee, S., Gao, X., Kang, Y., de Waal, P.W., Wang, L., Zhuang, Y., Melcher, K., Zhang, C., Xu, H.E., Kossiakoff, A. A. Development of “Plug and Play” Fiducial Marks for Structural Studies of GPCR Signaling Complexes by Single-Particle Cryo-EM. Structure, 27, 1-13 (2019).
Shi, Y, Wang, X, Zhuang, Y., Jiang, Y., Melcher, K., Xu, H.E. Structure of the PRC2 complex and application to drug discovery. Acta Pharmacol Sin, 38 (7), 963-976(2017).
Patent:
Youwen Zhuang, Jianhui Zhou, H. Eric Xu, Yue Wang, Xiaojie Lu. Polysubstituted 1,8-Xanthenedione Compounds, Preparation Methods, Compositions, and Uses Thereof (Patent No.2025118223549, 2025/12)