M.S., Ph. D. in Pharmaceutics and Drug Design, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.

M.S. in Microbial and Cellular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, USA.

B.S. in Biotechnology (Marine Biopharmaceutics), Department of Food Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China.

Principles of Biology (with Laboratory)

Molecular and Cellular Biology

Advanced Cell Biology

Cell Physiology

Internship/Externship Research

Work Experiences

08/2020-Now: College of Science and Technology, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

09/2014-08/2020: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

06/2012-09/2012: Late Stage Pharmaceutical Development, Pharmaceutical Technical Development Post Docs Department, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA.

05/2007-08/2007: Department of Technology, Shanghai EBM Medical Information Systems Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China.

Professional training

12/2016-06/2017: Visiting Scholar, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Medical Education Training Program, Omaha, NE, USA.

Patents

• A topical pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of non-allergic rhinitis, CN 110179843 A. August 2019.
• Effervescent tablet containing intact plant tissue and its preparation process, CN 110237044 A. September 2019.

Research Grants

• Formulation development of a CD44 tropic PD-L1 inhibitor immune synergistic drug delivery platform and its efficacy study, National Natural Science Foundation of China, 32060226, 2021/01/01-2024/12/31.
• The formulation development of BMS-1166 smart delivery system and it’s efficacy study,  Wenzhou-Kean University 2022 International Collaborative Research Program, ICRP202201, 2022/09/01-2024/08/31.
• The effect and mechanism study of mitochondria-targeted resveratrol conjugate on breast cancer treatment, 2022 Student partnering with Faculty Research Program, WKUSPF202226, 2022/09/01-2023/08/31.
• Formulation development of docetaxel based targeted drug delivery system and its efficacy study in human prostate cancer. Wenzhou-Kean University 2021 Internal (Faculty/Staff) Research Support Programs, IRSPG202102, 2021/09/01-2023/08/31.
• Research on innovative practice of ideological and political in Sino-foreign university. 2022 Higher Education Research Program by the Zhejiang Province Association of Higher Education, KT2022217, 2023/01/01-2023/12/31.
• The anti-proliferative effect of Lavender angustifolia leaf extract and its major constituents on human prostate cancer, 2017 Yunnan Applied Basic Research Projects-Basic Research Kunming Medical University Joint Project Special Funds, 2017FE468(-131), 2017/07-2020/06.
• The anti-proliferative effect of Lavender angustifolia leaf extract on human prostate cancer, Open Research Foundation of Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pharmacology for Natural Products, 2014G006, 2014/11/-2015/10.
• Efficacy study of PI3K targeted micelle in prostate cancer xenograft model, Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, 2015/06-2017/05.

Awards

11/2021: The First Place of Zhejiang Teaching Competition, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

09/2021: Excellence Award in Research and Creativity, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

09/2018: Excellence in Teaching Award, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

06/2018: The First Place Teaching Award and the Most Popular Award of Kunming Medical University Teaching Competition, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

05/2018: Outstanding Young Professionals, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

12/2017: The National Grand Prize of Pharmacy Teaching Competition, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.

12/2017: The National First Place of Pharmacy Micro-lecture Teaching Competition, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.

11/2015: 2015 Outstanding Recent Graduate Award, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, USA.

08/2013: 2013 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition Formulation Design and Development Section Travel Award, San Antonio, TX, USA.

12/2011: Genentech Process Research and Development Outstanding Student Award, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA.

08/2011: Graduate Scholarly Presentation Travel Award, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.

06/2011: PhD Student Research Grant Award, Kansas Academy of Science, KS, USA.

2008-2009: Harold Durst Graduate Research Grant Award, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, USA.

2008-2009: Graduate Student Research Award, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, USA

Professional Associations

• Wenzhou Science and Technology Association, Vice President
• The Chinese Association of Young Scientists And Technologists
• Wenzhou Science and Technology Institute Expert
• Wenzhou Association for Women in Science and Technology, Council member

Yunqi’s research focuses on cancer chemoprevention with naturally occurring compounds and the formulation development of anti-cancer drugs. Her areas of interest include: (1) Investigating anti-cancer effects of naturally occurring compounds; (2) Developing drug delivery platform of anti-cancer drugs; (3) Developing targeted chemo-immunotherapy for cancer treatment.

Selected Research Publications

• Yan Z, Yang K, Tang X, Bi Y, Ding Y, Deng M, Xia D, Zhao Yunqi^*, Chen T^*. Norcantharidin Nanostructured Lipid Carrier (NCTD-NLC) Suppresses the Viability of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells and Accelerates the Apoptosis. Journal of Immunology Research. 2022 Apr 20;2022:3851604. PMID: 35497873
• Yu H, Ning N, Meng X, Chittasupho C, Jiang L^*, Zhao Yunqi^*. Sequential Drug Delivery in Targeted Cancer Therapy. Pharmaceutics. 2022, 14, 573. PMID: 35335949
• Liu Y, Li S, Pu M, Qin H, Wang H, Zhao Yunqi^*, Chen T^*. Structural Characterization of Polysaccharides Isolated from Panax notoginseng Medicinal Residue and Its Protective Effect on Myelosuppression Induced by Cyclophosphamide. Chem Biodivers. 2021 Nov 24:e2100681. PMID: 34817123
• Zhao Yunqi^*, Meng X, Zeng Y, Wang C, Chen J, She Z. Linalool Inhibits MCF-7 Tumor Growth in a Xenograft Model by Apoptosis Induction and Immune Modulation. Natural Product Communications. 2021;16(5): 1–4.
• Zhao Yunqi^*, Cheng X, Wang G, Liao Y, Qing C. Linalool inhibits 22Rv1 prostate cancer cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Oncol Lett. 2020 Dec;20(6):289. PMID: 33029205.
• Cheng X, Zhao G, Zhao Yunqi^*. Combination Immunotherapy Approaches for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2018 Mar 7;2018:6240467. PMID: 29707526
• Zhao Yunqi^*, Chen R, Wang Y, Yang Y^*. α-Pinene Inhibits Human Prostate Cancer Growth in a Mouse Xenograft Model. Chemotherapy. 2017 Oct 26;63(1):1-7. PMID: 29069647
• Alrushaid S^#, Zhao Yunqi^#, Sayre CL, Maayah ZH, Laird Forrest M, Senadheera SN, Chaboyer K, Anderson HD, El-Kadi AOS, Neal Davies M^*. Mechanistically elucidating the in vitro safety and efficacy of a novel doxorubicin derivative. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2017 Aug;7(4):582-597. PMID:28462502
• Hu C^#, Zhao Yunqi^#, Sun H, Yang Y^*. Synergism of Dam, MutH, and MutS in methylation-directed mismatch repair in Escherichia coli. Mutat Res. 2017 Jan;795:31-33. PMID:28107644
• Zhao Yunqi^*, Chen R, Wang Y, Qing C, Wang W, Yang Y^*. In Vitro and In Vivo Efficacy Studies of Lavender angustifolia Essential Oil and Its Active Constituents on the Proliferation of Human Prostate Cancer. Integr Cancer Ther. 2017 Jun;16(2):215-226.PMID:27151584
• Chen R, Zhao Yunqi, Huang Y, Yang Q, Zeng X, Jiang W, Liu J, Thrasher JB, Forrest ML, Li B^*. Nanomicellar TGX221 blocks xenograft tumor growth of prostate cancer in nude mice. Prostate. 2015 May;75(6):593-602. PMID:25620467
• Zhao Yunqi, Zhang T, Duan S, Davies NM, Forrest ML^*. CD44-Tropic Polymeric Nanocarrier for Breast Cancer Targeted Rapamycin Chemotherapy. Nanomedicine. 2014 Aug;10(6):1221-30. PMID: 24637218
• Remsberg CM^#, Zhao Yunqi^#, Takemoto JK, Bertram RM, Davies NM and Forrest ML^*. Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of a DSPE-PEG2000 Micellar Formulation of Ridaforolimus in Rat, Pharmaceutics. 2012 Dec;5:81-93. PMID: 22806441
• Mohamed EA, Zhao Yunqi, Meshali MM, Remsberg CM, Borg TM, Foda AMM, Takemoto JK, Sayre C, Martinez S, Davies NM^*, Forrest ML^*. Vorinostat with Sustained Exposure and High Solubility in Poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(DL-lactic acid) Micelle Nanocarriers: Characterization and Effects on Pharmacokinetics in Rat Serum and Urine. J. Pharm. Sci. 2012 Oct;101(10):3787-3798. PMID: 22806441
• Zhao Yunqi^#, Duan S^#, Zeng X, Liu C, Davies NM, Li B, Forrest ML^*. Prodrug Strategy for PSMA-Targeted Delivery of TGX-221 to Prostate Cancer Cells. Mol. Pharm. 2012 Jun;9(6):1705-1716. PMID: 22494444

Book Chapters

• Hart DS, Yunqi Zhaoand Forrest ML. “Polyethylene Glycol Polyester Block Copolymers: Biocompatible Carriers for Nanoparticulate Drug Delivery” in Handbook of Harnessing Biomaterials in Nanomedicine: Preparation, Toxicity, and Applications, Ed. Dan Peer. Taylor & Francis Publishing, (Oxford, UK) (2012). ISBN-13 978-981-4316-46-0
• Weidong Lu, Yunqi Zhao. “Chapter 6. Introduction of Pharmacokinetics.” Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics. Science Press (Beijing, China) (2016). ISBN: 978-7-03-050460-9 (2019 Excellent Textbook of Yunnan Province Award)
• Xianliang Cheng, Yixin Yang, Yunqi Zhao. “Chapter 4. Targeted Nanomedicines   for   Prostate Cancer Treatment.” Recent Advances in Prostate Cancer. Avid Science (2016). ISBN: 978-93-86337-47-4