Anjie Zhen, PhD

Dr. Zhen's primary research interests are on gene therapy and engineered immunity to treat HIV infection, cancer and other chronic diseases. Her group studies hematopoietic stem cell based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy and mechanisms of immune exhaustion. They are also actively investigating how substance abuse, particularly cannabis, alter innate and adaptive immune responses in the context of HIV infection and cancer.

Zhen A, Kamata M, Rezek V, Rick J, Levin B, Kasparian S, Chen I, Yang O, Zack J, Kitchen. HIV specific Immunity Derived From Chimeric Antigen Receptor-engineered Stem Cells. Molecular Therapy; 2015 Jun 26;:1–10. PMCID: PMC4817874

Zhen A, Peterson C, Carrillo M, Reddy S, Youn C, Lam B, Chang N, Martin H, Rick J, Kim J, Neel N, Rezek V, Kamata M, Chen I, Zack J, Kiem H-P, Kitchen S. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Based Chimeric Antigen Receptor Therapy for SHIV infected Pigtail Macaques. PloS Pathog. 2017 Dec 28;13(12):e1006753. PMCID: PMC5746250

Zhen A, Carrillo M, Mu W, Rezek V, Martin H, Hamid P, Chen, I. S. Y, Yang O, Zack J, Kitchen S. Robust CAR-T memory formation and function via hematopoietic stem cell delivery. PLoS Pathog 17(4): e1009404. 2021 Apr doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1009404. PMID: 33793675

Tomer S, Mu W, Suryawanshi G, Ng H, Wang L, Wennerberg W, Rezek V, Martin H, Chen I, Kitchen S, Zhen A. Cannabidiol modulates expression of type I IFN response genes and HIV infection in macrophages. Front. Immunol., 29 Sep 29:13:926696 PMID: 36248834

Mu W, Rezek V, Martin H, Carrillo M, Hamid P, Lizarraga M, Yang O, Jamieson B, Kitchen S, Zhen A. Induction of Autophagy reduces IFN-I mediated Inflammation and restores anti-HIV-1 T Cell response in vivo. JCI Insight. 2022;7(22):e159136.