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Taotao obtained his bachelor degree in chemistry from Wuhan University in June-2010. Thereafter he went to The University of Hong Kong (HKU) to go after his PhD study under the supervision of Professor Chi-Ming Che and obtained the degree in Feb-2015. After that, he has been a postdoc fellow for three years at the University of Warwick with Prof. Peter J Sadler, at HKU with Prof. Chi-Ming Che, and at The Scripps Research Institute with Prof. Xiang-Lei Yang and Paul Schimmel. Since Mar 2018, Taotao has been an Assistant Professor in School of Science and Engineering of The Chinese Unviersity of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. His research interests lie at the interface of chemistry and biology, particularly, medicinal chemistry and chemical biology, including anti-cancer compounds (inorganic and organic) with in vitro and in vivo activities, drug target identification, luminescent DNA probes, and drug self-assembly and delivery. His research has been recognized by local and international awards, such as SciFinder Future Leaders, Li Ka Shing Prizes, Hong Kong Young Scientist Awards, Finalist of Reaxys PhD Prize and Springer Theses Prize.
Medicinal chemistry of metal medicines
Luminescent biological probes
Chemical biology
Zou, T.;# Lok, C.-N.,# Wan, P.-K., Zhang, Z.-F., Fung, S.-K., Che, C.-M. Anticancer Metal N-Heterocyclic carbene complexes of gold, platinum and palladium, Curr. Opin. Chem. Bio., 2018, 43, 30-36 (# equal contribution).
Fung, S. K.;# Zou, T.;# Cao, B.; Lee, P.-Y.; Fung, Y. M. E.; Hu, D.; Lok, C.-N.; Che, C.-M., Cyclometallated Gold(III) Complexes Containing N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands Engage Multiple Anti-Cancer Molecular Targets, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 3892-3896. (# equal contribution, Very Important Paper).
Zou, T.; Zhang, J.-J.; Cao, B.; Tong, K.-C.; Lok, C.-N.; Che, C.-M. Deubiquitinases as Anticancer Targets of Gold Complexes, Isr. J. Chem. 2016, 2016, 56, 825-833.
Zou, T., Anti-Cancer N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes of Gold(III), Gold(I) and Platinum(II): Thiol "Switch-on" Fluorescent Probes, Thioredoxin Reductase Inhibitors and Endoplasmic Reticulum Targeting Agents; Springer Theses, Springer, 2016
Fung, S. K.;# Zou, T.;# Cao, B.; Chen, T.; To, W.-P.; Yang, C.; Lok, C.-N.; Che, C.-M., Luminescent platinum(II) complexes with functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene or diphosphine selectively probe mismatched and abasic DNA, Nat. Commun. 2016, 7, 10655. (# equal contribution).
Zou, T., Sadler, P. J. Speciation of precious metal anti-cancer complexes by NMR spectroscopy. Drug Discov. Today Technol. 2015, 16, 7-15.
Tsai, J. L.-L.;# Zou, T.;# Liu, J.; Chen, T.; Chan, A. O.-Y.; Yang, C.; Lok, C.-N.; Che, C.-M., Luminescent platinum(ii) complexes with self-assembly and anti-cancer properties: hydrogel, pH dependent emission color and sustained-release properties under physiological conditions. Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 3823-3830 (# equal contribution).
Zou, T., Hung, F.-F., Yang, C., Che, C.-M. Strongly Phosphorescent Transition-Metal Complexes with N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands as Cellular Probes. In: Luminescent and Photoactive Transition Metal Complexes as Biomolecular Probes and Cellular Reagents Vol. 165 (Ed.: Lo, K. K.-W.). Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015, pp. 181-203.
Zou, T.; Lum, C. T.; Lok, C.-N.; Zhang, J.-J.; Che, C.-M., Chemical biology of anticancer gold(III) and gold(I) complexes. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2015, 44, 8786-8801 (Outside Front Cover).
Zou, T.;# Liu, J.;# Lum, C. T.; Ma, C.; Chan, R. C.-T.; Lok, C.-N.; Kwok, W.-M.; Che, C.-M., Luminescent Cyclometalated Platinum(II) Complex Forms Emissive Intercalating Adducts with Double Stranded DNA and RNA: Differential Emissions and Anticancer Activities. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 10119-10123 (# equal contribution).
Zou, T.; Lum, C. T.; Lok, C.-N.; To, W.-P.; Low, K.-H.; Che, C.-M., A Binuclear Gold(I) Complex with Mixed Bridging Diphosphine and Bis(N-Heterocyclic Carbene) Ligands Shows Favorable Thiol Reactivity and Inhibits Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis In Vivo. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 5810-5814.
Lok, C.-N.;# Zou, T.;# Zhang, J.-J.; Lin, I. W.-S.; Che, C.-M., Controlled-Release Systems for Metal-Based Nanomedicine: Encapsulated/Self-Assembled Nanoparticles of Anticancer Gold(III)/Platinum(II) Complexes and Antimicrobial Silver Nanoparticles. Adv. Mater. 2014, 26, 5550-5557 (# equal contribution)