Scientist Profile: Tong Zhou, M.D.

Twenty years ago, Tong Zhou, M.D., came to America to further his scientific training. Today he is advancing medical knowledge, making discoveries that may point toward promising new cancer treatments.  

A World Apart            
The Comprehensive Cancer Center scientist, professor of medicine and cell biology, and recognized leader in the study of cell death in autoimmune diseases has literally come a long way. Growing up in Beijing, China, Dr. Zhou developed an early interest in science, later cultivating his curiosity at Beijing’s Capital University of Medical Sciences, where he began working in immunology, the study of all aspects of the immune system.

Upon receiving his medical degree in 1986, Dr. Zhou joined a Beijing hospital as a junior immunologist. There he became one of the first people in China to work with monoclonal antibodies, laboratory-produced molecules that bind to specific proteins on the surface of tumor cells and interfere with cell function. But Dr. Zhou wanted to take his research in new directions. “The China of 20 years ago was much different than the China of today,” Dr. Zhou says. “There was not as much research support available, so I began looking for positions in the United States.”

Through a scientific journal, Dr. Zhou found and applied for a position at UAB. “The chances of getting it were not high, but I was lucky enough to receive an offer.” So Dr. Zhou moved to Birmingham in 1987 and began working as a postdoctoral fellow in UAB’s Neuropsychiatry Research Program. After two years, he transferred to the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, where he has remained ever since.

The transition to life in America was difficult for Dr. Zhou at first. “I had to learn English—not only speaking it, but also writing it properly,” he says. “Communication was a problem, particularly scientific communication. It took a couple of years to get used to the language.”  

A Research Collaboration Emerges
Dr. Zhou eventually passed the language barrier, and his scientific work began to quickly grow and take shape. “I began learning much more here at UAB,” he says. “The technology and the excellent environment gave me the power to do some novel research.”

Much of Dr. Zhou’s research focuses on the process of apoptosis, or so-called “cell death.” In the mid-1990s, UAB established a partnership with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Sankyo to develop therapeutics that would specifically target apoptosis. This collaboration would lead to the development of an antibody that has become a major focus of Dr. Zhou’s research.

The antibody, known as anti-DR5, targets a specific “death receptor” on the surface of cells, triggering apoptosis. “Surprisingly, the antibody induced very strong apoptosis in cancer cells, but not normal cells,” Dr. Zhou says. “This was a very exciting discovery, because at the time nobody believed an antibody could directly induce cell death.”

Dr. Zhou’s results with anti-DR5 were so promising that the antibody moved into a phase I clinical trial, which proved the antibody to be completely safe for treating people. Anti-DR5 is now in phase II trials, which are expected to be completed in 2009.

“This antibody is a perfect example of translational research, bridging the basic science in the laboratory with the clinical component,” Dr. Zhou says. “It’s not easy to develop an antibody totally from the laboratory to the clinic, especially in five or six years. It’s a major accomplishment.”  

The Fundamental Issue
In addition to his ongoing work with anti-DR5, Dr. Zhou holds appointments in several UAB divisions and research centers. In 2008 he received the Albert F. LoBuglio Distinguished Faculty Award, which is presented to a faculty member who has made distinguished contributions to the Cancer Center’s research activities.

Though he has little free time, Dr. Zhou enjoys traveling and relaxing at home. He does return to China to visit family, including his parents. And after 21 years, he is still happy at UAB. “I enjoy it here very much,” he says. “The research environment is my number-one consideration. You want to be in the best environment, and UAB and the Cancer Center both offer me that.”

As for what motivates him, the answer is simple: “The patient’s interest is always at the forefront of my scientific research. That is why I went to medical school,” he says. “Our research has to focus on developing something to benefit the patient. That is the fundamental issue.”