Brief Introduction of the Executive Committee of the Chinese Pharmacological Society North America Chapter(CPSNAC) and the Specialists in This Issue

Brief Introduction of the Executive Committee of the Chinese Pharmacological Society North America Chapter(CPSNAC) and the Specialists in This Issue

Dr.Dayue Darrel DUAN(MD，PhD&FAHA)is the President of CPSNAC,and a Professor of Pharmacology and Principle Investigator of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Phenomics in the Center for Molecular Medicine and the Department of Pharmacology at University of Nevada School of Medicine.Dr.DUAN discovered several anion channels in the heart and has made significant original contributions to the study of biophysics,physiology,pharmacology,and molecular biology of ion channels in the cardiovascular system.His research focuses on the functional genomics and proteomics of ion channels and the application of phenomics in precision medicine and drug discovery.Dr.DUAN has published over 90 peerreviewed papers and book chapters in high impact journals including Nature,Physiological Review, Circulation,and Circulation Research.He is an Editor-in-Chief of International Archives of Clinical Pharmacology,Journal of Clinical&Experimental Cardiology and Journal of Cardiovascular Disease and Diagnosis; Associate Editor of Acta Pharmacologica Sinica.He serves as a reviewer on grant Review Study Sections and Committees of AHA,Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation.NIH Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel NHLBI Systems Biology,American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)NYSTEM Cardiology Panel,and NIH Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics,NIH ESTA,special panels,AIBS NYSTEM Cardiology Panel,and NIH Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics;National Natural Science Foundation of China;Canadian Institutes of Health Research(CIHR),Canada;Research Management Group;Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council(BBSRC),UK,The Welcome Trust,UK.Overseas expert member,Ministry of Education, China,External Reviewer,the Research Grants Council(RGC)of Hong Kong.

Dr.Chun-xiang Kevin ZHANG(MD&PhD)is the Executive Vice-President of CPSNAC.Dr.ZHANG is an Endowed Chair Professor,the Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and the Director of University Cardiovascular Research Center at Rush University in Chicago.He has over 20 years of experience and expertise in the areas of basic,translational and clinical cardiovascular research.During 2001-2006,he had set up and overseen a cross-department vascular injury program at the University of Tennessee.From 2007-2010,Dr.ZHANG had worked as the Vice Chairman for Research at New Jersey Medical School.Since 2011,He has moved to Rush University as the Chairman of the Pharmacology Department.Dr.ZHANG′s research team is a pioneering group to explore the roles of miRNAs in cardiovascular biology and cardiovascular diseases.He has published 99 peer-reviewed research articles in high impact journals such as Science,J Exp Med,Circ Res ATVB,Diabetes,and JBC（impact factor:526;h-index:39;citations:5808).His research achievement is also well-documented in his grant application.Since 2001,he has obtained nearly$15 million research grants from NIH,AHA and ADA.Dr.ZHANG′s current research programs are focused on microRNAs and stem cells in atherosclerosis and restenosis,myocardial infarction,cardiac hypertrophy,cardiovascular aging and diabetic cardiovascular complications.In addition to research and research administration,Dr.ZHANG is also highly active in other academic activities at both national and international levels.He is the Chair of the Events/Conference Committee for the International Society for Translational Medicine(ISTM).He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology,and a Councilor of the American College of Cardiology at Chicago.He is a Consultant Scientist in Cardiology at the United States Congress.He is the Editor-in-Chief of American Journal of Contemporary Cardiovascular Research;Associate Editor of Journal of Translational Medicine;and Editorial Board member of 15 peer-reviewed journals.Dr.ZHANG is also the grant reviewer for 11 national and international research organizations including NIH,DOD,VA system,Chang Jiang Scholars Program,and the National Natural Science Foundation.

Dr.Zhong-ping FENG(MD&PhD),is the Vice President of CPSNAC,and the Guest Editor-in-Chief of this special issue.Dr.FENG is a Tenured Professor in the Department of Physiology and the Director of Collaborative Program In Neuroscience at the University of Toronto,Canada.She received a PhD degree in Neuroscience from the University of Calgary and an MSc degree in Pharmacology from the University of Alberta in Canada,and a Medical Degree from Zhongshan Medical College in China.She obtained her postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary and was a Scientist at the NeuroMed Drug Company at Vancouver in Canada. Since started her lab at the University of Toronto in 2003,she has led her team to investigate the biophysical and pharmacological properties of ion channels,and calcium-dependent regulatory mechanisms of neurodevelopment,neural plasticity and neurodegeneration.

Dr.Hong-shuo SUN(MD&PhD)is the General Secretary of CPSNAC.Dr.SUN is currently a Tenured Associate Professor and PhD supervisor in Departments of Surgery,Physiology and Pharmacology,and Institute of Medical Science,Faculty of Medicine,University of Toronto,Canada.Dr.SUN graduated in Zhongshan Medical College,Sun Yat-Sen University,and completed his training as a cardiologist at the First University Hospital of Zhongshan Medical College,Guangzhou,China.He obtained his MSc degree in Pharmacology,University of Alberta,Canada;and his PhD degree in Neurosciences in University of Calgary,Canada.His postdoctoral training was in University Health Network,Toronto,Canada.His research focus is on studying the role of ion channels in neuroprotection and drug development for stroke and hypoxia.

Dr.Yan-fang CHEN(MD&PhD)is a Director of CPSNAC.Dr.CHEN is a Tenured Professor and the director of Preclinical Pharmacology Core(PPC)of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Wright State University(WSU)Boonshoft School of Medicine, USA.He is also the adjunct faculty member in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Neurology at WSU.His research focuses on the reninangiotensin system,stem cell therapy,cardiovascular and cerebraovascular diseases,diabetes,biomarkers and functional studies of extracellular microvesicles and exosomes,etc.He has published many peer reviewed research articles,and serves on the editorial board and a peer reviewer of scientific journals.He is a member of prestigious professional societies(AHA,ADA,APS,AfN,etc).He also serves on several grant committees including AHA,NSFC,etc.

Dr.Guang-yu WU(MD&PhD)is a Director of CPSNAC.Dr.WU is a Tenured Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology,Medical College of Georgia,Georgia Regents University.Overall research effort in Dr.WU′s laboratory is to define the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiological functions of the intracellular trafficking and signal propagation of G protein-coupled receptors(GPCRs). Dr.WU′s research at the earlier stages was mainly on the GPCR pharmacology and signal transduction pathways and his recent studies focus on the regulation of GPCR biosynthetic pathways which controls the targeting of newly synthesizedGPCRs to their functional destinations en route from the endoplasmic reticulum through the Golgi apparatus.

Dr.Han-ting ZHANG(MD&PhD)is a Director of CPSNAC and″Taishan Scholars″Distinguished Professor.Dr.ZHANG is a Professor of Pharmacology at School of Pharmacy,Taishan Medical University,and an Associate Professor in Departments of Behavioral Medicine&Psychiatry and Physiology&Pharmacology,West Virginia University School of Medicine,Morgantown,WV,USA.Dr.ZHANG′s graduate training was from Beijing InstituteofPharmacology& ToxicologyandFellowship from Pharmacology,Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and Pharmacology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center.Dr.ZHANG′s major research interests focus on intracellular signaling in the mediation of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.More specifically,he is interested in exploring the roles of phosphodiesterasemediated cAMP/CREB signaling in mediating depression,anxiety,alcohol dependence,drug abuse, and cognition deficits associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease.Development of novel drugs for treating these disorders is also one of his research foci.

Dr.Jun-xu LI(MD&PhD)is a member of CPSNAC.Dr.LI is currently a Tenured Associate Professor at Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology,the State University of New York at Buffalo.He received his bachelor degree on clinical medicine in 2000 from Binzhou Medical University,his PhD degree on pharmacology in 2005 from Peking University Health Science Center and finished his postdoctoral fellowship in 2008 in University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Between 2008 and 2010,he was an instructor in Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.Since 2010,he joined the faculty of the State University of New York at Buffalo as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2016.The primary research interests in Dr.LI′s laboratory are pain neuropharmacology and drug abuse research.He has published 75 peer-reviewed papers in various field journals of neuropsychopharmacology.He has secured nearly 3 million dollars of federal funding in the past several years and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for more than 30 field journals.He also acts as an academic editor for the journal Nature Sci Rep and serves on the editorial board for the journals Metab Brain Dis,and Int J Physiol,Pathophysiol&Pharmacol.Dr.LI has been invited to present on several scientific conferences and more than a dozen universities/institutions.

Dr.Ying XU(PhD)is a member of CPSNAC.Dr.XU got her PhD degree from Peking University in 2006.She is an Assistant Professor in School of Pharmacy& Pharmaceutical Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo since 2013.Dr.XU has long been working in drug discovery focusing on treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.Her research includes the effects and molecular mechanism of natural polyphenols and target synthetic drugs on neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders,such as age-related cognitive disorders,depression, anxiety and neuropathic pain.Her recent work has focused on drug development,particularly phosphodiesterase 2 and 9 inhibitors,on CNS disorders.Dr.XU is the winner of 2005 New Investigator Award(NIA)in the American Association of College of Pharmacy.She is serving for seven peer-reviewed journals as an editorial board member and 25 journals as a reviewer.Dr. XU published more than 60 peer-reviewed research papers,reviews and book chapters.

Dr.Tian-ru JIN(MD&PhD)is a member of CPSNAC.Dr.JIN is a Professor in Department of Medicine and in Department of Physiology.He is also a Principal Investigator of Banting and Best Diabetes Centre(BBDC).Dr.JIN is a researcher in molecular biology and molecular endocrinology.His major scientific contributions include the introduction of Wnt signaling pathway into the incretin hormone field.He served or is serving on grant committees for Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)and Canadian Diabetes Association(CDA).He authored over 100 papers including those in Endocrine Rev,Endocrinology,Diabetes,Diabetologia,Oncogene, Mol Cell Biol,J Biol Chem,Circulation Research,and Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.

Dr.Yu-feng TONG(PhD)is a member of CPSNAC.Dr.TONG is a structural biologist trained in high-resolution solution nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography. He received B.Sc.in Chemistry from Tsinghua University and did his PhD study at the Institute of Biophysics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.He is currently a principal investigator at the Structural Genomics Consortium Toronto and an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto.His research focuses on the regulation of small GTPases and ubiquitin cell signalling.He was first to solve the crystal structures of the catalytic domain of trans-membrane Ras GTPase activating protein plexin B1 and revealed the ubiquitinfold like insertion of plexin B1 regulates the cross-talk with Rho GTPases.He also first described the structural basisofphosphorylation-independent interaction of the forkhead-associated domain of kinesin KIF13B with adaptor protein centaurin-α1 and cargo phosphoinositols.This complex was also the first known kinesin-cargo structure.In collaboration with Dr.Sidhu′s laboratory at the University of Toronto,he recently developed ubiquitin-based biological probes targeting the whole HECT-type E3 ubiquitin ligase family.Dr.TONG is currently leading a project to develop tool molecules targeting a ubiquitinspecific protease involved in neurological disorder,jointly-funded by Janssen Pharmaceuticals and the Center for Collaborative Drug Research.He co-authored more than 100 macromolecular structures and over 35 publications on peer-reviewed journals including Mol Cell,Proc Natl Acad Sci USA,J Biol Chem,Structure,and Methods Mol Biol.

Other Members of the Committee:

Dr.Ke-li HU(MD&PhD),the Treasurer of CPSNAC;Associate Professor(with tenure),Division of Pharmacology,College of Pharmacy,the Ohio State University.

Dr.Jin J LUO(MD&PhD),a Director of CPSNAC;Professor,Departments of Neurology and Pharmacology;Director,EMG/Neuromuscular Medicine,Temple University,School of Medicine.

Dr.Guo-chang FAN(PhD),a Director of CPSNAC;Associate Professor,Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics,University of Cincinnati,USA.