Dr. Zhang’s general interest is the nutrient control of gene expression in health and disease. Particularly, he is interested in the regulation of gene expression by micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, as well as phytochemicals.

As living organisms, we continuously exchange chemical components with the environment; the exchange nutrients are implicated in the regulation of gene expression and cell fates, which ultimately confer life or death. With increasing knowledge of the importance of nutrition in our aging population, medicine is shifting its focus from treatment of acute diseases, to the prevention of cancer and chronic diseases. It has been estimated that thirty to fifty percent of all chronic diseases are preventable by attention to dietary factors.

Present research projects in his laboratory are focused on, but not limited to, the (1) molecular mechanisms of chemo-preventive effects of different phytochemicals, especially resveratrol, in prostate cancer development, (2) mechanisms of resveratrol effects on tensin expression and prostate cancer, and (3) the underlying molecular mechanisms of TMPRSS fusion with ETS transcriptional factors (ERG in particular) in cancer prevention and gene therapy.