Z. Joe Zhao, PhD

Z. Joe Zhao, PhD Professor of Pathology

Dr. Zhao is the Alfred M. Shideler Professor and Director of Experimental Pathology in the Department of Pathology at OUHSC. He obtained his Ph.D. in biochemistry and biophysics at Oregon State University and postdoctoral training at the University of Washington with Nobel laureate Edmond H. Fischer. His group has been working on a group of enzymes called tyrosine phosphatases. Tyrosine phosphatases have a fundamental role in controlling numerous important aspects of human cellular physiology in health and disease. Malfunctioning of these enzymes causes many diseases, including various aging and aging-related disorders. In their earlier studies, by using the nematode C. elegans worms as a model system, Zhao’s group identified that a particular member of tyrosine phosphatases, designated MTM3, plays an essential role in muscle maintenance. Their data demonstrated that reduced expression of MTM3 in the worm causes a rapid loss of muscle fibers in an age-dependent manner. Their further studies are intended to define how MTM3 affects muscle integrity in the worms and to reveal the implication of the enzyme in aging-associated sarcopenia in humans.