Our Team — The Tao Lab

Meet the Team

Senior Fellow

Wei Chen, Ph.D.

Dr. Wei Chen received his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2019 under the supervision of Prof. Jeffrey I. Zink. He joined Dr. Tao’s lab in 2020. His research interests include nanomedicine and biomaterials in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and other inflammatory diseases.

Research Fellows (Postdocs)

Xiangang Huang, Ph.D.

Dr. Xiangang Huang obtained his PhD in Pharmaceutical Science from ETH Zurich in 2016. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School. His current research focuses on siRNA delivery for gene silencing applications and mRNA delivery for in situ production of functional proteins.

Muhammad Muzamil Khan, Ph.D.

Dr. Muhammad Muzamil Khan has received his Ph.D. degree from The Islmia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan in Dr. Asadullah Madni Lab and conducted his Ph.D. research at Northeastern University under supervision of Dr. Vladimir Torchilin. He received Fulbright Scholarship and joined Dr. Tao’s Lab in 2023 as a postdoc researcher. His research interests include nanomedicine, targeted co-delivery of drugs and genes (siRNA, mRNA) for disease treatments.

Senfeng Zhao

Senfeng Zhao is a Ph.D. student at Central South University, majoring in chemical engineering and technology. He joined Prof. Tao’s group as a joint Ph.D. student in Feb. 2024. In Tao’s Lab, his research interests include the development of multifunctional nanomaterials and drug delivery..

Soohwan An, Ph.D.

Dr. Soohwan An received his Ph.D. degree in Biotechnology from Yonsei University in 2022 and conducted his postdoctoral research at Yonsei University from 2022 to 2023. He joined Dr. Tao’s Lab in 2023 as a postdoctoral research fellow. His research interests include the development of nanotechnology-based RNA therapies combined with hydrogel systems.

Shuying Chen, M.D.

Dr. Shuying Chen received her M.D. degree at Fudan University in 2021. She then joined Dr. Wei Tao’s lab as a postdoctoral research fellow in 2022. In Tao Lab, her research interests include the development of novel nanotechnology -based mRNA therapies.

Xinru You, Ph.D.

She received her Ph.D. at Sun Yat-sen University in 2020 and completed her post-doctoral research at Sun Yat-sen University in 2020 to 2022. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Tao lab and her research interests include the development of biodegradable and bioactive polymers for drug delivery.

Yiming Zhang, Ph.D.

Dr. Yiming Zhang obtained his Ph.D. at Nankai University in 2022. He is currently a joint postdoctoral fellow at Prof. Tao’s lab at BWH, HMS starting from Sept. 2022. In Tao’s Lab, his research focuses on the development of siRNA-, mRNA-based delivery platforms for biomedical applications.

Bin Liu, Ph.D.

Dr. Bin Liu obtained his Ph.D. in Food Science from China Agricultural University in 2021 and completed his post-doctoral research at ETH Zurich in 2023. He has served as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Tao’s Lab since 2024. His research is dedicated to the design and application of micro/nanocarriers derived from food materials, aiming to achieve precise delivery of bioactive compounds.

Yesi Shi, Ph.D.

Dr. Yesi Shi completed his Ph.D. at Xiamen University in 2022. He is now a postdoctoral fellow under the co-supervision from Prof. Gang Liu and Prof. Wei Tao. In Tao Lab, his research interests include the development of novel nanotechnology-based siRNA and mRNA therapies.

Ph.D. Students

Zhuoming Zhou

Zhuoming Zhou is a Ph.D. student at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, majoring in cardiovascular surgery. He joined Prof. Wei Tao’s group as a joint Ph.D. student in May 2023. In Tao’s Lab, his research interests include the application of nanomedicine and biomaterials in cardiovascular diseases.

Xueyan Zhen

Xueyan Zhen is a Ph.D. student in Xi’an Jiaotong University and a joint Ph.D student under the supervision of Prof. Wei Tao at BWH, HMS starting from Nov. 2022. In Tao’s Lab, her research interests include the development of novel mRNA-based therapies.

Qimanguli Saiding, Ph.D.

Qimanguli Saiding obtained her Ph.D. at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2024. She joined Prof. Tao’s research group as a joint Ph.D. student in July 2023, and became a postdoctoral fellow after obtaining her Ph.D. degree. In Tao’s lab, her research interests include fabricating and designing anti-inflammatory biomaterials.

Undergraduate Student

Dylan Neal Patel

Dylan Neal Patel is a sophomore attending Boston University majoring in Biomedical Engineering and perusing a minor in Chemistry. He plans to attend medical school after his undergraduate studies. Dylan completed a research internship at Dr. Tao’s Lab in 2021 and rejoined in 2023. His research interests include RNA-based nanomedicine, cancer therapy, and biomaterial fabrication.

“Mascot”

“Lab Bear”

“Bear graduated from Harvard Medical School (HMS). She is now working as a mascot in the Tao Lab at BWH, HMS. In the Tao Lab, she watches every lab meeting, encourages all the lab members, and witnesses every progress of the Tao Lab.”

Qian Chen

Qian Chen is a Ph.D. student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, majoring in Internal Medicine. She joined Prof. Tao's research group as a joint Ph.D. student in Oct. 2023. In Tao's lab, her research interests include novel nanotechnology-based mRNA and siRNA therapies for kidney diseases.