Dr. Shanshan Lu | Biomolecules | Best Researcher Award

Doctorate at Dalian University of Technology, China

Professional Profile

🎓 Academic and Professional Background

Shanshan Lu earned her degree from the Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, where she trained under the esteemed guidance of Yizheng Wang. Her work focuses on disease mechanisms related to ischemic stroke and the development of effective drug targets. Leveraging molecular docking techniques, she investigates interactions between small molecules and proteins, providing novel insights into disease progression and therapeutic strategies.

🔬Research Interests & Contributions

Dr. Lu’s research focuses on disease mechanisms related to ischemic stroke, aiming to explore new drug targets based on the underlying pathogenesis. One of her notable contributions is in the area of molecular docking, where she works to screen and predict interactions between small molecules and proteins and investigates how signaling pathways play a role in the development of diseases.

Her work also includes groundbreaking findings related to cortisol and its effects on sonic hedgehog (Shh)/SMO-mediated proliferation of lung fibroblasts. Dr. Lu showed how cortisol competes with cholesterol to bind the cysteine-rich domain (CRD) in SMO, ultimately inhibiting Shh/SMO signaling essential for cell proliferation. Her studies on Smoa/a(L116A) mice provided key insights into lung development, revealing abnormalities such as over-proliferation of fibroblasts and a reduction in surfactant proteins.

Publications Top Noted📝

Cortisol regulates neonatal lung development via Smoothened

Authors: Shanshan Lu, Yifei Chen, Jiawen Song, Liangliang Ren, Jun Du, Donglai Shen, Jiayin Peng, Yao Yin, Xia Li, Yuqing Wang et al.

Journal: Respiratory Research

Year: 2025

PKCα phosphorylation of GLT-1 at Ser562/563 induces glutamate excitotoxicity in ischemia in mice

Authors: Yuqing Wang, Jun Du, Shanshan Lu, Xia Li, Yifei Chen, Chao Yuan, Sheng-Tao Hou, Yizheng Wang

Journal: Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

Year: 2022

Smoothened is a therapeutic target for reducing glutamate toxicity in ischemic stroke

Authors: Yuqing Wang, Shanshan Lu, Yifei Chen, Liang Li, Xia Li, Zhongwei Qu, Junbo Huang, Liu Fan, Chao Yuan, Nan Song et al.

Journal: Science Translational Medicine

Year: 2021

Sonic hedgehog induces GLT-1 degradation via PKC delta to suppress its transporter activities

Authors: Yuqing Wang, Shanshan Lu, Zhongwei Qu, Lin Wu, Yizheng Wang

Journal: Neuroscience

Year: 2017

Dr. Sabine Pellett, Biomolecules, Best Researcher Award

Doctorate at University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States

Professional Profile

Google Scholar

Scopus

🎓Educational Background

B.S. in Biology
University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (1995)

M.A. in Biology
Portland State University, Portland, OR (1997)

Ph.D. in Environmental & Molecular Toxicology
University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004)

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Food Microbiology & Toxicology
University of Wisconsin-Madison (2005-2007)

💼Professional Experience

Research Associate Professor
Department of Bacteriology, UW-Madison (July 2023 – present)

Limited PI Status
Department of Bacteriology, UW-Madison
(2013, 2015, 2018, and renewed in 2021)

Instructional Staff
Bacteriology, UW-Madison (Spring 2020)

Senior Scientist
Bacteriology, UW-Madison (2016-2023)

Associate Scientist
Bacteriology, UW-Madison (2012-2016)

Researcher
Bacteriology, UW-Madison (2010-2012)

Associate Researcher
Bacteriology, UW-Madison (2007-2010)

Research Associate
Food Microbiology and Toxicology, UW-Madison (2005-2007)

Research Assistant
Environmental & Molecular Toxicology, UW-Madison (1998-2004)

Teaching Assistant
Environmental & Molecular Toxicology, UW-Madison (2001)

🔬Research Interests

Botulinum Neurotoxin research and its applications in treating diseases.

Development of vaccines against botulism.

Investigation of the mechanisms of bacterial toxin action.

Food safety, specifically detection and analysis of foodborne pathogens.

🏆Grants and Awards:

Past

NIH Grants:
Participated in and co-managed multiple NIH-funded projects focused on botulinum neurotoxin research, including studies on novel therapeutic approaches, vaccine development, and toxin characterization.

Agilent Microarray Award (2013):
Received a small grant to test Agilent’s microarray platform.

USDA Agricultural Research Service Grants:
Co-investigator on projects related to the development of detection technologies and therapeutics for botulinum neurotoxins.

Current

NIH R01AI118389 (2020-2025):
Vaccines Against Botulism (co-PI)

NIH R01AI139306-01A1 (2019-2024):
Characteristics of Botulinum Neurotoxins that Determine Potency (PI)

USDA Agricultural Research Service (2020-2025):
Development of Detection Technologies and Therapeutics for Botulinum Neurotoxins (co-PI)

WEDC-SEED (D2P):
Optimization of botulinum neurotoxin production for pharmaceutical use (PI)

📝Publication Top Noted

Botulinum neurotoxin X lacks potency in mice and in human neurons

Authors: Gregg, B.M., Matsumura, T., Wentz, T.G., Fujinaga, Y., Pellett, S.

Journal: mBio

Year: 2024

Recent Developments in Vaccine Design: From Live Vaccines to Recombinant Toxin Vaccines

Authors: Gupta, S., Pellett, S.

Journal: Toxins

Year: 2023

Special Issue: Gram-Positive Bacterial Toxins

Authors: Sharma, S., Pellett, S., Morse, S.A.

Journal: Microorganisms

Year: 2023

Botulinum Neurotoxin A4 Has a 1000-Fold Reduced Potency Due to Three Single Amino Acid Alterations in the Protein Receptor Binding Domain

Authors: Tepp, W.H., Bradshaw, M., Gardner, A.P., Barbieri, J.T., Pellett, S.

Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Year: 2023

Transformation of a Metal Chelate into a “Catch and Anchor” Inhibitor of Botulinum A Protease

Authors: Lin, L., Patel, E.N., Nielsen, A.L., Pellett, S., Janda, K.

Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Year: 2023

How Botulinum Neurotoxin Light Chain A1 Maintains Stable Association with the Intracellular Neuronal Plasma Membrane

Authors: Gardner, A.P., Barbieri, J.T., Pellett, S.

Journal: Toxins

Year: 2022