Our research focuses on bioactive lipids in human health.
The Zhang Lab is located in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California Davis.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are a substantial part of the human diet and are consumed by most people on a daily basis. The ω-6 PUFA linoleic acid (LA, 18:2ω-6) is a major component of vegetable oils, whereas the ω-3 PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5ω-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6ω-3) are major components of fish oil. Our research focuses on two main areas of PUFA biology: (1) the roles of eicosanoids, the enzymatic metabolites of PUFAs, in gut diseases such as colonic inflammation and colorectal cancer; and (2) the roles of non-enzymatic oxidation products of PUFAs in gut diseases.
Recent Lab News
- Dec 2025: Yige received the Rucker Family Fellowship Award and the Jastro Research Award.
- Oct 2025: Jianan started as an Assistant Professor at UC Davis.
- May 2023: Weicang started as an Assistant Professor at Purdue University.
- Apr 2023: Quancai started as an Assistant Professor at Florida State University.