# BLR&D Research Career Scientist Award Application

> **NIH VA IK6** · VA VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL · 2020 · —

## Abstract

AIMS: The goal of this application is to apply for Research Career Scientist (RCS) Award and to
support Dr. Huiping Zhou’s VA research program.
NOMINEE: Dr. Zhou has held a VA Research Chemist position since 2008, and she also holds
the title of Tenured Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Virginia
Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Zhou’s research
program has been continuously funded by VA MERIT Review Awards, NIH R01 grants, several
local foundations and pharmaceutical companies since she established her independent research
program in 2004. Dr. Zhou has made significant contributions to scientific research fields related
to liver injury and metabolic diseases throughout her career, and published more than 100 peer-
reviewed original research articles that have created more than 6000 citations. In addition, Dr.
Zhou acts as a co-investigator in several VA-sponsored research projects.
Research: Studies in Dr. Zhou’s laboratory are to investigate the mechanisms underlying drug-
induced liver injury and the role of bile acid-mediated signaling pathways in hepatic lipid
metabolism under physiological and pathological conditions, and to further search for new and
more effective therapies to prevent and treat metabolic diseases. Disruption of hepatic bile acid
homeostasis occur commonly in various pathological states such as non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease (NAFLD), alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD), cholestatic liver diseases as well as drug-
induced liver injury. Since the exact mechanisms underlying bile acid-mediated liver injury and
metabolic diseases are still obscure, effective therapeutics are limited. Dr. Zhou’s research is
highly focused on identification of novel cellular/molecular mechanisms involved in disease
progression of NAFLD, ALD and cholestatic liver diseases. Dr. Zhou’s research employs the stat-
of-the-art techniques, including isolation and culture of various hepatic cells, examine specific
messenger RNA (mRNA), non-coding RNA (ncRNA), mRNA/ncRNA/RNA –binding proteins (RBP)
interactions and extracellular vehicles-mediated communications. Dr. Zhou’s group has
established animal models for NAFLD/NASH, ALD, and cholestasis. Her group has also
extensively used genetic modified animals including tissue-specific knockout mice. The
overreaching goal of Dr. Zhou’s research program is to elucidate the cellular/molecular
mechanisms that govern hepatic lipid homeostasis and to create a fundamental base for
development of new therapeutics for various liver diseases.
IMPACT: Dr. Zhou’s research program directly addresses an important health issue relevant to
the VA mission, since NAFLD/NASH, ALD and cholestatic liver diseases occur commonly in our
VA patient population. Dr. Zhou is also actively collaborates a number of investigators in the
Research service of the McGuire VA Medical Center. Her expertise and academic activity help
promoting VAMHCS research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9815920
- **Project number:** 5IK6BX004477-02
- **Recipient organization:** VA VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** HUIPING ZHOU
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-10-01 → 2023-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9815920

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9815920, BLR&D Research Career Scientist Award Application (5IK6BX004477-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9815920. Licensed CC0.

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