Overview

Dr. Wen Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Her research investigates how the peripheral nervous system communicates with the immune system to regulate tissue homeostasis, host defense, and inflammatory disease.

Dr. Zhang received her Ph.D. in Immunology from Tsinghua University and completed her postdoctoral training at Weill Cornell Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. David Artis. Her work has uncovered fundamental neuroimmune circuits through which sensory neurons regulate intestinal immunity and epithelial remodeling, leading to publications in Nature, Cell, and other leading journals. She is the recipient of an NIH NIDDK Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) Award.

The Zhang laboratory combines immunology, neuroscience, microbiology, genetics, and spatial multi-omics to understand how sensory neurons orchestrate immune responses at barrier tissues. The long-term goal is to identify neuroimmune pathways that can be therapeutically targeted to treat inflammatory bowel disease, food allergy, infection, and colorectal cancer.

Education

PHD, 2018, Tshinghua University

Curriculum Vitae

View CV

Relevant Publications

1. Zhang W, Emanuel ER, Yano H, Uddin J, Gaudino S, Xie Z, Ichise H, Wang Z, Cowan MN, Lyu M, Hou X, Zeng P, Hu E, Godoy VR, Grier A, Estep N, Ishibashi JR, Anover-Sombke S, Skene, PJ, Mayassi T, Xavier RJ, Germain RN, Globig AM, Heeg M, Goldrath AW, Kim B, Hu H, Artis D. (2026). Neuronal-epithelial circuits promote sensory convergence and intestinal immunity. Nature. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09921-z.

2. Zhang W, Lyu M, Bessman NJ, Xie Z, Mohammad A, Yano H, Parkhurst CN, Chu C, Zhou L, Putzel GP, Li TT, Jin WB, Zhou J, JRI LCB, Hu H, Tsou AM, Guo CJ, Artis D. (2022). Gut-innervating nociceptors regulate the intestinal microbiota to promote tissue protection. Cell. 185 (22): 4170-4189.

3. Chu C, Parkhust C*, Zhang W*, Zhou L, Yano H, Mohammad A, Artis D. (2021). The ChAT-acetylcholine pathway promotes group 2 innate lymphoid cell responses and anti-helminth immunity. Science Immunology. 57 (6): eabe3218.

4. Zhang W, Li Q, Li D, Li J, Aki D, Liu YC. (2018). The E3 ligase VHL controls alveolar macrophage function via metabolic-epigenetic regulation. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 215 (12): 3180-3193.

5. Aki D*, Li H*, Zhang W*, Zheng M, Elly C, Lee JH, Zou WG, Liu YC. (2018). The E3 ligases Itch and WWP2 cooperate to limit Th2 differentiation by enhancing signaling through the TCR. Nature Immunology. 19, 766-775.

6. Lv M, Chen M, Zhang R, Zhang W, Wang C, Zhang Y, Wei X, Guan Y, Liu J, Feng K, Jing M, Wang X, Liu Y, Mei Q, Han W, Jiang Z. (2020). Manganese is critical for antitumor immune responses via cGAS-STING and improves the efficacy of clinical immunotherapy. Cell Research. 30 (11), 966-979.

Areas Of Interest

Xenium

CGRP

Imaging

Inflammatory bowel disease

Intestinal immunity

Microbiota

Mucosal immunology

Sensory neurons

Single-cell RNA sequencing

Spatial transcriptomics

T cells

TRPV1

Neuroimmunology

The Zhang Laboratory studies how the peripheral nervous system regulates immune responses in barrier tissues, with a primary focus on the gastrointestinal tract. We investigate how neuronal signals integrate environmental and microbial cues, including microbial metabolites, dietary antigens, and tissue injury, to coordinate epithelial function, innate immunity, and adaptive immune responses.
Current research focuses on:

- Defining neuroimmune circuits that maintain intestinal homeostasis and promote tissue repair.
- Understanding how sensory neurons regulate antigen-specific immune responses during health and disease.
- Investigating neuronal control of epithelial remodeling, tuft cell biology, and host-microbiota interactions.
- Developing spatial multi-omics approaches to map neuroimmune communication within tissues.
- Exploring how neuroimmune pathways influence cancer initiation, progression and anti-tumor immunity.

Our laboratory integrates genetically engineered mouse models, advanced imaging, spatial transcriptomics, single-cell genomics, and computational biology to identify fundamental mechanisms that can be translated into novel therapies for immune-mediated diseases.