Systems Metabolomics and Medicine

Shen Hu Lab
Dr. Shen Hu

Principal Investigator:

Shen Steve Hu, Ph.D., M.B.A

About

Metabolomics is the systems level study of metabolites within cells, biofluids, tissues or organisms, and related metabolic pathways/mechanisms. Collectively, these metabolites and their interactions within a biological system are known as the metabolome. We are using novel metabolomics technology, as well as proteomics and genomics approaches, to study the metabolic reprogramming in cancer invasion and metastasis, identify metabolic targets for anti-cancer therapeutics, investigate the metabolic toxicity of nanomaterials, and discover metabolite biomarkers for clinical applications in cancer and oral diseases.

Systems medicine is an interdisciplinary field of study that utilizes systems science and systems biology to investigate the complex interactions within a patient’s body and discover systems strategy for an improved treatment of the patient. It serves as a powerful approach to understanding human diseases through an integration of large datasets at genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics levels, and offers extraordinary opportunities for the implementation of personalized medicine strategies.  

Current Projects and Grants

  • Head and neck/pancreatic cancer metabolomics for drug target and biomarker discovery

  • Metabolomic study of nanotoxicity

  • Systems analysis of pain conditions

  • E-cigarette and oral epithelial cell metabolism

Publications

  • Shen Hu (Editor). Cancer Metabolomics: Methods and Applications. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series, Springer, New York, 2020
  • Li Cui, Xiang Wang, Bingbing Sun, Tian Xia, Shen Hu. Predictive metabolomic signatures for safety assessment of metal oxide nanoparticles. ACS Nano. 2019;13(11):13065–13082.
  • Junwei Huang, Eoon Hye Ji, Xinyuan Zhao, Li Cui, Kaori Misuno, Mian Guo, Zhigang Huang, Xiaohong Chen, Shen Hu. Sox11 promotes head and neck cancer progression via the regulation of SDCCAG8. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2019;38(1):138.
  • Li Cui, Juan Liu, Xinmin Yan, Shen Hu. Identification of metabolite biomarkers for gout using capillary ion chromatography with mass spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry 2017;89(21):11737–11743.
  • Shen Hu, Junhua Wang, Eoon Hye Ji, Terri Christison, Linda Lopez, Yingying Huang. Targeted metabolomic analysis of head and neck cancer cells using high performance ion chromatography coupled with a Q Exactive HF mass spectrometer. Analytical Chemistry
  • Junhua Wang, Terri T. Christison, Kaori Misuno, Linda Lopez, Andreas F. Huhmer, Yingying Huang, Shen Hu. Metabolomic profiling of anionic metabolites in head and neck cancer cells by capillary ion chromatography with Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Analytic

Lab Members

Collaborators

List of Lab Members:

  • Li Cui, DDS, PhD, Postdoctoral fellow

  • Zhenning Jin, DDS, MS, PhD student

  • David Yang Chai, DDS, MS, Orthodontics resident

  • Grace Ji, PhD, DDS student

  • Woocha Kadam, DDS, MS, PhD student

  • Huimin Hu, PhD, MD, Visiting scholar

  • Yujiao Liu, DDS, MS student

  • Yutian Zhao, UCLA undergraduate student

  • Nicole Lee, UCLA undergraduate student

Opportunities

Self-motivated students and researchers with strong molecular biology background are welcome to contact Dr. Shen Hu for lab research opportunities.

Contact Us

Office: (310) 206-8834
Lab: (310) 825-8161
shu@dentistry.ucla.edu