Prof. Hua Zhu | AI in Drug Discovery | Best Researcher Award   

Researcher, Ph.D. Supervisor at  Beijing Cancer Hospital & Institute, Peking University, China.
Prof. Hua Zhu is a distinguished researcher and full professor at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Beijing Cancer Hospital & Institute, Peking University. With a focused career in molecular imaging and nuclear medicine, Prof. Zhu has made pioneering contributions to the clinical translation of cancer theranostics. His extensive work in radiopharmaceuticals, multimodality molecular probes, and targeted delivery systems places him among the leading scientists in his field.

🎓 Academic Background:

Prof. Zhu earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Chemistry from Nanjing Normal University in 2006, followed by a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry (specializing in Radiopharmaceuticals) from the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011. He also enriched his academic perspective through a visiting assistant professorship at Stanford University from 2014 to 2015.

Profile:

• Scopus
• Orcid

Professional Experience:

Prof. Hua Zhu is a full professor at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Beijing Cancer Hospital & Institute, Peking University. He has over a decade of professional experience in the development of molecular imaging agents and targeted radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and therapy. He has led multiple national-level research projects and previously served as a visiting assistant professor at Stanford University, contributing to international research collaboration. His expertise spans from radionuclide production to clinical translation, and he actively holds leadership roles in key academic societies related to nuclear medicine and imaging science.

🧪 Research Focus:

Prof. Zhu’s research is dedicated to the development of molecular imaging tools and targeted delivery systems for cancer diagnosis and treatment. His focus areas include the production and application of solid-target based radionuclides such as ⁶⁴Cu, ⁸⁹Zr, and ¹²⁴I, and the design of multimodal imaging probes. His efforts are instrumental in bridging the gap between bench research and clinical oncology.

🏆 Academic Honors:

Prof. Zhu has received numerous prestigious honors that recognize his research excellence and leadership in the field:

• 🌟 National-level Young Talent (2023)

• 🧠 Young Beijing Scholar (2024)

• 📘 Boya Young Scholar (2025)

• 🌆 “Bai Qian Wan” Talent of Beijing (2019)

• 💫 Beijing Young Top-notch Talent (2018)

• ✨ Beijing Nova Program (2017)

🔬 Research Leadership:

As a principal investigator, Prof. Zhu leads four National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) projects and over ten national/provincial initiatives. His work exemplifies effective leadership in interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration.

Publications:

1. Detectability of Al¹⁸F-NOTA-HER2-BCH PET for Nodal Metastases in Patients With HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
   Clinical Nuclear Medicine, 2025

2. Construction of Bispecific T-Cell Engager Radiotracer and Its Micro-PET Evaluation in Pancreatic Cancer
   Molecular Pharmaceutics, 2025

3. Radiolabelled Anti-PD-L1 Peptide PET/CT in Predicting the Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Combined With Chemotherapy in Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
   Annals of Nuclear Medicine, 2025

4. [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-XYIMSR-01: A Novel CAIX-Targeted Radiotherapeutic for Enhanced Treatment of Malignant Glioma
   Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2025

5. A Whole-Body Imaging Technique for Tumor-Specific Diagnostics and Screening of B7H3-Targeted Therapies
   Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2025 (Open Access)

6. Development and First-in-Human Evaluation of a Site-Specific [¹⁸F]-Labeled PD-L1 Nanobody PET Radiotracer for Noninvasive Imaging in NSCLC
   Bioorganic Chemistry, 2025

7. Radioiodinated Nanobody ImmunoPET Probe for In Vivo Detection of CD147 in Pan-Cancer
   European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2025

8. Strategies for Specific Multimodal Imaging of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Applications in Theranostics of Cancer
   Open Access Review

9. Efficacy of Radiolabelled PD-L1-Targeted Nanobody in Predicting and Evaluating the Combined Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy for Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
   European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2025

10. Recent Advances in Emerging Radiopharmaceuticals and the Challenges in Radiochemistry and Analytical Chemistry
    Review Article, 2025