Contact Information

E-mail: zhengrenxu@bjmu.edu.cn

Research Direction

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of natural products/bioactive constituents of TCM

Personal Profile

Dr. Zhengren Xu has long research interests in natural products discovery, total synthesis, biosynthesis, and chemoenzymatic synthesis. Our group are also interested in structural modifications of natural products to improve their bioactivity, as well as target identification and mode-of-action of bioactive natural products, hence laying the foundation for the development of new drugs. So far, Dr. Xu has published more than 60 papers, and obtained grants supports from NSFC, MOST and NSF of Beijing.

The Xu Lab welcomes inquiry for postdoctoral research associate positions.

Experience

2025.07-now:   Assistant Prof. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University

2018.04-2025.06: Assistant Prof. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University

2014.10-2018.03: Postdoc. Department of Chemistry, TSRI Florida, USA

2011.10-2014.09: Postdoc. Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, EPFL, Switerland

2007.09-2011.07: Ph.D. (Chemical Biology) School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University

2001.09-2007.07: B.S. & M.S. (Pharmacognosy) School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University

Representative Publications

1. Zheng, Y.-Z.^†; Kong, Y.^†; Zhuo, F.-F.; Shen, Y.; Wang, Y.-q.; Yang, Z.; Wang, T.; Yu, S.-M.; Li, L.; Yu, M.; Wei, T.-T.; Liu, D.; Xu, L.-Z.; Han, B.; Liu, F.; Xu, Z.*; Zeng, K.-W.*; Tu, P.-F.* Discovery of sinomenine derivatives inhibiting macrophage polarization against rheumatoid arthritis through selectively targeting heme oxygenase-1.  Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2025,  292 , 117596.

2. Wang, T.^†; Zou, J.^†; Wang, K.^†; Liu, Y.^†; Zhang, S.; Kong, Y.; Xu, Z.* Chemoenzymatic synthesis of the cyclopiane family of diterpenoid natural products.  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025,  64 , e202419092.

3. Wang, L.^†; Wei, S.^†; Guan, M.; Li, Y.; Zheng, X.; Xu, Z.* Whole-cell biotransformation for the preparation of chromopyrrolic acid and 5,5’-dichloro-chromopyrrolic acid in  Escherichia coli.  ChemBioChem 2024,  25 , e202400718.

4. Zhang, S.^†; Wang, K.^†; Liu, Y.^†; Wang, T.; Kong, Y.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, B.; Yin, M.; Pan, G.; Xu, Z.* An isopentenol utilization pathway-based “deuterium-scanning” method for mechanistic investigations of terpene cyclases.  ACS Catal. 2024,  14 , 17598-17608.

5. Zhang, S.^†; Wang, T.^†; Kong, Y.; Zou, J.; Liu, Y.; Xu, Z.* Chemoenzymatic synthesis of natural products: evolution of synthetic methodology and strategy.  Synth. Biol. J. 2024,  5 , 913-940.

6. Kong, Y.^†; Liu, Y.^†; Wang, K.; Wang, T.; Wang, C.; Ai, B.; Jia, H.; Pan, G.; Yin, M.; Xu, Z.* Confirmation of the stereochemistry of spiroviolene.  Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024,  20 , 852-858.

7. Zheng, X.^†; Li, Y.^†; Guan, M.; Wang, L.; Wei, S.; Li, Y.-C.; Chang, C.-Y.; Xu, Z.* Biomimetic total synthesis of the spiroindimicin family of natural products.  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022,  61(38) , e202208802. (^†contribute equally)