Xin Zhang, MD, PhD

Xin Zhang, MD, PhD
Collaborator and Adjunct Assistant Professor

Contact Information:

Date Joined Lab
July 2016

Curriculum Vitae

Background and Interests

Dr. Xin Zhang is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology’s Center for Translational Pain Medicine (CTPM) at Duke University and a Professor at Nanjing Medical University in China. With a doctoral degree in the pain field and 20 years of clinical experience, he possesses a unique perspective on translating preclinical research to patient care. During his postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Andrea Nackley's lab, Xin’s research focused on chronic primary ‘overlapping’ pain syndromes (CPPCs). He demonstrated the involvement of peripheral β2- and β3-adrenergic receptors in driving nociception and persistent pain, and the link between CPPCs and depressive disorders mediated by heightened catecholaminergic tone. Xin continues to collaborate on the development and validation of novel CPPC mouse models for in vivo discovery and screening of novel analgesic therapeutics.

Awards

Dr. Xin Zhang received the Keystone Symposium J8 scholarship for the February 2020 meeting Somatosensation: From Detection to Perception in Keystone, Colorado. The scholarship is generously supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Grant #1R13NS113620-01.

Dr. Xin Zhang, won first place in the basic sciences category for his abstract titled, “Activation of Peripheral β2 and β3ARs Leads to Increased Nociceptor Activity” at the 26th Annual Duke Anesthesiology Academic Evening held on May 29, 2018.

Dr. Xin Zhang receiving the Best Abstract Award for his poster titled “Activation of Peripheral β2 and β3ARs Leads to Increased Nociceptor Activity”at the 2018 Pain & Genetics SIG of the 37th annual APS meeting.
Dr. Xin Zhang at the APS Meeting in Anaheim.

Dr. Xin Zhang received the Best Abstract Award for his poster titled “Activation of Peripheral β2 and β3ARs Leads to Increased Nociceptor Activity” at the 2018 Pain & Genetics SIG of the 37th annual APS meeting.

Dr. Xin Zhang has been nominated by the 2018 Pain & Genetics Shared Interest Group (SIG) of APS for the ‘Best Abstract Award’. He will receive the award on March 5, 2018, following a short presentation of his poster, “Activation of Peripheral β2 and β3ARs Leads to Increased Nociceptor Activity.”

Dr. Xin Zhang received the 2018 APS Young Investigator Travel Support Program award. Dr. Zhang will travel to, and present a poster at, the 37th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, held March 4 -6, 2018 in Anaheim, CA. APS gratefully acknowledges the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) for support of the Young Investigator Travel Award program. View Abstract

Dr. Zhang received the outstanding poster award for his poster entitled, “Activation of Peripheral β2 and β3ARs Leads to Increased Nociceptor Activity” at the Translational Pain Research Symposium, Duke Kunshan University Kunshan, China, June 21-23, 2017. Summary: Dr. Zhang showed that i) COMT inhibition leads to pain sensitivity, in line with increased ERK phosphorylation in DRG neurons and strengthened nociceptor activity in response to noxious stimuli, ii) COMT-dependent increases in pain sensitivity and nociceptor activity are driven by peripheral β2- and β3ARs, and iii) treatments targeted towards peripheral β2- and β3ARs and downstream effectors may prove useful in the management of functional pain syndromes.

Dr. Xin Zhang received the 2017 APS Young Investigator Travel Support Program award. Dr. Zhang will travel to, and present a poster at, the 36th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, held May 17-20, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. APS gratefully acknowledges the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) for support of the Young Investigator Travel Award program.

Publications

  1. Scarneo S, Zhang X, Wang Y, Camacho-Domenech J, Ricano J, Hughes P, Haystead T, Nackley AG. Transforming Growth Factor-β-Activated Kinase 1 (TAK1) Mediates Chronic Pain and Cytokine Production in Mouse Models of Inflammatory, Neuropathic, and Primary Pain. J Pain. 2023 Apr 29:S1526-5900(23)00402-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.04.011. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37121498.
  2. Wang YW, Wang L, Yuan SJ, Zhang Y, Zhang X, Zhou LT. Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Alzheimer's Disease: A Transcriptome-Based Comparison of Animal Models. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Jun 28;14:900350. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.900350. PMID: 35837480; PMCID: PMC9273890.
  3. Zhou Y, Qin Z, Wang G, Chen W, Zhang X. Current status and training needs of trainee anesthesiologists in lung transplantation anesthesia in China: A single-center survey. Heliyon. 2022 Dec 19;8(12):e12428. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12428. PMID: 36590527; PMCID: PMC9800522.
  4. Qian Y, Huang Z, Wang G, Han J, Zhou D, Ding H, Zhang X. Low-dose naloxone for prophylaxis of sufentanil-induced choking and postoperative nausea and vomiting. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Nov 18;13:1050847. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1050847. PMID: 36506515; PMCID: PMC9733904.
  5. Pu S, Wu J, Han Q, Zhang X, Lv Y, Xu Y, Li C, Du D. Ultrasonography-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation for Painful Stump Neuromas to Relieve Postamputation Pain: A Pilot Study. J Pain Res. 2020 Dec 18;13:3437-3445. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S283986. PMID: 33376389; PMCID: PMC7755346.
  6. Zhang X, Kanter K, Chen J, Kim S, Wang Y, Adeyemi C, O'Buckley SC, Nackley AG. Low catechol-O-methyltransferase and stress potentiate functional pain and depressive behavior, especially in female mice. Pain. 2020 Feb;161(2):446-458. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001734. PMID: 31972854; PMCID: PMC7282074.
  7. Zhang X, Shi H, Zhou J, Xu Y, Pu S, Lv Y, Wu J, Cheng Y, Du D. The effectiveness of ultrasound-guided cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections in cervical radiculopathy: a prospective pilot study. J Pain Res. 2018 Dec 31;12:171-177. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S181915. PMID: 30643449; PMCID: PMC6318715.
  8. Sun L, Lv Y, Tian J, Yu T, Niu F, Zhang X, Du D. Regular Swimming Exercise Attenuated Neuroma Pain in Rats: Involvement of Leptin and Adiponectin. J Pain. 2019 Sep;20(9):1112-1124. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2019.02.097. Epub 2019 Apr 13. PMID: 30986512.
  9. Yu T, Zhang X, Shi H, Tian J, Sun L, Hu X, Cui W, Du D. P2Y12 regulates microglia activation and excitatory synaptic transmission in spinal lamina II neurons during neuropathic pain in rodents. Cell Death Dis. 2019 Feb 18;10(3):165. doi: 10.1038/s41419-019-1425-4. PMID: 30778044; PMCID: PMC6379416.
  10. Tian J, Yu T, Xu Y, Pu S, Lv Y, Zhang X, DU D. Swimming Training Reduces Neuroma Pain by Regulating Neurotrophins. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018 Jan;50(1):54-61. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001411. PMID: 28846565; PMCID: PMC5757647.
  11. Kim S, Zhang X, O'Buckley SC, Cooter M, Park JJ, Nackley AG. Acupuncture Resolves Persistent Pain and Neuroinflammation in a Mouse Model of Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions. J Pain. 2018 Dec;19(12):1384.e1-1384.e14. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2018.05.013. Epub 2018 Jul 4. PMID: 29981376; PMCID: PMC6289709.
  12. Zhang X, Hartung JE, Bortsov AV, Kim S, O'Buckley SC, Kozlowski J, Nackley AG. Sustained stimulation of β2- and β3-adrenergic receptors leads to persistent functional pain and neuroinflammation. Brain Behav Immun. 2018 Oct;73:520-532. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.06.017. Epub 2018 Jun 20. PMID: 29935309; PMCID: PMC6129429.