Rate My Professor Hu Zhang

Dr. Hu Zhang is the Research Collaboration Manager for the New Zealand-China Non-Communicable Diseases Research Collaboration Centre (NCD CRCC) and a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Otago. His academic journey began with medical training at Bengbu Medical College in China, followed by eight years as a physician at Anhui Chest Hospital in Hefei from 1984 to 1992. Upon moving to New Zealand in 1992, he pursued and completed a PhD in biopharmaceutical sciences at the University of Otago in 1999. His career at Otago has centered on pharmaceutical research, with his current Senior Research Fellow position supported by a five-year Health Research Council of New Zealand Programme grant.

Dr. Zhang's research specializations encompass preclinical evaluations of bioactive compounds, with a particular emphasis on anti-ageing agents and central nervous system therapeutics in animal models, alongside extrapolations to human applications. His work delves into brain drug uptake mechanisms and the transport and metabolism of xenobiotics. A prominent theme in his publications is alterations in brain arginine metabolism associated with neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease models, tauopathies, and maternal immune activation effects. Key publications include: "Memory-related changes in L-citrulline and agmatine in the rat brain" (2009, Schizophrenia Research); "Scopolamine impairs behavioural function and arginine metabolism in the rat dentate gyrus" (2011, Hippocampus); "Altered arginine metabolism in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of maternal immune activation rat offspring" (2013, Schizophrenia Research); "Altered brain arginine metabolism in a mouse model of tauopathy" (2019, Amino Acids); and supervisory contributions to PhD theses such as "Arginine Metabolism and the Urea Cycle in Tauopathies" (2024) and "Agmatine and age-related cognitive decline" (2012). He has supervised multiple doctoral theses in the Department of Anatomy, advancing knowledge on polyamine systems, cognitive decline, and related pathways. Beyond academia, Dr. Zhang serves as President of the Dunedin Chinese Scholar and Student Association and a Board Member of the Dunedin–Shanghai Association.