Yan Jessie Zhang PhD

Dr. Yan Jessie Zhang graduated from The Scripps Research Institute with her Ph.D. in 2004. Her thesis research mentored by Dr. Ian A. Wilson focused on the structure-based drug design targeting an enzyme involved in de novo purine synthesis. One of the drugs from this research is now in pre-clinic trial for solid tumor. Before that, she obtained her B.S in Tsinghua University in China in the area of medicinal chemistry and later came to U.S., obtaining crystallographic training from Dr. Brian W. Matthews of University of Oregon where she received her masters degree. Upon finishing her graduate study, Jessie went to her postdoc in Dr. Joseph P. Noel lab in Salk Institute, to study the structure-function relationship of enzymes in transcription and oncogenic pathways.