Yejia Zhang

faculty photo
Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Staff Physician, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA.
Department: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Contact information
Penn Medicine at Rittenhouse
1800 Lombard Street/1st Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19146
Office: 215-893-2645
Education:
MD (Medicine)
Second Military Medical University, P.R. China, 1989.
PhD (Cell & Molecular Biology)
University of Pennsylvania, 1997.
Post-Graduate Training
Intern, Medicine, St. Francis Hospital, Chicago, IL, 1997-1998.
Post-Doctoral Fellow in Pathology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 1998-1999.
Resident, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 1999-2000.
Resident, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 2000-2002.
Rehabilitation Scientist Training Program (K12) Fellow, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 2002-2006.
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Description of Itmat Expertise

The ultimate goal of Dr. Zhang’s research is to develop non-operative treatments for intervertebral disc degeneration and related back pain.

In order to better understand the mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration and discogenic back pain, tissues from cadaveric donors and patients undergoing spinal surgery were collected and molecular markers such as chemokines (e.g., IL8) and matrix-degrading enzymes (e.g., ADAM8) have been examined. More recently, Dr. Zhang studied the role of TNFAIP8 (tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8) family in intervertebral disc degeneration and back pain. Future studies include dissecting the upstream regulators and downstream effectors of these molecules in cultured disc cells and in genetically modified mice.

Description of Research Expertise

Cell and Molecular Biology
Spine
Intervertebral Disc

Selected Publications

Tian Z, Shofer FS, Fan M, Sandroni AZ, Yao L, Han L, Qin L, Enomoto-Iwamoto M, Zhang Y: ADAM8 inactivation retards intervertebral disc degeneration in mice. Genes & Diseases 11(3): 101059, May 2024.

Li J, Gui T, Yao L, Guo H, Lin YL, Lu J, Duffy M, Zgonis M, Mauck R, Dyment N, Zhang Y, Scanzello C, Seale P, Qin L: Synovium and infrapatellar fat pad share common mesenchymal progenitors and undergo coordinated changes in osteoarthritis. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research January 2024.

Lu J, Tian Z, Shofer FS Qin L, Sun H, Zhang Y: Tnfaip8 and Tipe2Gene Deletion Ameliorates Immediate Proteoglycan Loss and Inflammatory Responses in the Injured Mouse Intervertebral Disc. AJPMR 2024.

Lu J, Tian Z, Shofer FS, Yao L, Sandroni AZ, Sun H, Qin L, Zhang Y.: Tnfa, Il6, Cxcl1 and Adam8 Genes are the Early Markers Post Mouse Tail Intervertebral Disc Injury. Am J Phys Med Rehabil May 2023.

Lu K, Wang Q, Jiang H, Li J, Yao Z, Huang Y, Chen J, Zhang Y, Xiao G, Hu X, Luo Z, Yang L, Tong L, Chen D.: Upregulation of β-catenin signaling represents a single common pathway leading to the various phenotypes of spinal degeneration and pain. Bone Res 11: 18, Apr 2023.

Tian Z, Shofer FS, Sandroni AZ, Zhao L, Scanzello CR, Zhang Y: Expression of Human Interleukin 8 in Mice Alters Their Natural Behaviors. J Inflamm Res 15: 2413-2424, 2022.

Song N, Xie P, Shen W, Oh H, Zhang Y, Vitale F, Javanmard M, Allen MG: A microwell-based impedance sensor on an insertable microneedle for real-time in vivo cytokine detection. Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering. Nature, 7(96), November 2021.

Melgoza IP, Chenna SS, Tessier S, Zhang Y, Tang SY, Ohnishi T, José Novais E, Kerr GJ, Mohanty S, Tam V, Chan WC, Zhou C, Zhang Y, Leung VY, Brice AK, Séguin CA, Chan D, Vo N, Risbud MV, Dahia CL. : Development of a standardized histopathology scoring system using machine learning algorithms for intervertebral disc degeneration in the mouse model—An ORS spine section initiative. JOR Spine July 2021.

Wei Y, Sun H, Gui T, Yao L, Zhong L, Yu W, Heo SJ, Han L, Dyment NA, Liu XS, Zhang Y, Koyama E, Long F, Zgonis MH, Mauck RL, Ahn J, Qin L.: The critical role of Hedgehog-responsive mesenchymal progenitors in meniscus development and injury repair. Elife 10: e62917, Jun 2021.

Gullbrand SE, Ashinsky BG, Lai A, Gansau J, Crowley J, Cunha C, Engiles JB, Fusellier M, Muehleman C, Pelletier M, Presciutti S, Schol J, Takeoka Y, Yurube T, Zhang Y, Masuda K, Iatridis JC.: Development of a standardized histopathology scoring system for intervertebral disc degeneration and regeneration in rabbit models-An initiative of the ORSspine section. JOR spine June 2021.

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Last updated: 03/14/2024
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