Yingzi Yang | Biological Networks | Research Excellence Award

Prof. Yingzi Yang | Biological Networks | Research Excellence Award

Harvard School of Dental Medicine | United States

Prof. Yingzi Yang is a distinguished developmental biologist whose career spans leading institutions including Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health. She earned her BS in Biology from Fudan University in 1988 and completed her PhD in Molecular Biology at the Sloan-Kettering Institute and Weill Medical College of Cornell University in 1996, followed by postdoctoral training with Andrew P. McMahon at Harvard University. She joined the NIH in 2000 as an Investigator and rose to Senior Investigator before being appointed Professor of Developmental Biology at Harvard Medical School in 2015, where she also serves as Principal Faculty of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and a member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. Widely recognized for her contributions to Wnt signaling, skeletal biology, and developmental mechanisms, Prof. Yang has received numerous honors including the AAAS Fellowship, ASBMR Fellowship, the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award, multiple NIH Awards of Merit, and the Vincent du Vigneaud Award of Excellence. She has held major leadership roles such as President of the Chinese Biological Investigators Society (2022–2024), member of the NIH SBDD Study Section, and keynote speaker at national scientific meetings. Her extensive service includes high-level Harvard committees, NIH central tenure committees, Gordon Research Conference leadership, international symposium organization, and major grant review panels for NIH, NSF, and global scientific agencies. A respected scholar and reviewer for top-tier journals including Cell, Nature family journals, Science family journals, and Development, Prof. Yang is recognized worldwide for advancing fundamental understanding of developmental and stem cell biology and their implications for human disease.

Profiles: Scopus | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

"Disrupting bile acid metabolism by suppressing Fxr causes hepatocellular carcinoma induced by YAP activation", Y Liu, J Zhu, Y Jin, Z Sun, X Wu, H Zhou, Y Yang, Nature Communications 16 (1), 2025.

"Fibrous dysplasia/McCune-Albright syndrome: state-of-the-art advances, pathogenesis, and basic/translational research", B Palmisano, C Berry, A Boyce, JF Charles, MT Collins, A Corsi, FA Fierro, Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases 20 (1), 2025.

"Piezo1-mediated mechanotransduction controls osteocyte maturation and dendrite development via a YAP-CCN-Src signaling axis", YJ Hu, X Wu, F Wang, Y Jin, Y Jin, Y Liu, Q Cong, Y Yang, Nature Communications, 2025.

"Injury-induced niche factors Cxcl12 and Shh/Ihh coordinate suture stem cell activation during calvarial bone regeneration", B Li, T Ouchi, J Liu, Y Yang, Science Signaling 18 (909), 2025.

"Neutralization of Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand reduces fibrosis and promotes osteoblast differentiation in a mouse model of fibrous dysplasia driven", RT Ormsby, Y Zhang, C Hodys, LA Wake, SM Perez, K Tsang, Y Yang, JBMR plus 9 (10), 2025.

Probal Banerjee | Biological Network | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Probal Banerjee | Biological Network | Best Researcher Award

The College of Staten Island (City University of New York) | United States

Dr. Probal Banerjee is a distinguished biochemist and neuroscientist whose academic and research career spans over four decades of excellence in bioorganic chemistry, molecular neuroscience, and cancer research. He earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry (Hons) and M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, followed by a Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1984. He completed postdoctoral research at the University of Notre Dame in Biochemistry and Enzymology and at the University of Chicago in Molecular Neuroscience. Currently a Professor of Chemistry and Coordinator at the Center for Developmental Neuroscience, College of Staten Island, CUNY, Dr. Banerjee has made pioneering contributions to understanding neurodevelopmental signaling and immune-modulating cancer therapies. His numerous honors include the Children’s Research Foundation Grant (1989), Brain Research Foundation Award, and two Dolphin Awards for Academic Excellence and Teaching. A sought-after speaker, he has delivered invited lectures at leading institutions worldwide on topics ranging from serotonin signaling in brain development to multi-target cancer therapeutics. Dr. Banerjee is also an inventor with several patents on curcumin-based anticancer agents and therapeutic approaches for Fragile X Syndrome. His expertise is widely recognized through his service on multiple NIH grant review committees, reflecting his enduring impact on neuroscience, pharmacology, and translational cancer research.

Profiles: Orcid 

Featured Publications

"Novel Taxol-Derivative, STO-1, Induces Selective Anti-Tumor Immunity and Sustained Remission of Glioblastoma Without Triggering Autoimmune Reactions", Shubhasmita Mohapatra; Adrian Guerrero; Neha Rahman; Khondoker Takia Zaman; Jing Wu; Callistus Onyeagba; Chanyue Hu; Matteo Pellegrini; Jayaram Vankudoth; Seiya Kitamura et al., Cells, 2025.

"One-Pot Synthesis of Phenylboronic Acid-Based Microgels for Tunable Gate of Glucose-Responsive Insulin Release at Physiological pH", Prashun G. Roy; Jiangtao Zhang; Koushik Bhattacharya; Probal Banerjee; Jing Shen; Shuiqin Zhou, Molecules, 2025.

"Biocompatible Anisole-Nonlinear PEG Core–Shell Nanogels for High Loading Capacity, Excellent Stability, and Controlled Release of Curcumin", Jing Shen; Jiangtao Zhang; Weitai Wu; Probal Banerjee; Shuiqin Zhou, Gels 2023.

"The G Protein-Coupled Serotonin 1A Receptor Augments Protein Kinase Cε-Mediated Neurogenesis in Neonatal Mouse Hippocampus-PKCε-Mediated Signaling in the Early Hippocampus", Sreyashi Samaddar; Sudarshana Purkayastha; Souleymane Diallo; Subramanyam J. Tantry; Ryan Schroder; Pranavan Chanthrakumar; Michael J. Flory; Probal Banerjee, International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2022.

"Phytosomal curcumin causes natural killer cell-dependent repolarization of glioblastoma (GBM) tumor-associated microglia/macrophages and elimination of GBM and GBM stem cells", Sumit Mukherjee; Angela Fried; Rahman Hussaini; Richard White; Juliet Baidoo; Sri Yalamanchi; Probal Banerjee, Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, 2018.