Runming Wang

Dr. Runming Wang, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor, Principal Investigator (PI), and Doctoral Supervisor at the Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering (iBHE), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS). He is recognized through the National Overseas High-Level Young Talents Program. Dr. Wang currently serves as Deputy Director (seconded) of the General Affairs Office of SIGS. He is also affiliated with several key research institutions, including the Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Shenzhen Branch), Ministry of Education; Key Laboratory of Active Proteins and Peptides Green Biomanufacturing of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes; Center for Synthetic and Systematic Biology of Tsinghua University; and Beijing Key Laboratory of Recombinant Protein Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing.

Dr. Wang's research focuses on interdisciplinary studies spanning metallochemical biology, synthetic biology, synthetic chemistry, and artificial intelligence. He is dedicated to interdisciplinary research spanning metallochemical biology, synthetic biology, synthetic chemistry, and artificial intelligence (AI), with a primary focus on developing synthetic biotechnologies for functional metallobiomolecules and their pharmaceutical applications. His research encompasses three core directions: 1. AI-Driven Intelligent Design of Biomolecular Metal Elements: Utilizing artificial intelligence for the design, structural mechanism elucidation, and construction of functional element libraries. 2. Precise Engineering and Biosynthesis of Functionalized Metal Molecules: Developing modification technologies of active metallomolecules, delivery vehicles, and artificial metalloenzymes for bio-synthetic pathways. 3. Translational Evaluation of Metallodrugs: Conducting multiscale functional validation (e.g., anti-drug resistant infections, anti-tumor therapy) and structure-activity relationship studies.

By synergistically integrating AI and synthetic biology technologies, the lab aims to engineer novel high-activity metallodrugs and streamline their advancement into preclinical development.

In recent years, Dr. Wang has published corresponding author or first-author (including co-first author) papers in prestigious international journals such as Nature Microbiology, Nature Communications (*2), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), Chemical Science, iScience, Chemical Engineering Journal, and IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology. He holds three granted US patents and has two published US/International (PCT) patent applications. Dr. Wang has secured significant research funding as PI for projects including: a Task within the National Key R&D Program of China; the Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Overseas) and the Young Scientists Fund Category C from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); a Task within the Guangdong Key R&D Program; a General Program grant from the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation; a Task within the Shenzhen Strategic Emerging Industries Development Special Support Program; and the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) Youth Exploration Fund. His honors include selection as an MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific honoree, Gold Medal at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, Royal Society of Chemistry Dalton Horizon Prize, WLA Rising Star of Young Scientist, Shenzhen Pengcheng Peacock Plan Class B Talent, Hong Kong's Top Ten Innovation and Technology News Award, University of Hong Kong (HKU) Knowledge Exchange Award (one of two recipients of the HKU-Pasteur Research Fellowship), Best Presentation Award at the Asian Biological Inorganic Chemistry Conference (AsBIC), and the Royal Society of Chemistry Book Prize. Dr. Wang's research has garnered widespread media coverage by numerous prominent Chinese and international outlets including Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network (CGTN), Reuters, Reference News, Phoenix News, South China Morning Post (SCMP), and Science Daily.

Jan. 2014 - Feb. 2018, Ph.D. in Bioinorganic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P.R. China (Supervisor：Prof. Hongzhe Sun, Dr. Richard Yi-Tsun Kao)

Sep. 2012 – Dec. 2013, Analytical Chemistry, Wuhan Institute of Technology （Supervisor：Prof. Rong Chen）

Sep. 2008 - Jul. 2012, B. Eng. In Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology

Jun. 2025 – present, Associate Professor, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, China

Feb. 2022 - Jun. 2025,Assistant Professor, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, China

Oct. 2018 - Oct. 2021,Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Hong Kong

Mar. 2018 - Sep. 2021,Research Assistant, The University of Hong Kong

Committee Member of the Expert Committee, China Biochemical Pharmaceutical Industry Association，Member of the Youth Committee, China Biochemical Engineering Society，Member of the Expert Panel, Shenzhen National High-Tech Industrial Innovation Center，Member of the Editorial Board, Infectious Diseases Reviews，Guest Editor, Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry，

Guest Editor, Frontiers in Chemistry

Basic Principle of Chemical Drug Discovery and Experimental Technology, Evidence-Based  Medicine and  Real-World Study，Cell Culture Engineering，Modern Life Science and Biotechnology Experiment，Design of Precision Medicine Platform for Disease Diagnosis and Therapeutics

This research program focuses on the development of synthetic biology technologies for functional metallobiomolecules and their pharmaceutical applications. It encompasses the following three research directions:

(1) Intelligent Design and Discovery of Metallobiomolecules

Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology to mine, design, and characterize protein/peptide elements with specific metal-binding functionalities. Key research activities include:

· AI-driven prediction and design to create novel protein/peptide structures possessing targeted metal-binding activities and functions.

· Experimental elucidation of the structure, formation, and secretion mechanisms of metal active centers within native and designed proteins/peptides.

· Integration of metal-binding site recognition algorithms and metalloproteomic technologies to screen, validate, and optimize designed products.

· Investigating the compatibility, metabolic interaction patterns, and regulatory mechanisms of designed metalloelements within host cells to identify potential drug targets, guide element optimization, and ultimately construct a structurally diverse and functionally defined metallobiomolecule library.

(2) Creation and Synthesis of Functionalized Metallomolecules

Developing precise metallization modification techniques and establishing efficient chemical/biological synthesis systems to create metal-enhanced biological molecules with augmented functionality. Key research activities include:

· Development of precise metallization modification technologies to achieve site-specific metal-ligand conjugation and functional enhancement of active molecules.

· Design of stimulus-responsive intelligent delivery carriers to overcome technical bottlenecks in the efficient and controllable release of metallodrug molecules.

· Creation of highly active, broad substrate-spectrum artificial metalloenzyme catalysts.

· Development of high-performance cell factories for the efficient and stable biosynthesis of functional metalloproteins/metallopeptides.

(3) Application Translation and Evaluation of Metallo-biopharmaceuticals

Systematically evaluate the application potential of metallobiomolecules developed in Directions 1 and 2 within major disease therapeutics and other areas, driving their translation towards clinical applications. This research direction encompasses the following activities:

· Conduct functional validation in key application areas, including antimicrobial/antiviral therapies against drug-resistant pathogens, induction of tumor cell programmed death, inhibition of liver fibrosis, and investigation of regulatory effects on stem cell differentiation, based on active metallobiomolecules.

· Systematically assess the in vitro and in vivo efficacy, pharmacokinetic properties, and potential toxicity of metallodrugs utilizing multi-tiered evaluation systems incorporating biological targets, organoids, and animal disease models.

· Investigate the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of metallobiomolecules, elucidate their functional mechanisms across scales (molecular, cellular, tissue/organismal levels), and optimize drug design to accelerate promising candidates into preclinical development.

1. National Key R&D Program of China (Task Lead), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), China. Ongoing, Principal Investigator (PI).

2. Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Overseas), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Ongoing, PI.

3. Young Scientists Fund (Category C), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Ongoing, PI.

4. Natural Science Foundation General Program, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Ongoing, PI.

5. Guangdong Key R&D Program - Key Special Project (Task Lead), Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Ongoing, Lead PI (Task PI).

6. Guangdong Province Pearl River Talent Plan Recruitment Program for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Teams, Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Ongoing, Core Member.

7. Special Fund for Scientific Research Development, Shenzhen Finance Bureau. Ongoing, PI.

8. Shenzhen Medical Research Fund, Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART). Ongoing, PI.

9. Shenzhen Strategic Emerging Industries Development Special Support Program (Task Lead), Shenzhen Municipal Development and Reform Commission. Ongoing, Lead PI (Task PI).

10. Interdisciplinary Research Fund, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS). Ongoing, PI.

11. PROCORE-France/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2019/20. Completed, Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI).

12. Seed Funding for COVID-19 Research, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), 2020-2021. Completed, Co-Investigator (Co-I).

1. Cheng H, Huang S, Cai L, Yangfan Xu, Wang R*, Yongbing Zhang*, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, 2025, DOI: 10.1109/TCSVT.2025.3528625.

2. “Focus Your Attention: Multiple Instance Learning with Attention Modification for Whole Slide Pathological Image Classification,”

3. Yuan S^#, Wang R^# (Co-first author), Chan FW^#, Zhang J, Cheng T, Chik KH, Ye Z-W, Wang S, Jin L, Li H, Jin DY, Yuen KY*, Sun H*, Nat. Microbiol, 2020, 5, 1439–1448

“Metallodrug ranitidine bismuth citrate suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication and relieves virus-associated pneumonia in Syrian hamsters” 

4. Wang R^#, Chan J. F-W^#, Wang S^#, Li H, Zhao J, Ip K-Y, Zuo Z, Yuen K-K, Yuan S*, Sun H*, Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 2238-2248 [Back cover]

“Orally administrated bismuth drug together with N-acetyl cysteine as a broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus cocktail therapy.”

5. Wang R^#, Lai TP^#, Gao P^#, Zhang H^#, Ho PL, Woo PC, Ma G, Kao RYT, Li H, Sun H*. Nat. Commum., 2018, 9, 439.

“Bismuth antimicrobial drugs serve as broad-spectrum metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors”

6. Sun H^#*, Zhang Q^#, Wang R^#*(Co-first author and Co-corresponding author), Wang H, Wong YT, Wang M, Hao Q, Yan A, Kao YT, Ho PL, Li H, Nat. Commum., 2020, 11, 5263.

“Resensitizing superbugs carrying both bla_MBL and mcr genes to antibiotics by auranofin”

7. Zhang Q^#, Wang R^# (Co-first author), Wang M, Liu C, Koohi-Moghadam M, Wang H, Ho P-L, Li H, Sun H*, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2022, 119, e2119417119.

8. Wang R, Wang S, Chan S, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Zuo Z, Chan CF, Li H, Sun H*, iScience, 2020, 23, 101054.

“Bismuth porphyrin antagonizes cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity via unexpected metallothionein-independent mechanisms”

9. Chan S^#, Wang R^# (Co-first author), Man K, Nicholls J, Li H, Sun H, Chan GC. Transl Oncol. 201, 12, 788-799.

“A novel synthetic compound, bismuth zinc citrate, could potentially reduce cisplatin-induced toxicity without compromising the anticancer effect through enhanced expression of antioxidant protein”

10. Wang R^#, Cheng G^#, Dai Z, Ding J, Liu Y, Chen R^*, Chem. Engineer. J, 2017, 327, 371-386.

“Ionic liquid-employed synthesis of Bi₂E₃ (E=S, Se, and Te) hierarchitectures: the case of Bi₂S₃ with superior visible-light-driven Cr(VI) photoreduction capacity”

1. Wang R, Li H, Ip K-Y, Sun H. Bismuth drugs as antimicrobial agents, Advances in Inorganic Chemistry : Med. Chem., 2019, 75, 183-205, Elsevier Publisher.

2. Wang R, Li H, Sun H. Bismuth: Environmental Pollution and Health Effects. Encyclopedia of Environmental Health, 2nd Edition, Elsevier Publisher, 2019.

1. U.S. Patent, Granted, US 10,201,518 B2.

2. U.S. Patent, Granted, US 10,624,871 B2.

3. U.S. Patent, Granted, US 11,554,138 B2.

4. U.S. Patent Application, Published, Application No.: US 2022/0296639 A1.

5. U.S. Patent Application, Published, US 2023/0218663 A1.

6. Chinese Patent, Granted, ZL 2017 8 0059904.3.

7. Chinese Patent, Granted, ZL 2021 8 0039588.X.

Rising Stars of Young Scientists (WLA) (2024)

Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions (2023) 

Royal Society of Chemistry Dalton Horizon Prize (2023) 

MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific Region (2022) 

National Overseas High-Level Talent Program (Youth Category) (2022) 

Pengcheng Peacock Plan - Class B Distinguished Talents (2022)

Knowledge Exchange Award, The University of Hong Kong (2021) 

HKU-Pasteur Research Pole Fellowship Award (one of only two awardees) (2021) 

Best Presentation Award, Asian Biological Inorganic Chemistry Conference (2018) 

Royal Society of Chemistry Book Prize (2016)