As a DPhil of Lanzhou University, Prof Zhang has engaged in R&D and industrialization of new viral vaccines, antibodies and immune diagnostic reagents for decades.
Prof Zhang participated in scientific research of COVID-19 vaccine, diagnostic and therapeutic products, and successfully acquired first pre qualification and EUL in WHO for COVID-19 inactivated vaccine in the world. Now the vaccine has been registered and released to 121 countries, regions and international organizations. The vaccinated population covers 196 countries. More than 3.5 billion doses of vaccines have been produced and distributed nationwide and overseas, which has made immense contributions to the control of pandemic.
Before Pandemic, Prof Zhang developed China's first new target vaccine for EV71, with a general protection rate of over 90% and a severe protection rate of 100%. After the vaccine was launched, the annual child mortality rate of EV71 in China decreased by 93.5%, which was highly recommended by WHO. He then promoted the research and industrialization of IPV, which filled in the blank of IPV market and passed WHO validation. The product quality has reached international criteria, facilitated China's combined vaccination scheme of bOPV and IPV, and contributed to global polio eradication strategy.
As an outstanding project lead, Prof Zhang undertook a number of major projects such as infectious disease project "New Hepatitis B Vaccine Development" of "Twelfth Five Year Plan", novel drug development project "Research on upgrading Technology and Quality Standards of Immunization Program and Vaccine Industry such as Component Cell-free DPT" of "Thirteenth Five Year Plan", novel drug development project "The Establishment and Application of all Human Monoclonal Antibody Drug Development Technology Platform", and promoted several trials of combined vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and world's first IL-17 Fc fusion protein.
Prof Zhang have also developed a number of diagnostic products, including SARS diagnostic reagent, hepatitis C virus Abzyme linked immunodiagnostic reagent, hepatitis C virus core antigen detection reagent, HIV (HIV-1/2) Abzyme linked immunodiagnostic kit, and rotavirus diagnostic kit (ELISA), which then obtained new drug certificates and production approval, etc.
Prof Zhang, as an owner of multiple patents, published over 60 articles in journals like Lancet, Cell, and JAMA. In 2022, the project "Development and Application of COVID-19 Inactivated Vaccine" lead by Prof Zhang, won the first prize of Beijing Science and Technology Progress Award, and the project "Development and Application of New Pandemic Vaccine, Construction and Application of Industrialized Technology System" won the first prize of Science and Technology Award of 17th Chinese Pharmaceutical Association. Also in 2022, he was awarded "the most Excellent Scientific and Technological Worker" in Beijing, "Outstanding Individual in Combating COVID-19" by Ministry of Science and Technology and State Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.
Outside CNBG, Prof Zhang served as Biological Products Committee’s Deputy Director of Chinese Preventive Healthcare Association, Vaccine Professional Committee’s Deputy Director of Chinese Medical Biotechnology Association, Biological Products Professional Committee’s Deputy Director of Chinese Society of Microbiology, and Quality Committee’s Director of Chinese Vaccine Industry Association.