Zhen Dong

Dr. Dong earned his Master’s degree in Animal Science from the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) from September 2012 to June 2016. He then pursued doctoral studies in Dental Science at the University of Otago, New Zealand, from April 2017 to December 2020. Since March 2026, he has been serving as an Assistant Research Fellow (mid-level) at Westlake University. Dr. Dong is a member of the HUPO Single-Cell Proteomics (SCP) Initiative, served as a Guest Editor for the journal Clinical Proteomics from July to October 2025, and has led or participated in multiple research grant-funded projects. His research focuses on the development of proteomic methodologies and their application to investigating spatial molecular mechanisms in complex diseases. In recent years, he has been systematically advancing research in expansion spatial proteomics, aiming to propel the field toward higher spatial resolution, broader sample applicability, and enhanced mechanistic interpretability. His work is characterized by the integration of tissue expansion, precise spatial sampling, mass spectrometry detection, and computational analysis, establishing a technical framework that balances structural preservation, protein detection depth, and compatibility with clinical specimens. He places strong emphasis on the continual optimization of methodologies and their translation across diverse application scenarios. These studies provide novel tools for resolving protein spatial distribution at single-cell and subcellular scales within complex tissues, and offer critical tools for investigating spatial reorganization of key molecular networks and microenvironmental heterogeneity in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Collectively, his work holds significant implications for driving innovation in spatial proteomics methodologies, deepening the mechanistic understanding of disease pathogenesis, and facilitating clinical translation.

Selected publications:
1. Dong, Z.#, Jiang, W.H.#, Wu, C.L., Chen, T., Chen, J.Y., Ding, X., Zheng, S., Piatkevich, K.D.*, Zhu, Y.*, and Guo, T.N.* (2024). Spatial proteomics of single cells and organelles on tissue slides using filter-aided expansion proteomics. Nature Communications. 15, 9378. 10.1038/s41467-024-53683-7.
2. Dong, Z.#, Wu, C.L.#, Chen, J.Y., Jiang, W.H., Piatkevich, K.D.*, Zhu, Y.*, and Guo, T.N.* (2025). Filter-aided expansion proteomics for the spatial analysis of single cells and organelles in FFPE tissue samples. Nature Protocols. 10.1038/s41596-025-01256-3.
3. Dong, Z.#, and Guo, T.N.* (2026). Spatial protein gradients pattern liver metabolism. Nature Metabolism. 10.1038/s42255-026-01478-z.
4. Dong, Z.#*, Xiang, W.R.#, Jiang, W.H., and Guo, T.N.* (2026). Expansion omics: from expansion microscopy to spatial omics. Molecular Systems Biology. 22, 165-178. 10.1038/s44320-025-00171-9.
5. Wang, S.Y#, Dong, Z.#*, Wu, C.L., Chen, J.Y., Li, C.A., Sheng, J.P., Li, X., Chen, Y.*, and Guo, T.N* (2026). Multimodal AI-enabled mass spectrometry-based expansion proteomics for whole-slide at single-cell resolution. LangTaoSha Preprint Server. 10.65215/LTSpreprints.2026.02.20.000134.