Protein Therapeutics Design
Engineered binding proteins (affibody/nanobody) and protein nanoparticles, moving from computational design toward wet-lab testing. I'm still learning the full cycle.
HU Ziheng
Programme
BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Sciences (dual degree with the University of Liverpool)
Institution
Academy of Life and Natural Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Period
Sep 2023 – Jul 2027
Location
Suzhou, China
Welcome to my page! I’m an undergraduate learning to work across computational drug design and wet-lab protein engineering.
About
Simulation and experiments.
I'm an undergraduate student in pharmaceutical sciences at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. My interests are computational drug design and protein engineering, though I'm still early in my training and learning in both.
In the AI Therapeutics & Molecular Simulation Lab (ATOMs Lab), I worked on small-molecule inhibitors targeting myostatin (MSTN), running virtual screening, molecular docking, and binding free energy analysis. This work contributed to a paper under review at the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling.
After a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) with the XJTLU Peptide and Drug Research Group (XPad), I'm now a Final Year Project student there, working on encapsulin nanoparticles for intracellular protein delivery and learning the wet-lab pipeline from cloning to cell-based assays.
Education
BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Sciences
Academy of Life and Natural Sciences · Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
The Academy of Life and Natural Sciences was formed in September 2026 through the merger of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's School of Science and Wisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy
Overall: 74% · Trend: 68% → 76% → 78%
Selected Coursework
Chemistry for Pharmacy (92%) · Drug Action (85%) · Advanced Chemistry for Pharmacy (82%) · Pharmaceutical Analysis (82%) · Introduction to Physiology & Pharmacology (82%) · Principles of Pharmacology (79%)
Research Interests
Four questions I'm exploring.
Computational Drug Design
Molecular dynamics, free energy calculations, and virtual screening. I'm learning to use these tools to ask better questions.
Between Computation & Experiment
Moving between in silico predictions and wet-lab results. This is the part I enjoy most.
Allosteric Regulation & Dynamics
How conformational dynamics shape protein function, and whether transient states might be worth targeting. I'm only beginning to explore this.
Research Experience
From dry lab to wet lab.
Apr 2025 – Jul 2026
~1 year 3 months
~1 year 3 months
Undergraduate Researcher — Computer-Aided Drug Design Dry Lab
AI Therapeutics & Molecular Simulation Lab (ATOMs Lab) · Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou
- Worked on small-molecule inhibitors targeting myostatin (MSTN) using structure-based drug design and molecular dynamics simulations.
- Ran virtual screening and molecular docking to identify candidate compounds.
- Performed binding free energy analysis and protein–ligand stability assessment to help prioritise lead compounds.
- Co-authored paper under review at the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling.
Jun 2026
– Aug 2026
– Aug 2026
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship — Protein Engineering Wet Lab
XJTLU Peptide and Drug Research Group (XPad) · Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou
- Learning the wet-lab pipeline for protein engineering: cloning, expression, IMAC purification, and buffer exchange.
- Produced recombinant proteins in bacterial systems and performed QC for downstream nanoparticle assembly.
- Gained hands-on experience with protein characterisation techniques.
Aug 2026
– Present
– Present
Final Year Project — Protein Nanoparticle Engineering Wet Lab
XJTLU Peptide and Drug Research Group (XPad) · Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou
- Re-engineering protease-driven encapsulin nanoparticles with dual orthogonal conjugation handles (Sortase A and SnoopLigase) for modular intracellular protein delivery.
- Assembling cargo-loaded nanoparticles via TEV protease-triggered self-assembly, followed by surface functionalisation with affibody ligands and small-molecule labels.
- Characterising particles by DLS, TEM, blue native gel, and HPLC-SEC; evaluating HER2-dependent cell penetration in HER2⁺ vs HER2⁻ cell lines.
Publications
A small set of early contributions.
One paper under review and one conference poster, with more work in progress.
Computational Exploration of ActRII-Coupled Conformational Dynamics during Myostatin Activation
Conference Presentations
Mechanism of Action and Rational Design of Small-Molecule Inhibitors Targeting Myostatin
Ziheng Hu, Peirun Yang, Sijin Wu*
Skills & Tools
Methods and software.
What I've been using across both dry- and wet-lab work.
Computational
Experimental
Software
Languages
Honours & Awards
Selected recognition.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University · Summer 2026 · View certificate
Dean's List, Academic Year 2025–2026
Wisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University · Top 10% by academic performance · View official list
Dean's List, Academic Year 2024–2025
Wisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University · Top 10% by academic performance · View official list
Contact
Ziheng.Hu23@student.xjtlu.edu.cn · Academic
Hu.Ziheng@outlook.com · Personal
ORCID: 0009-0005-9190-069X
Dr. Sijin Wu · Associate Researcher, Assistant Professor · AI Therapeutics & Molecular Simulation Lab (ATOMs Lab), Academy of Life and Natural Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University · Sijin.Wu@xjtlu.edu.cn
Dr. Shining Loo · Assistant Professor · XJTLU Peptide and Drug Research Group (XPad), Academy of Life and Natural Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University · Shining.loo@xjtlu.edu.cn
Dr. Antony Kam · Assistant Professor · XJTLU Peptide and Drug Research Group (XPad), Academy of Life and Natural Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University · Antony.kam@xjtlu.edu.cn