Photo of Yanjiao Zhou, MD, PhD

Yanjiao Zhou, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine
Academic Office Location:
Medicine
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-L3080
Phone: 860-679-6379
Email: yazhou@uchc.edu
Website(s):

Immunology Graduate Program
Education
DegreeInstitutionMajor
MDZhangjiakou Medical CollegeMedicine
MSTianjin Medical UniversityImmunology
PhDTianjin Medical UniversityMicrobiology

Post-Graduate Training
TrainingInstitutionSpecialty
PostdoctoralThe Rockefeller UniversityImmunology
PostdoctoralThe Genome Institute of Washington University School of MedicineMicrobiome and Bioinformatics

Awards
Name of Award/HonorAwarding Organization
Finalist of Women of Innovation in CTCT Technology Council
Scialog fellowResearch corporation for science advancement
Award for Institute of Clinical and Translational SciencesWashington University School of Medicine

Dr. Zhou is a computational biologist. She was one of the lead analysts in the first and second phase of Human Microbiome Project. She has been involved in over 30 microbiome-related projects that study the role of microbiome in health and disease.


The major research interest of her laboratory is to develop microbiome-based diagnostics and therapeutics for multiple sclerosis as well as other diseases, with a focus on how nutrition and microbial metabolites influence the gut-brain axis. By taking a multidisciplinary approach that includes bioinformatics and molecular biology, we are researching the following areas: 


(1) Determine how intermittent fasting affects the gut microbiome and MS pathogenesis in mouse models and patients in collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine. We also work on different strategies to identify microbes, microbial genes and metabolites that modulate peripheral inflammation and neuroinflammation, which potentially permits the development of probiotic-based therapeutics for MS.

(2) Study the interaction of host genetics and gut microbiome in controlling  substance use disorder and develop microbiome based treatment for alcohol use disorder


(3) Study the role of virome in health and diseases




Accepting lab rotation students at this time for Fall 2026/Spring 2027

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

  • Acquisition of the Human Gut Microbiota
    Zhou Y, Warner B, Tarr PI WGO Handbook on Gut Microbes. 2014 May;18-22
  • Hypothesis testing of metagenomic data
    La Rosa PS, Zhou Y, Sodergren E, Weinstock G, Shannon WD. Metagenomics for Microbiology 2014 Jan;

Case Reports

  • Transferable vancomycin resistance in a community-associated MRSA lineage.
    Rossi, Flávia; Diaz, Lorena; Wollam, Aye; Panesso, Diana; Zhou, Yanjiao; Rincon, Sandra; Narechania, Apurva; Xing, Galen; Di Gioia, Thais S R; Doi, André; Tran, Truc T; Reyes, Jinnethe; Munita, Jose M; Carvajal, Lina P; Hernandez-Roldan, Alejandra; Brandão, Denise; van der Heijden, Inneke Marie; Murray, Barbara E; Planet, Paul J; Weinstock, George M; Arias, Cesar A The New England journal of medicine 2014 Apr;370(16):1524-31

Reviews