Shuo Zhou | Faculty Directory

Professional Background

Education

2025 - Postdoctoral Fellow - Pharmaceutical Sciences - UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
2022 - Postdoctoral Fellow - Pharmacodynamics - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
2019 - Ph.D. - Pharmaceutical Sciences - University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
2012 - M.S. - Chemical Biology - Peking University, Beijing, P.R. China
2010 - B.S. - Pharmacy - Peking University, Beijing, P.R. China

Highlights

Dr. Zhou is a research Assistant Professor whose work focuses on using biophysical methods to investigate interactions between molecules. His academic background spans organic synthesis, computational chemistry, and molecular modeling. During his Ph.D. studies, he developed expertise in identifying, designing, and synthesizing biologically active compounds, and in using computational methods to predict their binding affinity and selectivity, leading to research publications, conference presentations, and collaborations across the field. In his postdoctoral work, he expanded his research into cutting-edge biophysical technologies to accelerate drug discovery and optimize lead compounds. He is committed to rigorous, interdisciplinary research within the Structural Biology and Biophysics Core.

Appointments

2025 - present - Assistant Professor - UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
2022 - 2025 - Postdoctoral Researcher - UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
2020 - 2022 - Postdoctoral Associate - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States

Research & Grants

Dr. Zhou's research combines structure-based drug discovery with computational and biophysical approaches. He co-developed CovalentDock and the cloud-based CovalentDock Cloud service to improve the accuracy and accessibility of covalent ligand docking for drug discovery. His work on the anti-inflammatory drug target mPGES-1 used molecular dynamics simulation and virtual screening to identify the FDA-approved drug lapatinib as a candidate for repurposing as a cancer pain treatment. He has also identified novel, selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors relevant to Alzheimer's disease and opioid-overdose research. His current work applies biophysical techniques such as MST, SPR, and GCI to characterize molecular interactions for mechanistic studies and early-stage drug discovery.

Publications

Google Scholar Profile

Selected Publications:

Rawal Y, Kwon Y, Jia L, et al. Structural insight into how RAD51 paralog exchange regulates RAD51 filament formation. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2026 May;33(5):768-781.

Dutta A, Ji JH, Syed S, et al. Resolution of R-loops and transcription-replication conflicts by SETX-STN1-TEN1 complex. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2026 Apr;33(4):615-630.

Rogers CM, Kaur H, Swift ML, et al. CTC1-STN1-TEN1 controls DNA break repair pathway choice via DNA end resection blockade. Science. 2025 May 22;388(6749):881-888.

Salunkhe S, Daley JM, Kaur H, et al. Promotion of DNA end resection by BRCA1-BARD1 in homologous recombination. Nature. 2024 Oct;634(8033):482-491.

Zhou S, Zhou Z, Ding K, Yuan Y, Zhan CG. In Silico Observation of the Conformational Opening of the Glutathione-Binding Site of Microsomal Prostaglandin E2 Synthase-1. J Chem Inf Model. 2019 Sep 23;59(9):3839-3845.

Zhou S, Yuan Y, Zheng F, Zhan CG. Structure-based virtual screening leading to discovery of highly selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors with solanaceous alkaloid scaffolds. Chem Biol Interact. 2019 Aug;308:372-376.

Ouyang X, Zhou S, Su CT, Ge Z, Li R, Kwoh CK. CovalentDock: automated covalent docking with parameterized covalent linkage energy estimation and molecular geometry constraints. J Comput Chem. 2013 Feb 5;34(4):326-36.

Zhou S, Zheng F, Zhan CG. Clinical data mining reveals analgesic effects of lapatinib in cancer patients. Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 11;11(1):3528.

Zhou S, Ding K, Yuan Y, Loftin C, Zheng F, Zhan CG. DREAM-in-CDM Approach and Identification of a New Generation of Anti-inflammatory Drugs Targeting mPGES-1. Sci Rep. 2020 Jun 23;10(1):10187.

Full publication list available on Google Scholar (linked above).

Shuo Zhou, Ph.D.

Education

Highlights

Appointments