UM Researcher Receives Prestigious Grant to Study Effects of Sugars on Immune Cells

Joshua Zhu, assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and research at the School of Pharmacy and research assistant professor in the Research Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, has secured a prestigious R35 grant worth $1.25 million from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Zhu and his team will use a combination of organic and biochemistry tools to study the roles of sugars in immune cell signaling pathways. Their research focuses on sugar-modified molecules in the body, examining their role in maintaining daily health.

“The sugars in our body are like the dark matter of the universe,” Zhu said. “I am excited that we can use our tools to see the functions of this dark matter in our bodies, especially the functions of them in our immune system.”

Joshua Sharp, acting associate dean of research and director of the Glycoscience Center of Research Excellence, praised Zhu’s work, noting the substantial amount of interest by the biomedical community in how cells modify proteins to control their activity and how this control changes as the body experiences disease, development and other changes.

“Professor Zhu’s work is very exciting because he uses his uncommon expertise in glycopeptide synthesis to study complex and challenging combinations of these protein modifications to tease out how they work together to allow the cells to interact with each other and the environment,” Sharp said.

“This cutting-edge basic science lays the foundations for tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs.” 

The R35 grant, or Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award, is designed to increase the efficiency of NIGMS funding and support a broad array of talented and promising investigators across the country.

By offering researchers greater financial stability and flexibility, the program fosters scientific productivity and increases the chance for scientific breakthroughs. 

Zhu’s grant funding, to be used between July 2025 and May 2029, will provide the support necessary to deepen understanding of sugars and the immune system and drive innovation to improve health.