Yu Zhang is an associate researcher at the Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Zhang’s research spans immuno-oncology, nucleic acid therapeutics, immunotherapy, and functional biomaterials.

A major focus is the development of circular RNA vaccines, addressing translation efficiency, stability, and mechanisms of immune regulation. The work includes screening internal ribosome entry site elements, constructing small circular RNA vaccines, and developing pulmonary delivery strategies.

Zhang has published as a first or corresponding author in journals including Nature Biomedical Engineering, the Journal of Controlled Release, Science China Chemistry, and Theranostics. Zhang has also contributed to patents and an English-language book chapter on functional synthetic DNA for cancer theranostics.