Bringing passion to medical science

Tucked away in the corner of UC Irvine is a 100,000-square-foot structure against a grassy hill.

For those working inside the campus' relatively new addition, the mission is simple: Discover new technologies that help people who suffer from debilitating diseases.

Dr. Weian Zhao is one of the latest academic superstars the university has added to its roster. He was recently recognized in MIT's Technology Review list of 35 innovators younger than 35 who are making profound and lasting societal contributions.

While working as a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University, Zhao, 32, discovered how to make cells visible inside a living body.

By attaching dye to a strand of DNA and connecting that strand to a cell, scientists can watch the cell inside the body and see how it reacts to other cells, medicine and cancer.

This technology could streamline the lengthy drug test process and eventually make some drugs more effective.

Zhao, who brought his technology with him from Cambridge, is working with 11 other researchers in studying cancer to create solutions that he hopes will be available within the next five years.

"Really, the philosophy of the lab is to develop new technologies that impact people's lives," he said.

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Stem cell center

Although he's been at UCI for nearly a year, Zhao's office in the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center has almost no personal adornments or ephemera. The sparse work space doesn't reflect Zhao's effusive personality or the energy he has as he carefully explains his team's work with an ear-to-ear smile; there is just little time for distractions.

"When I met Dr. Zhao, he was very passionate about what he does," said fellow researcher Elizabeth Chang. He "really wanted to make an impact on the world in an efficient way."

Zhao hopes he and his team will create a test for cancer that is as simple to use as a pregnancy test. Like the strip turning blue for a baby, the device would change color to indicate a patient's cancer status.

A few drops of blood would detect cancer without invasive tests and before it has spread to unmanageable levels.

"Cancer diagnostics is the focus of our research," he said. "It was really driven by our long-term goal that addresses medical problems in the field."

Cancer may be the focus, but the group's research is wide-ranging.

Chang is working on finding new and more potent drugs for leukemia that require fewer resources, and less time and money.