主要研究聚焦人胚胎干细胞或人工诱导多能干细胞的神经定向分化、人神经发育、神经系统疾病与神经再生。目前在国际性学术期刊发表SCI论文30余篇，包括Cell、CellStem Cell、Development、CellResearch、Stem Cell Reports 等国际著名杂志。
代表性论文：
1.Xiangjie Xu, Yanhua Du, Lin Ma, Shuwei Zhang, Lei Shi, Zhenyu Chen, Zhongshu Zhou, Yi Hui, Yang Liu, Yujiang Fang, Beibei Fan, Zhongliang Liu, Nan Li, Shanshan Zhou, Cizhong Jiang, Ling Liu and Xiaoqing Zhang*. Mapping germ-layer specification preventing genes in hPSCs via genome-scale CRISPR screening. iScience 2021.24, 101926.
2.Lei Shi, Wenjing Li, Yang Liu, Zhenyu Chen, Yi Hui, Pengcheng Hao, Xiangjie Xu, Shuwei Zhang, Hexi Feng, Bowen Zhang, Shanshan Zhou, Nan Li, Lei Xiao, Ling Liu, Lin Ma, Xiaoqing Zhang*. Generation of hypoimmunogenic human pluripotent stem cells via expression of membrane-bound and secreted β2m-HLA-G fusion proteins. Stem Cells. 2020 Nov;38(11):1423-1437.
3.Yiran Wang, Chongchong Xu, Lin Ma, Yongchao Mou, Bowen Zhang, Shanshan Zhou, Yue Tian, Jessica Trinh, Xiaoqing Zhang*, Xue-Jun Li*. Drug screening with human SMN2 reporter identifies SMN protein stabilizers to correct SMA pathology. Life Science Alliance. 2019. vol 2 ,no 2 ,e201800268 (*Co-Correspondence)
4.Lin Ma, Yiran Wang, Yi Hui, Yanhua Du, Zhenyu Chen, Hexi Feng, Shuwei Zhang, Nan Li, Jianren Song, Yujiang Fang, Xiangjie Xu, Lei Shi, Bowen Zhang, Jiayi Cheng, Shanshan Zhou, Ling Liu* and Xiaoqing Zhang*. Wnt / Notch pathway is essential for the maintenance and expansion of human medial ganglionic eminence progenitors. Stem Cell Reports, 2019.14; 12 (5):934-949.
5.Ling Liu, Zhenyu Chen, Xin Zhang, Shun Li, Yi Hui, Hexi Feng, Guohua Jin, Xiaohui Zhou and Xiaoqing Zhang*. Protection of ZIKV infection-induced neuropathy by abrogation of acute antiviral response in human neural progenitors. Cell Death and Differentiation. 2019 Apr 5. doi: 10.1038/ s41418-019-0324-7.
6.Zhenyu Chen# ; Xudong Ren# ; Xiangjie Xu# ; Xiaojie Zhang; Yi Hui; Zhongliang Liu; Ling Liu* ; Xiaoqing Zhang* . Genetic Engineering of HumanEmbryonic Stem Cells for Precise Cell Fate Tracing during Human Lineage Development, Stem Cell Reports, 2018.11.13, 11: 1~15. (*Co-Correspondence)
7.Fang Y, Liu Z, Chen Z, Xu Z, Xiao M, Yu Y, Zhang Y, Zhang X-B, Du Y, Jiang C, Zhao Y, Wang Y, Fan B, Terheyden-Keighley D, Liu Y, Shi L, Hui Y, Zhang X, Zhang B, Feng H, Ma L, Zhang Q, Jin G, Yang Y, Xiang B*, Liu L* and Zhang X-Q*. Smad5 acts as an intracellular pH messenger and maintains bioenergetic homoeostasis. Cell Research 2017, 27(9):1083-1099.
8.Du Y, Liu Z, Cao X, Chen X, Chen Z, Zhang X, Zhang X*(共同通讯), Jiang C*. Nucleosome eviction along with H3K9ac deposition enhances Sox2 binding during human neuroectodermal commitment. Cell Death Differ 2017, 24(6):1121-1131.
9.Li G, Jiapaer Z, Weng R, Hui Y, Jia W, Xi J, Wang G, Zhu S, Liu L, Zhang X*(共同通讯), Kang J*. Dysregulation of the SIRT1/OCT6 Axis Contributes to Environmental Stress-induced Neural Induction Defects. Stem Cell Reports 2017, 8(5):1270-1286.
10.Chi L, Fan B, Zhang K, Du Y, Liu Z, Fang Y, Chen Z, Ren X, Xu X, Jiang C, Li S, Ma L, Gao L*, Liu L*, Zhang X*. (2016) Targeted differentiation of regional ventral neuroprogenitors and related neuronal subtypes from human pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Reports. 7(5)：941-954.
11.Liu Z, Hui Y, Shi L, Chen Z, Xu X, Chi L, Fan B, Fang Y, Liu Y, Ma L, Wang Y, Xiao L, Zhang Q, Jin G*, Liu L*, Zhang X*. （2016）Efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated versatile, predictable, and donor-free gene knockout in human pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Reports. 7(3):496-507.
12.Chi L, Fan B, Feng D, Chen Z, Liu Z, Hui Y, Xu X, Ma L, Fang Y, Zhang Q, Jin G, Liu L*, Guan F* and Zhang X*. (2017) The dorsoventral patterning of human forebrain follows an activation/transformation model. Cerebral Cortex. 27 (5): 2941-2954.
13.Liu L, Liu X, Ren X, Tian Y, Chen Z, Xu X, Du Y, Jiang C, Fang Y, Liu Z, Fan B, Zhang, Q, Jin G, Yang X and Zhang X*. (2016) Smad2 and Smad3 have differential sensitivity in relaying TGFbeta signaling and inversely regulate em’n’n’narly lineage specification. Scientific Reports. 6:21602.
14.Liu Z, Chi L, Fang Y, Liu L* and Zhang X*（2013）. Specific expression pattern of a novel Otx2 splicing variant during neural differentiation. Gene. 523(1):33-8.
15.Zhang X-Q, Huang TC, Chen J, Pankratz TM, Xi J-J, Li J, Yang Y, LaVaute MT, Li X-J, Ayala M, Bondarenko IG, Du Z-W, Jin Y, Golos GT and Zhang S-C. (2010) Pax6 is a human neuroectoderm cell fate determinant. Cell Stem Cell. 7(1): 90-100.
16.Zhang X-Q, Zhang S-C. (2010): Differentiation of neural precursors and dopaminergic neurons from human embryonic stem cells. Methods Mol Biol. 584: 355-66.
17.Li X-J*, Zhang X-Q*, Johnson MA, Wang Z-B, Lavaute T, Zhang S-C. (2009) Coordination of sonic hedgehog and Wnt signaling determines ventral and dorsal telencephalic neuron types from human embryonic stem cells. Development. 136(23): 4055-63. (*, equal contribution. Highlighted by the journal)
18.Zhang X-Q*, Zhang G*, Zhang H*, Karin M, Bai H, Cai D-S. (2008): Hypothalamic IKKbeta/NF-kappa B and ER stress link overnutrition to energy imbalance and obesity. Cell. 135(1): 61-73. (*, equal contribution. Highlighted by the journal)
19.Zhang X-Q, Wang F-F, Chen X-Q, Chen Y-J, Ma L. (2008): Post-endocytic fates of delta-opioid receptor are regulated by GRK2-mediated receptor phosphorylation and distinct beta-arrestin isoforms. J Neurochem. 106(2): 781-92.
20.Zhang X-Q, Wang F-F, Chen X-Q, Li J-L, Xiang B, Li B-M, Zhang Y-Q, Ma L. (2005): Beta-arrestin1 and beta-arrestin2 are differentially required for phosphorylation-dependent and independent internalization of delta-opioid receptors. J Neurochem. 95(1): 169-78.
