Si Min Zhang
Senior Research Specialist
E-mail: si.zhang@ki.se
Visiting address: SciLifeLab, Tomtebodavägen 23, 17165 Solna
Postal address: K7 Onkologi-Patologi, K7 Forskning Rudd, 171 77 Stockholm
About me
Dr. Si Min Zhang obtained her B.Sc degree from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She subsequently earned a dual Ph.D. degree from both Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (Professor James P. Tam group) and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (Professor Anders Vahlne group). During her doctoral training, her research focused on the development of peptidyl antiviral drugs targeting HIV-1 and SARS-CoV. Driven by an interest in translational antiviral research, she subsequently joined Lion TCR Ltd./Duke-NUS medical school (Singapore), and contributed to the implementation of a Phase I/II clinical trial investigating autologous T-cell receptor therapy for the treatment of hepatitis virus–associated liver cancer. She continued her focus on personalized medicine during her postdoctoral training at Karolinska Institutet with Professor Thomas Helleday, where she and the team identified the host enzyme NUDT15 as a key therapeutic target and biomarker for improving antiviral treatment outcomes. Her subsequent postdoctoral work with Dr. Sean Rudd further advanced the development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting the chemotherapy resistance factor SAMHD1.
Currently, Si Min is a Senior Research Specialist in the Rudd group at Karolinska Institutet, where she is developing and leading an independent research program aimed at identifying and exploiting host nucleotide metabolism for personalized antiviral therapy.
Her research is supported by funding from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), Åke Wibergs Stiftelse, Stiftelsen Clas Groschinskys Minnesfond, etc.
Teaching
Project Supervision
- Christopher Dirks (co-supervisor) | Ph.D. | Karolinska Institutet | Ongoing
- Guhaneshram Venkatachalam | M.S. | Karolinska Institutet | Incoming
- Anthi Kapsali | M.S. | SciLifeLab | 2026
- Lilian Frank | M.S. | Karolinska Institutet | 2025 | Current - Ph.D. candidate (Heidelberg University)
- Nasim Pouryaghoub | M.S. | Uppsala University | 2025 | Current - Research Assistant (KI)
- Huazhang Shu | M.S. | SciLifeLab | 2023-2024 | Current - Ph.D. candidate (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Rooma Mansoor | M.S. | Stockholm University | 2022 | Current - Ph.D. candidate (Uppsala University)
- Henri Colyn Bwanika | M.S. | Umeå University | 2020 | Current - Ph.D. candidate (NTNU, Norway)
- Surender Nakka | M.S. | University of Camerino | 2019 | Current - Ph.D. thesis defended (Università della Svizzera italiana)
Courses
- Molecular Medicine - Oncology (Course Code: 1BI049), Karolinska Institutet
- Master's Degree Project in Medical Research (3MR010), Uppsala University
- Christopher Dirks (co-supervisor) | Ph.D. | Karolinska Institutet | Ongoing
Articles
- Article: PLOS PATHOGENS. 2026;22(5):e1014225Shu H; Ludascher JM; Sharma S; Alam S; Frank L; Hutchinson ES; Tampere M; Leveque C; van Kuilenburg ABP; Valerie NCK; Altun M; Chabes A; Stenmark P; Rudd SG; Zhang SM
- Article: JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 2026;302(3):111214Allosteric targeting with antiviral nucleotide analogs allows fine-tuning of SAMHD1 dNTPase activityDirks C; Schlotterbeck A-K; Pettersson P; Leppert A; Landreh M; Zhang SM; Rudd SG
- Article: MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY. 2026;:10.1002/1878-100261.70226Yague-Capilla M; Dirks C; Eiden C; Fesenmayer SK; Hormann FM; Klootsema Y; Lilienthal I; Zhang SM; Herold N; Rudd SG
- Article: FUNDAMENTAL & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY. 2025;39(5):e70044Wang J; Pouryaghoub N; Strauss R; Bartek J; Zhang SM; Rudd SG
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2024;15(1):10347Valerie NCK; Sanjiv K; Mortusewicz O; Zhang SM; Alam S; Pires MJ; Stigsdotter H; Rasti A; Langelier M-F; Rehling D; Throup A; Purewal-Sidhu O; Desroses M; Onireti J; Wakchaure P; Almloef I; Bostrom J; Bevc L; Benzi G; Stenmark P; Pascal JM; Helleday T; Page BDG; Altun M
- Article: NUCLEOSIDES NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS. 2024;43(8):831-836Dirks C; Bwanika HC; Jemth A-S; Zhang SM; Rudd SG
- Article: ISCIENCE. 2024;27(2):108907Zhang SM; Paulin CBJ; Shu H; Yagu-Capilla M; Michel M; Marttila P; Ortis F; Bwanika HC; Dirks C; Venkatram RP; Wiita E; Jemth A-S; Almlof I; Loseva O; Hormann FM; Koolmeister T; Linde E; Lee S; Llona-Minguez S; Haraldsson M; Axelsson H; Stromberg K; Homan EJ; Scobie M; Lundback T; Helleday T; Rudd SG
- Article: NATURE CANCER. 2022;3(2):156-172Bonagas N; Gustafsson NMS; Henriksson M; Marttila P; Gustafsson R; Wiita E; Borhade S; Green AC; Vallin KSA; Sarno A; Svensson R; Gokturk C; Pham T; Jemth A-S; Loseva O; Cookson V; Kiweler N; Sandberg L; Rasti A; Unterlass JE; Haraldsson M; Andersson Y; Scaletti ER; Bengtsson C; Paulin CBJ; Sanjiv K; Abdurakhmanov E; Pudelko L; Kunz B; Desroses M; Iliev P; Farnegardh K; Kramer A; Garg N; Michel M; Haggblad S; Jarvius M; Kalderen C; Jensen AB; Almlof I; Karsten S; Zhang SM; Haggblad M; Eriksson A; Liu J; Glinghammar B; Nekhotiaeva N; Klingegard F; Koolmeister T; Martens U; Llona-Minguez S; Moulson R; Nordstrom H; Parrow V; Dahllund L; Sjoberg B; Vargas IL; Vo DD; Wannberg J; Knapp S; Krokan HE; Arvidsson PI; Scobie M; Meiser J; Stenmark P; Berglund UW; Homan EJ; Helleday T
- Article: CELL CHEMICAL BIOLOGY. 2021;28(12):1693-1702.e6Zhang SM; Rehling D; Jemth A-S; Throup A; Landazuri N; Almlof I; Gottmann M; Valerie NCK; Borhade SR; Wakchaure P; Page BDG; Desroses M; Homan EJ; Scobie M; Rudd SG; Berglund UW; Soderberg-Naucler C; Stenmark P; Helleday T
- Article: CELL DEATH & DISEASE. 2021;12(7):709Ceder S; Eriksson SE; Liang YY; Cheteh EH; Zhang SM; Fujihara KM; Bianchi J; Bykov VJN; Abrahmsen L; Clemons NJ; Nordlund P; Rudd SG; Wiman KG
- Article: BMC RESEARCH NOTES. 2021;14(1):27Makela P; Zhang SM; Rudd SG
- Article: JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 2021;296:100568Rehling D; Zhang SM; Jemth A-S; Koolmeister T; Throup A; Wallner O; Scaletti E; Moriyama T; Nishii R; Davies J; Desroses M; Rudd SG; Scobie M; Homan E; Berglund UW; Yang JJ; Helleday T; Stenmark P
- Article: NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY. 2020;16(10):1120-1128Zhang SM; Desroses M; Hagenkort A; Valerie NCK; Rehling D; Carter M; Wallner O; Koolmeister T; Throup A; Jemth A-S; Almlof I; Loseva O; Lundback T; Axelsson H; Regmi S; Sarno A; Kraemer A; Pudelko L; Brautigam L; Rasti A; Gottmann M; Wiita E; Kutzner J; Schaller T; Kalderen C; Cazares-Korner A; Page BDG; Krimpenfort R; Eshtad S; Altun M; Rudd SG; Knapp S; Scobie M; Homan EJ; Berglund UW; Stenmark P; Helleday T
- Article: EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE. 2020;12(3):e10419Rudd SG; Tsesmetzis N; Sanjiv K; Paulin CBJ; Sandhow L; Kutzner J; Myrberg IH; Bunten SS; Axelsson H; Zhang SM; Rasti A; Makela P; Coggins SA; Tao S; Suman S; Branca RM; Mermelekas G; Wiita E; Lee S; Walfridsson J; Schinazi RF; Kim B; Lehtio J; Rassidakis GZ; Tamm KP; Warpman-Berglund U; Heyman M; Grander D; Lehmann S; Lundback T; Qian H; Henter J-I; Schaller T; Helleday T; Herold N
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY & CELL BIOLOGY. 2018;101:103-112Zhang SM; Liao Y; Neo TL; Lu Y; Liu DX; Vahlne A; Tam JP
- Article: PLOS ONE. 2015;10(7):e0134851Zhang SM; Jejcic A; Tam JP; Vahlne A
- Article: BIOCHEMISTRY. 2015;54(9):1819-1830Liao Y; Zhang SM; Neo TL; Tam JP
All other publications
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2025Shu H; Sharm S; Alam S; Frank L; Tampere M; van Kuilenburg ABP; Valerie NCK; Altun M; Chabes A; Rudd S; Zhang SM
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2023Zhang SM; Paulin CBJ; Michel M; Marttila P; Yagüe-Capilla M; Bwanika HC; Shu H; Vekatram RP; Wiita E; Jemth A-S; Almlöf I; Loseva O; Ortis F; Dirks C; Koolmeister T; Linde E; Lee S; Llona-Minguez S; Haraldsson M; Strömberg K; Homan E; Scobie M; Lundbäck T; Helleday T; Rudd S
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2022Valerie NCK; Sanjiv K; Mortusewicz O; Zhang SM; Alam S; Pires M; Stigsdotter H; Rasti A; Langelier M-F; Langelier M-F; Rehling D; Throup A; Desroses M; Onireti J; Wakchaure P; Almlöf I; Boström J; Bevc L; Benzi G; Stenmark P; Pascal J; Helleday T; Page BDG; Altun M
- Corrigendum: CELL DEATH & DISEASE. 2022;13(8):672Ceder S; Eriksson SE; Liang YY; Cheteh EH; Zhang SM; Fujihara KM; Bianchi J; Bykov VJN; Abrahmsen L; Clemons NJ; Nordlund P; Rudd SG; Wiman KG
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2020Mäkelä P; Zhang SM; Rudd S
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2020Zhang SM; Calderón-Montaño J; Rudd S
Selected grants
- Swedish Research Council1 January 2025 - 1 January 2028
Grants
- Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden Large Project Support - 2025
- Felix Mindus contribution to Leukemia Research - 2019, 2020, 2022
- KI Foundation for Virus Research - 2020, 2022
- KID - partial funding to doctoral students at Karolinska Institutet - 2021, 2025
- Dr Åke Olsson Foundation for Hematological Research - 2022
- Loo and Hans Osterman Foundation for Medical Research - 2022
- Åke Wibergs Stiftelse - 2022, 2023, 2025
- Stiftelsen Clas Groschinskys Minnesfond - 2023, 2024
- Stiftelsen Lars Hiertas Minne - 2023
Employments
- Senior Research Specialist, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 2026-
- Research Specialist, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 2019-2023
Degrees and Education
- Doctor Of Philosophy, Biomedical Science, Interaction-mediating sequences within Class I viral fusion glycoproteins: their roles in viral infection and in applications, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 2016
- Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2015