Drug discovery
- Assistant Professor, Teaching and Research Division
Biography 
Dr. Jun Xu graduated with M.Sc. degree in Chinese Medicinal Science from University of Macau in 2010. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Pharmacognosy from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2015. Afterwards he received postdoctoral training and then served as a Research Assistant Professor at the School of Chinese Medicine of HKBU. He was appointed as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at HKBU in 2022. His research has generated 70+ articles in academic journals and is being financially supported by several government funding agencies including Hong Kong General Research Fund (GRF), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF). Dr. Xu serves as Young Editor for Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis and peer reviewer for 20+ academic journals.
+ More InformationResearch Interests
Dr. Xu works in a number of pharmacognosy areas, with particular interests in (1) processing chemistry and pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica and (2) molecular mechanisms of the interplay between herbal medicines and gut microbiota.
Selected Publications
W. Zhang, W.W. Tao, J. Zhou, C.Y. Wu, F. Long, H. Shen, Q. Mao, H. Zhu, J. Xu*, S.L. Li*, Q.N. Wu*. Structural analogues in herbal medicine ginseng hit a shared target to achieve cumulative bioactivity. Communications Biology 4 (2021) 549.
Y.S. Cui, L.X. Zhu, Q.L. Sun, Y.X. Li, S.L. Jiang, H.B. Chen, Z.Z. Zhao, W. Qiao, J. Xu*, C.X. Dong*. Structure of a laminarin-type β-(1→3)-glucan from brown algae Sargassum henslowianum and its potential on regulating gut microbiota. Carbohydrate Polymers 255 (2021) 117389.
S.S. Zhou, K.K.W. Auyeung, K.M. Yip, R. Ye, Z.Z. Zhao, J. Xu*, H.B. Chen*, S.L. Li*. Stronger anti-obesity effect of white ginseng over red ginseng and the potential mechanisms involving chemically structural/compositional specificity to gut microbiota. Phytomedicine 74 (2020) 152761.
Q.L. Sun, L.X. Zhu, Y.X. Li, Y.S. Cui, S.L. Jiang, N. Tao, H.B. Chen, Z.Z. Zhao, J. Xu*, C.X. Dong*. A novel inulin-type fructan from Asparagus cochinchinensis and its beneficial impact on human intestinal microbiota. Carbohydrate Polymers 247 (2020) 116761.
S.S. Zhou, J.W. Hu, M. Kong, J.D. Xu, H. Shen, H.B. Chen, M.Q. Shen*, J. Xu*, S.L. Li*. Less SO2 residue may not indicate higher quality, better efficacy and weaker toxicity of sulfur-fumigated herbs: Ginseng, a pilot study. Journal of Hazardous Materials 364 (2019) 376-387.