Systems medicine
- Acting Dean of Chinese Medicine;
- Associate Dean (International Collaboration) of Chinese Medicine;
- Cheung On Tak Endowed Professor in Chinese Medicine;
- Chair Professor, Teaching and Research Division;
- Director, Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Medicine Phenome Research Centre;
- Director of Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Medicine Phenome Research Centre;
- Adjunct Professor of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University affiliated 6th People's Hospital;
- Director of the Center for Translational Medicine
Biography 
Prof. Jia's M.S. and Ph.D. were completed at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the field of radiopharmaceutical science. Previously, he has been a (tenured, full) Professor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Associate Director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center (a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center). Prof. Jia also served as a (tenured, full) Professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Co-Director of UNCG Center for Translational Biomedical Research for about 5 years. Prior to his appointment with UNCG, Prof. Jia worked in China for 10 years as Professor and Executive Vice Dean at College of Pharmaceutical Science, Tianjin University, and Professor and Vice Dean for Research, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Prof. Jia has 30 years of experience as a scientist in the medical field with a proven track record of building and operating highly successful interdisciplinary research programs, such as translational research centers, clinical -omics platforms, and botanical-based drug development laboratories in collegiate and industrial settings.
+ More InformationResearch Interests
His research interest focuses on microbial metabolomics and host-gut microbe metabolic interactions that underlie the development of gastrointestinal diseases and metabolic disorders and the treatment of these conditions using small molecule compounds, natural products, and traditional Chinese medicines. His group currently operates a world-class metabolomics laboratory, to quantitatively determine endogenous small-molecule metabolites and trace elements, supporting translational research in cancer biology, drug discovery, and traditional Chinese medicine.
Google Scholar (Feb 1, 2023)
- Citations: 33,444
- h-index: 85
- i10-index: 402
Selected Publications
Li MC, Wang SL, Li YT, Zhao ML, Kuang JL, Liang DD, Wang JY, Wei ML, Rajani C, Ma XR, Tang YJ, Ren ZX, Chen TL, Zhao AH, Hu C, Shen CX, Jia WP, Liu P, Zheng XJ, Jia W*. Gut microbiota-bile acid crosstalk contributes to the rebound weight gain after calorie restriction in mice. Nature Communications, in press, 2022.
Wang SL, Kuang JL, Zhang HW, Chen WL, Zheng XJ, Wang JY, Huang FJ, Ge K, Li MC, Zhao ML, Rajani C, Zhu JS, Zhao AH*, Jia W*. Bile acid – microbiome interaction promotes gastric carcinogenesis. Advanced Science, doi:10.1002/advs.2200263, 2022.
Zheng XJ, Chen TL, Zhao AH, Ning ZC, Kuang JL, Wang SL, You YJ, Bao YQ, Ma XJ, Yu HY, Zhou J, Jiang M, Li MC, Wang JY, Ma XH, Zhou SP, Li YT, Ge K, Rajani C, Xie GX, Hu C, Guo YK, Lu AP*, Jia WP*, Jia W*. Hyocholic acid species as novel biomarkers for metabolic disorders. Nature Communications, 12(1):1-11, 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21744-w.
Zheng XJ, Chen TL, Jiang RQ, Zhao AH, Wu Q, Kuang JL, Sun DN, Ren ZX, Li MC, Zhao ML, Wang SL, Bao YQ, Li HT, Hu C, Dong B, Li DF, Wu JY, Xia JL, Wang XM, Lan K, Rajani C, Xie GX, Lu AP, Jia WP*, Jiang CT*, Jia W*. Hyocholic acid species improve glucose homeostasis through a distinct TGR5 and FXR signaling mechanism. Cell Metabolism, 33(4):791-803, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.11.017.
Jia W*, Wei ML, Rajani C, Zheng XJ. Targeting the alternative bile acid synthetic pathway for metabolic diseases. Protein & Cell, 12(5):411-425, 2021. doi: 10.1007/s13238-020-00804-9.