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Qinglin Zhang is a PhD candidate in the School of Biological Sciences at HKU, where she has made significant strides in understanding the molecular mechanisms driving hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and endometrial carcinoma (EC). Under the supervision of Dr Jiangwen Zhang, she has published three first-author research articles in Advanced Science, Cells, and Scientific Reports. Now in her final year, Qinglin shares her journey from an eager undergraduate to an independent cancer researcher. 
 
Qinglin joined HKU in 2021, shortly after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Jilin University. Drawn by a deep interest in cancer biology, she joined Dr Zhang’s lab, a Cancer Systems Biology lab using an integrated omics approach to understand cancer at the epigenetics level. “When I started constructing a gene knockdown cell line the first time, I needed to use lentivirus; however, it is tricky to work on the virus,” she recalled. After months of trial and error, she succeeded in knocking down the gene of interest with valuable guidance from her supervisor. “It was frustrating being stuck, but overcoming that problem gave me a huge confidence boost.” 

By the end of her first year, Qinglin faced another hurdle—managing two research projects simultaneously. “Dr Zhang asked me to take on a second project on endometrial cancer—it was stressful juggling both,” she said. She began optimising her time in the lab, running new experiments during incubation periods and working weekends when needed. The effort paid off: her EC project, focusing on cancer stemness and tumour-associated macrophages, resulted in a publication in Scientific Reports, while her first project on ATF3’s role in suppressing lipid accumulation in HCC was published in Cells. 

In her third year, Qinglin took over a challenging project exploring the role of the epigenetic regulator VPS72 in liver tumorigenesis. Dr Zhang’s lab is the first one to identify that there are significant copy-number gains of VPS72 locus in more than 70% of liver cancer patients associated with poor survival. With thoughtful analyses and guidance from Dr Zhang, the project led to impactful findings published in Advanced Science. This study revealed how the genomic alteration of an epigenetic factor VPS72 drives de novo lipogenesis and liver cancer by DNA methylation and histone modifications. The study further identified a couple of therapeutic strategies to suppress the growth of liver cancer with VPS72 copy-number gain, such as blocking the interaction between VPS72 and its histone variant partner with a peptide and inhibiting the signal transduction of the VPS72 pathway by protein kinase inhibitors.   
 
Reflecting on her PhD journey, Qinglin attributes her growth to resilience, collaboration, and mentorship. “It’s really important to have a supportive team and insightful supervision and guidance,” she said. Her story illustrates the path from early uncertainty to scientific accomplishment—an inspiring example for fellow postgraduate students.