At Baylor College of Medicine, generous gifts from recently appointed Board of Advisors Member Harry Yan and his wife, Weiman Gao, are fueling bold innovations in cancer research and treatment. Their support is enabling Xiang “Shawn” Zhang, Ph.D., director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, to explore peptides—short chains of amino acids—as promising cancer markers and drug targets. This research could lead to earlier detection, new vaccines and more personalized therapies for patients.
Through collaboration with Baylor’s Innovation Institute, led by Chief Scientific Innovation Officer Joe Petrosino, Ph.D., faculty like Dr. Zhang can gain assistance translating their discoveries into commercial applications. Thanks to the Yans’ investment in both Dr. Zhang’s work and the Innovation Institute, peptide-based breakthroughs may soon reach patients, offering new hope in the fight against cancer.
“We’re honored to support research that could lead to earlier cancer detection and better treatments and bring potential new therapeutics to market,” Mr. Yan said.
“Baylor’s innovative work gives us hope—and we’re proud to help move these discoveries closer to patients.”
Chief Scientific Innovation Officer
Professor and Chair
Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology
Director
Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center
