East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Zhi Q. Yao is leading the nation’s only National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded R33 project to advance to a second phase of research aimed at developing a cure for Hepatitis B.

Yao, a professor in the Quillen College of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, received the $1.76 million grant from the NIH’s Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to continue developing a gene therapy approach that could eliminate the Hepatitis B infection.

The Phase II (R33) award follows the Phase 1 (R21) award Yao received in 2024 from the NIAID. Of the five research teams that received Phase I grants in 2024, Yao was the only one to receive Phase II funding.

“This recognition reflects the progress our team has made toward developing a potential curative strategy for Hepatitis B,” said Yao. “The Phase II award allows us to build upon our earlier work with new gene-editing approaches that could ultimately eliminate the virus from infected cells.”

Yao’s work focuses on improving the delivery of CRISPR-based gene editing technology. This research has led to the development of an exosome-based delivery system designed to target infected cells in the liver. Exosomes are small, cell-derived, membrane-bound structures that facilitate communication between cells by carrying proteins, lipids, RNA, and other molecules.

If successful, the approach could lead to therapies that eliminate the virus from the body rather than simply controlling it.

“Being the only team selected to continue this work is an extraordinary accomplishment for Dr. Yao and his team,” said Dr. Bill Block, Quillen’s dean and ETSU’s vice president for Clinical Affairs. “His award is not just a testament to his excellence as a researcher – it also speaks to the strength of our college’s research program, and our ability to impact health both inside and outside of a clinical setting.”

The award reflects ETSU's growing research enterprise and its commitment to improving health through scientific discovery – advancing innovations that have the potential to benefit patients in Appalachia and beyond. It also brings Yao’s total NIH funding in this line of research to more than $4.3 million.

Yao serves as Quillen’s Paul Dishner Chair of Excellence, director of the college’s Center of Excellence for HIV/AIDS, and chief of the Department of Internal Medicine’s research division. Yao is also a member of ETSU’s Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity.  

To learn more about the Quillen College of Medicine and its commitment to advancing healthcare, visit etsu.edu/com/.

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