Lu Zhang journeyed from China to study in a Cornell lab where biology and chemistry disciplines are fused in the search for new cancer therapies. (Photo Credit: Dave Burbank)

Searching for New Cancer Treatments

by Evaniya Shakya

Lu Zhang’s studies are at the cutting edge of cancer research. A fifth-year PhD student in Chemistry and Chemical biology at Cornell University, she investigates a class of enzymes — proteins that function as biological catalysts — and its application in cancer therapy. Zhang looks at enzyme modifications that are in clinical trial for treating breast cancers.