Dr. Zhi Luo received his B.S. from Tsinghua University, followed by a Ph.D. with Distinction from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), and subsequently served as an ETH Fellow at ETH Zurich. His research focuses on polymer therapeutics, advanced drug formulations, and the neutron scattering characterization of biomaterials. Over the past five years, he has published nearly 50 peer-reviewed articles, including first- or corresponding-author papers in Nature, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications, PNAS, and Angewandte Chemie.

He has led multiple national and regional research projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Spallation Neutron Source, and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission, and has participated in collaborative programs supported by the European Union and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

In drug formulation, Dr. Luo is the primary inventor and co-founder of OBaris AG, an innovative oral delivery company that achieved a >100-fold increase in peptide absorption. OBaris was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2025. His honors include the Nanoscale Emerging Investigator Award, the National Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad, and the ETH Zurich Young Scientist in Pharmaceutical Sciences Award. In March 2023, he was featured as a representative young scientist “serving people’s health” in a prime-time interview on CCTV Xinwen Lianbo (National News Broadcast).

Education & Professional Experience

· 2018–2021 ETH Fellow, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

· 2013–2018 Ph.D. (Distinction), EPFL, Switzerland

· 2009–2013 B.S., Tsinghua University, China

Research Interests

Polymer therapeutics represent an emerging and underexplored frontier in pharmaceutical sciences, distinguished by unique mechanisms and significant clinical potential. Unlike conventional small molecules or biologics, the development of polymer-based drugs requires interdisciplinary integration—from automated synthesis and high-throughput characterization to AI-driven screening, organ-on-chip technologies, and chronic disease animal models—constituting a new methodological framework for drug discovery.

Our group uses cardiovascular calcification as a disease entry point to establish and refine a core technology platform. We aim to advance the application and translation of polymer therapeutics in chronic disease management and to explore their scientific and clinical value as a next-generation treatment modality.

Research Grants (selected since 2021)

· 2024 Shenzhen Natural Science Foundation, Key Project, Co-PI

· 2023 Shenzhen Medical Science Foundation, Talent Development Project, PI

· 2022 National Key R&D Program (MOST), “Advanced Functional and Intelligent Materials,” PI

· 2022 National Natural Science Foundation of China, General Program, PI

· 2022 China Spallation Neutron Source, Key Project, PI

· 2022 Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission, Stable Support Program, PI

· 2021 Youth Thousand Talents Program, PI

Selected Publications

1. Nature (2025), 10.1038/s41586-025-09506-w

2. Science Translational Medicine (2023), 15: eabq1887

3. Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2022), 61(43): e202209751

4. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews (2021), 175: 113814

5. PNAS (2019), 116(51): 25516

6. Nature Communications (2018), 9: 4478

7. Nature Communications (2018), 9: 1343

8. Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2017), 129(43): 13706