Xin Zhang

Dr. Xin Zhang is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology’s Center for Translational Pain Medicine (CTPM) at Duke University and a Professor at Nanjing Medical University in China. With a doctoral degree in the pain field and 20 years of clinical experience, he possesses a unique perspective on translating preclinical research to patient care. During his postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Andrea Nackley's lab, Xin’s research focused on chronic primary ‘overlapping’ pain syndromes (CPPCs). He demonstrated the involvement of peripheral β2- and β3-adrenergic receptors in driving nociception and persistent pain, and the link between CPPCs and depressive disorders mediated by heightened catecholaminergic tone. Xin continues to collaborate on the development and validation of novel CPPC mouse models for in vivo discovery and screening of novel analgesic therapeutics.