Zhijie Chen
About Zhijie Chen
Zhijie Chen serves as the Associate Director of Discovery Biology at BridgeBio, where he has worked since 2024. He holds a PhD in Chemistry and has extensive experience in biochemical assay development, protein structure determination, and genetic manipulation techniques.
Work at BridgeBio
Zhijie Chen currently serves as the Associate Director of Discovery Biology at BridgeBio, a position he has held since 2024. Prior to this role, he worked as a Principal Scientist at the same company from 2021 to 2024. During his tenure, he led the development of novel biochemical and biophysical assays, including TR-FRET, Alpha-LISA, and Protein Thermal Shift (PTS). He also initiated and led multiple high-throughput screening campaigns utilizing techniques such as cell-based phenotypical screens and Affinity Selection-Mass Spectrometry (AS-MS) screens.
Education and Expertise
Zhijie Chen earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Bioanalytical Chemistry from the University of California, Riverside, where he studied from 2011 to 2016. He furthered his education at the University of California, Berkeley, completing a postdoctoral research position in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular and Cell Biology from 2016 to 2021. His academic background is complemented by a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology from Wuhan University, obtained from 2007 to 2011.
Background
Zhijie Chen's professional journey includes significant roles in both academic and industry settings. He worked as a Graduate Student Researcher at the University of California, Riverside from 2011 to 2016. Following his PhD, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Berkeley from 2016 to 2021. His experience spans various techniques in protein structure determination, genetic manipulation, and collaboration with medicinal chemists on Structure-Based Drug Design (SBDD) projects.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Zhijie Chen has made contributions to the field of discovery biology by managing over a dozen contract research organizations (CROs) and designing animal studies. He has extensive experience in characterizing lead compounds in mouse models of genetic diseases. His expertise includes advanced techniques such as X-ray crystallography and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), which are critical for protein structure determination.