Tulane University of Louisiana · BiochemistryHuang Diagnostics Lab
Zhen Huang · New Orleans, Louisiana
Research Focus
Dr. Zhen Huang's lab focuses on advancing the diagnosis and treatment evaluation of tuberculosis (TB) using innovative techniques. The lab has developed a novel CRISPR-based assay that can detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis-derived DNA in blood samples, offering a new way to diagnose active and drug-resistant TB cases. This research aims to improve TB management, particularly in areas with high disease burden where traditional diagnostic methods are inadequate.
tuberculosisdiagnosisCRISPRcell-free DNAdrug resistancepoint-of-care testinginfectious diseasesbiomedical engineeringPCR
Research Aims
4AIM 01Develop a highly sensitive point-of-care assay for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in blood.
AIM 02Evaluate the assay's performance in diagnosing pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB cases.
AIM 03Monitor changes in cell-free DNA during TB treatment to assess efficacy and resistance.
AIM 04Validate the diagnostic performance of the assay in clinical settings in high TB burden regions.
Skills the Lab Values
CRISPR technologyDNA analysisblood sample processingmolecular assaysbiochemical assayspoint-of-care diagnosticslongitudinal studiesdata quantificationresearch methodology
Output against the department
Publications615top 6% of dept.25th of 402
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations15ktop 32% of dept.130th of 402
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.