He graduated with a B.S. degree in cell biology from Lanzhou University and received both his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition from Virginia Tech where he studied protein metabolism. He completed his postdoctoral training in nutritional control of mammalian gene expression at the University of Florida, College of Medicine. Dr. Pan's research is to understand the adaptation of epigenetic modifications in mammalian gene regulation to the environment changes, with a focus on the impact of these adaptive processes in health and disease. Dr. Pan has over 65 peer-reviewed publications and receives grant support from the NIH, the United States Department of Agriculture, and industry. The recipient of various NIH grants, Dr. Zheng’s current research projects include the discovery of the novel SUMOylation inhibitor as anti-influenza virus agent; the impact of Native American plants as therapeutic supplements on the prevention and treatment of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and chronic inflammatory diseases; immunological consequences of transcription factor interactions; and the effects of maternal supplements on fetal developmental programing and offspring health outcomes. She has published in such peer reviewed journals as the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, International Journal of Public Health Science, Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Journal of Immunology, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Epigenetics. Dr. Tollefsbol is a Distinguished Professor of Biology and a Senior Scientist in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Integrative Center for Aging Research, Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University Wide Microbiome Center, and the Comprehensive Diabetes Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He is Director of the UAB Cell Senescence Culture Facility which he established in 1999. Dr. Tollefsbol trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Assistant Research Professor with members of the National Academy of Science at Duke University and the University of North Carolina. He earned doctorates in molecular biology and osteopathic medicine from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center and his bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Houston. He has received prior funding from the NCI, NHLBI, NIMH and other federal institutes as well as the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) among many other sources.