Zhejiang University | China
Dr. Shuying Shen is a distinguished research fellow at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated with the Medical College of Zhejiang University, where she has established a strong research presence in musculoskeletal biology, molecular regulation, and osteoarthritis pathology. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2017 and her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Bioscience in 2012, both from Zhejiang University. Dr. Shen’s research has been continuously supported by major competitive grants, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China Excellent Young Scholars Fund, multiple NSFC General Programs, and the Zhejiang Provincial Outstanding Youth Project. Her funded projects focus on elucidating mechanisms of protein post-translational modification, chondrocyte aging, metabolic reprogramming in osteosarcoma, and non-classical regulatory pathways in chondrocyte physiology, reflecting her deep engagement with both degenerative diseases and cancer biology. Dr. Shen has made influential contributions to the understanding of noncoding RNA functions in osteoarthritis progression, osteosarcoma development and metastasis, and organ size regulation. Her work reveals how circular RNAs, microRNAs, and RNA–protein interactions shape cellular senescence, lipid metabolism, autophagy, and energy homeostasis. She has also advanced knowledge on the interplay between metabolic remodeling and epigenetic regulation in cartilage degeneration. Her publications demonstrate innovative approaches combining molecular biology, functional genomics, epigenetics, and translational models to uncover therapeutic targets for osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc degeneration, and malignancies. Dr. Shen has published 87 peer-reviewed papers, including 50 as first or corresponding author, in top-tier journals such as Nature Aging, Science Translational Medicine, Cell Research, Nature Communications, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, PNAS, Advanced Science, Molecular Cancer, Bone Research, and Molecular Therapy. Her research has been cited more than 3,000 times, and she holds an H-index of 37, underscoring her strong scientific influence. Through her pioneering discoveries—such as the regulation of chondrocyte senescence by palmitoylation, the role of fatty acid oxidation in osteoarthritis, circRNA-mediated metabolic control, and noncoding RNA networks in osteosarcoma—Dr. Shen has significantly advanced the field of musculoskeletal molecular medicine. Her long-term research goal is to develop novel diagnostic markers and targeted therapies for osteoarthritis and related degenerative diseases through a deeper understanding of RNA regulation, protein modifications, and metabolic homeostasis.
Featured Publications
Wang, K., He, W., Gong, Z., Gao, J., Gao, T., Pan, N., Wu, D., Yang, Y., Li, Z., Zhao, X., Ji, M., & Shen, S. Y. (2025). ZDHHC11-mediated palmitoylation alleviates chondrocyte senescence and serves as a therapeutic target for osteoarthritis. Nature Aging.
Mei, Z., Yilamu, K., Ni, W., Shen, P., Pan, N., Chen, H., Su, Y., Guo, L., Sun, Q., Li, Z., Huang, D., Fang, X., Fan, S., Zhang, H., & Shen, S. Y. (2025). Chondrocyte fatty acid oxidation drives osteoarthritis via SOX9 degradation and epigenetic regulation. Nature Communications, 16(1), 4892.
Gong, Z., Zhu, J., Chen, J., Feng, F., Zhang, H., Zhang, Z., Song, C., Liang, K., Yang, S., Fan, S., Fang, X., & Shen, S. Y. (2023). CircRREB1 mediates lipid metabolism–related senescent phenotypes in chondrocytes through FASN post-translational modifications. Nature Communications, 14(1), 5242.
Li, Z., Zhang, W., Wei, X. Y., Hu, J. Z., Hu, X., Liu, H., Lu, J., Shen, S. Y., & Ji, M. L. (2025). TRIM15 drives chondrocyte senescence and osteoarthritis progression. Science Translational Medicine, 17(791), eadq1735.
Shen, S. Y., Guo, X. C., Yan, H., Lu, Y., Ji, X. Y., Li, L., Liang, T. B., Zhou, D. W., Zhao, J. C., Yu, J. D., Gong, X. G., Zhang, L., & Zhao, B. (2015). A miR-130a–YAP positive feedback loop promotes organ size and tumorigenesis. Cell Research, 25(9), 997–1012.
Shen, S. Y., Wu, Y. Z., Chen, J. X., Xie, Z., Huang, K. M., Wang, G. L., Yang, Y. T., Ni, W. Y., Chen, Z. J., Shi, P. H., Ma, Y., & Fan, S. W. (2019). CircSERPINE2 protects against osteoarthritis by targeting miR-1271 and ETS-related gene. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 78(6), 826–836.
Shen, S. Y., Yang, Y. T., Shen, P. Y., Ma, J., Fang, B., Wang, Q. X., Wang, K. F., Shi, P. H., Fan, S. W., & Fang, X. Q. (2021). circPDE4B prevents articular cartilage degeneration and promotes repair by acting as a scaffold for RIC8A and MID1. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 80(9), 1209–1219.
Shen, S. Y., Liang, Y., Zhao, Y., Hu, Z., Huang, Y., Wu, Y., Liu, Y., Fan, S., Wang, Q., & Xiao, P. (2024). Dietary supplementation of vitamin B1 prevents the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(30), e2408160121.