PhD Candidate · Sun Yat-sen University · Pharmacology
Yuxing Dai (Frank)

I work at the interface of experimental pharmacology and computational biology, using single-cell RNA sequencing and multi-omics analysis to map injury mechanisms, then validating drug candidates at the bench. My primary focus is cardiovascular disease — from drug-induced cardiotoxicity to heart failure progression. On the translational side, I develop and evaluate natural-product derivatives (cryptotanshinone analogues, etc.) as therapeutic leads, and contribute to preclinical drug evaluation across cardiovascular, neurological, and fibrotic disease models.

Cardiovascular Pharmacology Neuroprotection Drug Discovery Single-cell RNA-seq Deep Learning

🔬 Researcher

Author of 12+ peer-reviewed publications with 169+ citations (h-index: 5). First-author work published in Environment International (IF 10.2), Phytomedicine (IF 11.3), and other JCR-Q1 journals.

🛠️ Open Source

Building tools for bench researchers — currently developing XSTARS, an Excel add-in for automated statistics and publication-quality figures.

Analysis pipelines and reproducible code from published studies — coming soon.

🤝 Collaboration

Open to collaborations in cardiovascular pharmacology, multi-omics data analysis, and translational drug discovery. Whether you have a dataset that needs computational analysis or a drug candidate that needs in-vivo validation — let's talk.

🏫 Educations

2025.09 – Present
Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU)
PhD Candidate in Pharmacology
2022.09 – 2025.06
Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU)
Master in Pharmacology
2018.06 – 2022.09
Southern Medical University
Bachelor

🏆 Awards

2024
National Scholarship for Graduate Students (硕士研究生国家奖学金)
Ministry of Education of China

📃 Publications

12+
Publications
169+
Citations
5
h-index

SNX3 exacerbates hepatic fibrosis by amplifying TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway in hepatocyte-HSC fibrotic loop

J Zhang, Y Dai, J Yu, Y Chen, D Ma, W Yu, M Peng, Z Li, J Lu, H Xu, S Xu, ...
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B (2026) — IF=14.6, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 0

Xueshuantong injection alleviates ischemic heart failure via targeting PFKP-mediated endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition

L Su, R Mo, Y Dai, Z Wang, S Lai, L Mo, T Jiang, X Li, M Chen, Z Li
Phytomedicine, 158085 (2026) — IF=11.3, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 1

DST-3, a novel cryptotanshinone derivate, attenuates glutamate excitotoxicity after ischemic stroke via CREB-Homer1 axis activation

Y Dai, J Yu, G He, M Liang, YZ Wen, R Guan, X Ye, Y Guo, J Lu, J Chen, ...
Phytomedicine 147, 157223 (2025) — IF=11.3, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 2

Long-term effects of chronic exposure to electronic cigarette aerosol on the cardiovascular and pulmonary system in mice: A comparative study to cigarette smoke

Y Dai, W Yang, H Song, X He, R Guan, Z Wu, X Jiang, M Li, P Liu, J Chen
Environment International 185, 108521 (2024) — IF=10.2, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 25

Inhalation of electronic cigarettes slightly affects lung function and inflammation in mice

Y Dai, K Duan, G Huang, X Yang, X Jiang, J Chen, P Liu
Frontiers in Toxicology 5, 1232040 (2023) — IF=5.1, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 13

Cigarettes smoking and e-cigarettes using among university students: a cross-section survey in Guangzhou, China, 2021

H Song, X Yang, W Yang, Y Dai, K Duan, X Jiang, G Huang, M Li, ...
BMC Public Health 23 (1), 438 (2023) — IF=4.4, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 64

Cryptotanshinone alleviates lipopolysaccharide and cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in mice via the Keap1/Nrf2 axis

H Song, L Jiang, W Yang, Y Dai, Y Wang, Z Li, P Liu, J Chen
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 165, 115105 (2023) — IF=7.5 (2023) | Cited: 51

α-Ketoglutarate attenuates oxidative stress-induced neuronal aging via modulation of the mTOR pathway

R Guan, Z Xue, K Huang, Y Zhao, G He, Y Dai, M Liang, Y Wen, X Ye, ...
Pharmaceuticals 18 (8), 1080 (2025) — IF=5.7, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 9

Synthesis and anti-acute ischemic stroke effect of the quinazoline-benzothiazole RIPK1 inhibitors

J Luo, X Liu, J Chen, R Su, G Li, G He, X Ye, Y Dai, J Zhang
European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 118487 (2025) — IF=6.7, JCR-Q1

DST-3, a Novel Modified Cryptotanshinone, Protects Against Pulmonary Fibrosis via Inhibiting STAT3/Smad Signaling Pathway and Improves Bioavailability

R Guan, X He, Y Dai, G Huang, Z Xue, J Chen, P Liu
Pharmaceutics 17 (10), 1307 (2025) — IF=6.9, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 2

Design, synthesis, anti-acute ischemic stroke (AIS) effect of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) inhibitors containing quinazoline structure

R Su, J Luo, X Liu, J Chen, J Zhang, G He, X Ye, Y Dai, J Zhang
Bioorganic Chemistry, 109013 (2025) — IF=5.1, JCR-Q1

Phytochemical Analysis and Neuroprotective Effect of Salvia castanea Diels f. Tomentosa Stib Extracts

X Peng, Y Dai, J Chen, J Lu, D Zhou, F Ge, P Liu, X Zhou
Pharmaceuticals 18 (5), 728 (2025) — IF=5.7, JCR-Q1 | Cited: 2

🛠️ Projects

XSTARS

Active Development

A free, open-source Excel add-in that automates statistical testing and generates publication-quality figures — designed so bench researchers can go from raw data to journal-ready visuals without writing a single line of code.

Excel Add-in Statistical Testing Figure Generation Open Source

📬 Contact

Research Collaboration

Interested in collaborations on cardiovascular pharmacology, multi-omics analysis, or translational drug discovery.

Consulting

Available for consulting in data analysis (R/Python, bioinformatics), clinical research, and pharmaceutical science.