Tao Lab at the 2026 Purdue Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium

We’re pleased to share that Tao Lab students took part in the Purdue Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium as presenters and judges. Christopher Powell, an undergraduate biochemistry student at Murray State University participating in the NSF REU program, presented “Enriching a Novel Protein Modification by 2-Hydroxyglutarate” under the mentorship of Shakhzodjon Uzokboev. Akhilesh Vigneshwaran, a Purdue undergraduate double majoring in biochemistry and biological engineering, presented “2-Dimensional Solid Phase Proteome Profiling for In-Depth Tracking of Drug Interactions” with mentorship from Kai Liu and Nathaniel Miller. Tao Lab graduate student Amirhesam Mashaollahi also served as a judge for the research talks and poster presentations.

Christopher Powell and Shakhzodjon Uzokboev

Akhilesh Vigneshwaran

Our Lab Showcases Innovative Proteomics Research at ASMS 2026

Members of our laboratory actively participated in the 74th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, held in San Diego, California, from May 31 to June 4, 2026. The conference provided an excellent platform to share our latest research developments, engage with the international mass spectrometry community, and foster new scientific discussions.

Current and old Tao Lab members

Current Tao Lab members

Our team delivered two oral presentations and two poster presentations, highlighting advances in extracellular vesicle analysis, quantitative proteomics, automation, and neurodegenerative disease research.

Yi-Kai Liu

Yi-Kai Liu presented an oral presentation titled "Remote Microsamplers for Collection, Preservation, and Proteomic Profiling of Dried Blood- and Urine-Derived Extracellular Vesicles." This innovative approach to remote biospecimen collection attracted considerable attention from conference attendees and sparked engaging discussions regarding its potential applications in decentralized healthcare and clinical proteomics.

Shakhzodjon Uzokboev

Shakhzodjon Uzokboev delivered an oral presentation on "Direct On-Bead SP-¹⁸O Labeling for Robust DIA Quantification." The study demonstrated the successful integration of ^18O isotopic labeling with SP3-based sample preparation and data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry workflows. The strategy generated significant interest among researchers seeking reliable and scalable quantitative proteomics approaches.

Nathaniel Miller

In the poster sessions, Nathaniel Miller presented his work on "Automation of an Extracellular Vesicle Phosphoproteomics Pipeline via Coupling Magnetic- and Membrane-Based High-Throughput Procedures." His research prompted many insightful conversations with visitors interested in improving the throughput and reproducibility of phosphoproteomics analyses.


Amirhesam Mashaollahi

Amirhesam Mashaollahi showcased his research titled "Identification and Characterization of Kinases Associated with TDP-43 Using Fluorescence Complementation Mass Spectrometry (FCMS)." The project highlighted the power of integrative mass spectrometry approaches to investigate kinase interactions involved in neurodegenerative disease mechanisms.

We are proud of our team's contributions and grateful for the opportunity to exchange ideas with scientists from around the world. ASMS 2026 was an inspiring experience that fostered new collaborations, broadened scientific perspectives, and reinforced our commitment to advancing innovative proteomics research.

Tao Lab Members Earn Spring 2026 Departmental Awards

We are delighted to congratulate two members of the Tao Lab, Lois Luo and Yi-Kai (Kai) Liu, on receiving prestigious awards from the Department of Biochemistry in Spring 2026.

Lois Luo Received Outstanding TA Award

Lois Luo was honored with the Outstanding TA Award, which recognizes exceptional performance as a teaching assistant. Throughout the semester, Lois demonstrated remarkable dedication to student learning, providing patient guidance and individualized support to help students master challenging concepts and laboratory techniques. Her commitment to continuous improvement and constructive feedback created a positive and effective learning environment for her students.

Yi-Kai (Kai) Liu received the AK Balls Award, an annual award presented to a biochemistry graduate student approaching completion of their PhD who demonstrates outstanding potential for significant contributions to biochemical research.

Yi-Kai Liu Received AK Balls Award

Kai has established an impressive research record, publishing eight first-author or co-author papers in leading journals, including Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Science, PNAS Nexus, and Journal of Proteome Research. He has presented his work at national conferences, including an oral presentation at the 21st US HUPO Conference and poster presentations at the 71st, 72nd, and 73rd ASMS Conferences on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics. This summer, Kai will further his professional development as an intern at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in New York.

We are proud of Lois and Kai for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the Tao Lab, the Department of Biochemistry, and the broader scientific community.

Tao Lab Showcases Research at the 2026 U.S. HUPO Conference

Members of the Tao Lab participated in the 2026 U.S. Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) Conference, continuing our strong engagement with the international proteomics community. The meeting provided an exceptional forum to present new findings, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaborations across academia and industry.

Oral Presentation

Zhuojun Lois Luo delivered an oral presentation titled:

“Comprehensive Profiling of Protein N-Terminal Acetylation Stoichiometry in Extracellular Vesicles (evPNAS) Reveals Selective Protein Trafficking.”

This work highlights innovative strategies for characterizing post-translational modifications in extracellular vesicles and provides new insights into selective protein trafficking mechanisms. The presentation stimulated thoughtful discussion and strong interest from fellow researchers.

Poster Presentations

Yi-Kai Liu and William LeFever each presented poster presentations showcasing ongoing advances from the Tao Lab. Their contributions sparked engaging scientific conversations and valuable feedback from the proteomics community.

Beyond the formal presentations, the conference also provided valuable opportunities for scientific exchange and networking with leaders in the proteomics community. During the meeting, Dr. Andy Tao had productive discussions with several prominent scientists, including Olga Vitek, a leading expert in computational proteomics and statistical analysis of mass spectrometry data and a current leader within the U.S. HUPO community.

Meeting with Olga Vitek and others

Dr. Tao also met with Catherine E. Costello, a pioneer in biological mass spectrometry and former president of the Human Proteome Organization, for whom the Catherine E. Costello Award for Exemplary Achievements in Proteomics is named. In addition, he reconnected with Anne-Claude Gingras, a globally recognized proteomics researcher and former colleague who currently serves as Vice President of Research at Sinai Health in Canada. These interactions fostered discussions on emerging technologies, collaborative opportunities, and future directions in quantitative proteomics.

Catherine E. Costello

Anne-Claude Gingras

Overall, the conference offered outstanding opportunities for collaboration development, exposure to emerging technologies in mass spectrometry, and engagement with the broader proteomics community. Our team benefited greatly from the dynamic and collaborative atmosphere that defines U.S. HUPO.

We are proud of our lab members’ contributions and look forward to continuing to share our research at future HUPO meetings.

Tao Lab members at U.S. HUPO

Joint Group Meeting with Dr. Drown’s Lab

We are pleased to announce the launch of a joint group meeting between our research group and Dr. Drown’s lab, aimed at fostering a more collaborative and interactive research environment. The meetings will be held once a month, with one student presenting at each meeting, alternating between the two groups.. This format is designed to encourage active discussion, knowledge exchange, and cross-training between the two groups.

By bringing together expertise in top-down and bottom-up proteomics, we anticipate these joint meetings will significantly enhance scientific dialogue and stimulate new collaborative research ideas. We are excited about this initiative and look forward to the opportunities it will create for strengthening collaboration and advancing proteomics research.

Farewell to Dr. Zheng Zhang

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation and best wishes to Dr. Zheng Zhang, who joined our research group in November 2022 and has now successfully completed his postdoctoral fellowship with us.

During his time in the group, Dr. Zhang made outstanding contributions to multiple projects spanning proteomics, extracellular vesicle biology, analytical chemistry, and cancer research. His work demonstrated exceptional scientific rigor, creativity, and interdisciplinary impact, significantly advancing both fundamental and applied proteomics research. Beyond his scientific achievements, Dr. Zhang has been a dedicated collaborator and mentor, and his presence greatly enriched our research environment. We sincerely thank Dr. Zhang for his tremendous contributions to the fields of proteomics and cancer research.

We wish him continued success in his future career and are confident that he will continue to make impactful and breakthrough discoveries in his research endeavors.

Good luck, Dr. Zhang — and thank you for being part of our journey.

Gratification from attending U.S. HUPO

Lab members participated at the 2025 U.S. HUPO convention in Philadelphia, PA. The posters that were presented received considerable attention. The environment and culture were complimented with outstanding interactions with other scientists. We hope to return in the future!

Dr. Marco Hadisurya giving his final oral presentation for the lab. We are pleased to see him move on to work with Bruker.

Nathaniel Miller with a poster presentation on Phosphoproteomic profiling of extracellular vesicles using multiplexed data-independent acquisition.

Yi-Kai Liu with a poster presentation on Quantitative extracellular vesicle proteomics by multiplexed data-independent acquisition.

Zheng Zhang with a poster presentation on the discovery of chiral D2HG and L2HG mediated protein o-2-hydroxyglutarylation.

Happy New Year!

We’d like to start of the new year by welcoming the new lab members:

  • Chemistry & MCMP Graduate Students: Minhas Sakib, Shakhzodjon Uzokboev and Shahadat Hossain

  • Biochemistry Graduate Students: Amirhesam Mashaollahi and Lucas Kramer (Co-mentor: Vikki Weake).

Hopefully everyone had the time to relax and enjoy the holidays. Best of luck this year as you work hard in your research endeavors!

Research Breakthrough in Parkinson's Disease

Our group applied EV proteomics and phosphoproteomics to identify putative diagnostic biosignatures for Parkinson’s Disease. The findings could lead to noninvasive testing for the early diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. The paper was publish in Communications Medicine, please click here.

Additionally, there are several news reports on this work, please check out the links below.
Purdue Team Identifies Urinary Protein Markers for Parkinson's Disease - GenomeWeb
Urine Test for Parkinson's Disease - Labroots
New liquid biopsy method offers potential for noninvasive Parkinson’s disease testing - Agriculture News
Purdue researchers discover urine test for Parkinson's - Purdue Exponent
More news here…