Zhaoping He, PhD

Scientific Director, Research

Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware 1600 Rockland Road Wilmington, DE 19803

Biography

Dr. He is a basic science researcher by training in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology and has been conducting clinical research for the past 20 years at Nemours. She advocates bench to bed research approaches that can directly improve care to patients and has strong collaboration with Nemours clinicians, from GI, ENT, and Pulmonary to Anesthesiology. Dr. He plays a key role in mentoring and supporting GI fellow research from study design, funding, and data analysis to final manuscript writing. Her current research focuses on GI diseases such as celiac disease, IBD, intestinal dysfunction and pancreatic deficiency, and extra-esophageal reflux. Dr. He's lab developed a sensitive biomarker to detect extra-esophageal reflux (EER) in children with upper airway diseases. Currently, Nemours is the only laboratory that provides this as a diagnostic test to assess the effects of extra-esophageal reflux on airway conditions. Dr. He and her collaborators are well recognized for their contribution in this field. They have published several key papers and collaborated with investigators nationally and internationally. Their research results and certified clinical test for EER biomarker led to clinical trials funded by pharmaceutical companies and invitations to international meetings. In the past several years, they were awarded with grants from NIH and other institutional funding and contract research. Under Dr. He's leadership, Nemours' GI clinical lab continuously grows in test volume and new test additions via implementation of robotic instrumentation and data management automation. The GI lab is completely financially independent, with annual revenue over one million in recent years, which has been a major financial resource to GI fellow research. The GI clinical lab offers five complex diagnostic assays nationwide to evaluate diseases such as intestinal and pancreatic dysfunctions, IBD, celiac diseases and EER. Dr. He's long-term goal is to continue research, particularly to identify new and better biomarkers for GI and other diseases, establish reference guidelines based on age, disease progression and disease phenotypes, and derive new research directions from large and standardized clinical data. The goal is to provide precise scientific evidence to monitor disease progress and guide intervention.

Medical/Dental School

  • MS - Washington State University, Biophysics and Biochemistry, 1990
  • PhD - University of Idaho, Molecular Biology, 1993
  • BS - Southwest University, Horticulture, 1982

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology

  • Predictors of postoperative systemic inflammatory response syndrome after scoliosis surgery in adolescents with cerebral palsy: A retrospective analysis; North American Spine Society Journal (NASSJ); (2022).

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  • Oncostatin-M Does Not Predict Treatment Response in Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Pediatric Cohort; Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition; (2021).

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  • Influence of Age and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus on Serological Test for Celiac Disease in Children; Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; (2021).

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  • The PNPLA3 rs738409 Variant but not MBOAT7 rs641738 is a Risk Factor for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obese U.S. Children of Hispanic Ethnicity.; Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition; (2021).

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  • The Controversy of Pepsinogen A/Pepsin A in Detecting Extra-Gastroesophageal Reflux; Journal of Voice; (2021).

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  • Salivary pepsin A detection related to gastro-oesophageal reflux episodes in children undergoing impedance probe monitoring; Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics; (2020).

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  • Report on the Short Endoscopic Exocrine Pancreatic Function Test in Children and Young Adults; Pancreas; (2020).

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  • Reflux-aspiration in chronic lung disease; Annals of the American Thoracic Society; (2020).

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  • Fresh frozen plasma-to-red blood cell ratio is an independent predictor of blood loss in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis undergoing posterior spinal fusion; Spine Journal; (2020).

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  • Heat shock protein 70 is induced by pepsin via MAPK signaling in human nasal epithelial cells; European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology; (2019).

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  • A pilot randomized clinical trial assessing the effect of cricoid pressure on risk of aspiration; Clinical Respiratory Journal; (2018).

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  • Could Aspiration Pepsin Be Used as a Marker of Gastric Reflux?; Chest; (2018).

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  • Pilot Study Measuring the Novel Satiety Hormone, Pro-Uroguanylin, in Adolescents with and Without Obesity; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; (2018).

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  • Effects of pepsin A on heat shock protein 70 response in laryngopharyngeal reflux patients with chronic rhinosinusitis; Acta Oto-Laryngologica; (2017).

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  • Pathogen- and microbial- associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/MAMPs) and the innate immune response in crohn's disease; Immunity and Inflammation in Health and Disease: Emerging Roles of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in Immune Support; (2017).

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  • PepsinA as a Marker of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Detected in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients; Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (United States); (2017).

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  • Effect of 90° counterclockwise rotation of the endotracheal tube on its advancement through the larynx during nasal fiberoptic intubation in children: A randomized and blinded study; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2016).

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  • Reply to Xue, Fu-Shan; Liu, Gao-Pu; Sun, Chao, regarding their comment 'Use of a 90-degree anticlockwise tube rotation to facilitate nasotracheal tube passage over the fiberscope into the trachea in pediatric patients'; Paediatric Anaesthesia; (2016).

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  • Safety of secretin administration in children; Pancreas; (2016).

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  • The role of gastric pepsin in the inflammatory cascade of pediatric otitis media; JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; (2015).

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  • Ghrelin and obestatin levels in children with failure to thrive and obesity; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; (2014).

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  • Cough in asthma triggered by reflux episodes.; Delaware medical journal; (2014).

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  • Detection of pepsin in mouth swab: Correlation with clinical gastroesophageal reflux in preterm infants; Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine; (2013).

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  • Airway pepsin levels in otherwise healthy surgical patients receiving general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation; Chest; (2013).

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  • Comparison of fecal elastase-1 and pancreatic function testing in children; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; (2012).

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  • Gastric pepsin in middle ear fluid of children with otitis media: clinical implications.; Current allergy and asthma reports; (2008).

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  • Pepsin, a marker of gastric contents, is increased in tracheal aspirates from preterm infants who develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Pediatrics; (2008).

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  • The role of extraesophageal reflux in otitis media in infants and children.; The Laryngoscope; (2008).

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  • Assessment of the prevalence of microaspiration by gastric pepsin in the airway of ventilated children; Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics; (2008).

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  • Detection of gastric pepsin in middle ear fluid of children with otitis media; Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; (2007).

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  • Pepsin, a reliable marker of gastric aspiration, is frequently detected in tracheal aspirates from premature ventilated neonates: Relationship with feeding and methylxanthine therapy; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; (2006).

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  • An automated method for the determination of intestinal disaccharidase and glucoamylase activities; Journal of Automated Methods and Management in Chemistry; (2006).

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  • Cytokine Release, Pancreatic Injury, and Risk of Acute Pancreatitis after Spinal Fusion Surgery; Digestive Diseases and Sciences; (2004).

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  • Domain-domain associations in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator; American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology; (2002).

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  • Interaction of PIP2 with the XIP region of the cardiac Na/Ca exchanger; American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology; (2000).

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  • Functional comparison of the three isoforms of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX1, NCX2, NCX3); American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology; (1998).

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  • Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator activation by cAMP- independent mechanisms; American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology; (1998).

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  • Cloning, expression, and characterization of the squid Na+-Ca2+ exchanger (NCX-SQ1); Journal of General Physiology; (1998).

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  • Identification of important amino acid residues of the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger inhibitory peptide, XIP; Journal of Membrane Biology; (1997).

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  • Regulation of the Cardiac Na+-Ca2+ exchanger by the endogenous XIP region; Journal of General Physiology; (1997).

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  • Trypsin-induced calcium efflux from sarcoplasmic reticulum: Evidence for the involvement of the (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase; The Journal of Membrane Biology; (1987).

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