HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A two-day research symposium at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine honored the scientific achievements of Zijian Xie, Ph.D., and his 2008 discovery of the scaffolding/signaling function of the Na/K-ATPase sodium pump, a significant research finding that has had tremendous applications in both biology and medicine. 

Xie, director of the Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and professor in the department of biomedical sciences at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine came to Marshall in 2013 from the University of Toledo, where he made the discovery of the scaffolding/signaling function.

“Dr. Xie’s seminal discovery 20 years ago launched a trail of additional research, further increasing our understanding of Na/K-ATPase signaling in clinical conditions ranging from cancer to obesity,” said Joseph I. Shapiro, M.D., dean of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. 

The event, held July 8 and 9 in the Erma Ora Byrd Clinical Center on Marshall University’s health sciences campus, brought leading researchers in the field from Marshall University as well as visitors from the University of Toledo, New York Medical College, University of Kansas and the Medical College of Wisconsin to discuss recent innovative and novel scientific pursuits by colleagues and collaborators investigating the now broad subject of Na/K-ATPase signaling. Last fall, the International Journal of Molecular Sciences also released a special issue featuring articles related to this scaffolding/signaling function involving many of the participants at the current meeting. 

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Media Contact: Sheanna M. Spence, Director of External Affairs, School of Medicine, 304-691-1639

Date Posted: Tuesday, July 9, 2019