Joseph Zaia, PhD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

The manner in which a cell responds to many growth factor stimuli depends on interactions between glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), growth factors, and growth factor receptors. Extracellular matrix GAGs binds growth factors, creating morphogens gradients essential to tissue patterning. Because these events depend on the fine structure of the GAG chains present, regulation of GAG biosynthesis is a key factor for understanding normal and disease related cellular growth
The key to exploiting an understanding of GAG structure-function relationships for human disease therapy is to winnow oligosaccharide-protein binding patterns from heterogeneous biological preparations. Toward this end, we have developed mass spectral methods for GAGs that enable comparison of structures as a function of biological variables.

The long term research aims are (1) to develop a fundamental understanding of the manner in which glycosaminoglycan expression is varied according to the cellular growth environment related to human disease and (2) to identify HS chain structures useful as therapeutic targets.

New bioinformatics methods are essential to realizing these goals. The data produced using our methods are information rich and not amenable to manual interpretation. Further, the methods needed are distinct from those used in genomics and proteomics. We are developing bioinformatics methods appropriate for interpretation of structural data on glycosaminoglycans and other carbohydrates to identify targets for disease therapy.

Publications

  • Published 5/12/2026

    Wacquiez A, Hboub H, Chen DY, Tavares AH, Su CM, De Paz J, Semaan M, Ding Z, Zaia J, Sethi MK, Lyons SM, Saeed M. The enteroviral protease target LSM14A operates outside of P-bodies to augment antiviral innate immunity. bioRxiv. 2026 May 12. PMID: 42182482.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/28/2026

    Nigro JT, Chatterjee S, Freilich S, Downs M, Candib A, Berron E, Stein TD, Zaia J, Sethi MK. Mass spectrometry analysis of young and aged mice and human Alzheimer's disease with Lewy body pathology using on-slide tissue digestion. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2026 Apr; 418(8):2193-2210. PMID: 41760936.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/19/2026

    Mernie E, Zaia J. Spatial Profiling of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGomics) From Laser Microdissected Mouse Brain. Mol Cell Proteomics. 2026 Mar; 25(3):101533. PMID: 41722777.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/19/2026

    Downs M, Xia C, Lin C, Zaia J. Optimization of LC-ExD methods for glycopeptides on an Omnitrap-Orbitrap platform. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2026 Apr; 418(9):2721-2729. PMID: 41711854.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/10/2026

    Kettner C, Zaia J. Updates to the Minimum Information Required for A Glycomics Experiment (MIRAGE) guidelines. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2026 Apr; 418(8):2161-2164. PMID: 41663794.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 248 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Member, Bioinformatics Graduate Program
    Boston University
  • Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Center Faculty Member, Mass Spectrometry
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PhD
  • Bates College, BS

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