Author Interview: Dr. Ke Zhang

Event Introduction 

Since its founding in 2016, Bioactive Materials (BAM) has emerged as a leading international platform in materials science and biomedicine. Over the past decade, the journal has achieved remarkable growth, with its impact factor rising from 8.724 (2019) to 20.3 (2024). It has also been listed as a top-tier journal in the Chinese Academy of Sciences Journal Classification (Q1) and the T1 category of the High-Quality Scientific Journal Grading Catalog for materials science for five years (2020–2025). None of this would have been possible without the trust and contributions of our global authors, whose innovative research has shaped BAM’s success. 

To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we launch the **Author Interviews** series, featuring distinguished contributors who have grown alongside BAM—including early-stage submitters, highly cited scholars, and rising scientists. Through their stories, we will explore their journeys with BAM: from the excitement of first submissions to the impact of published research, from upholding research integrity to navigating academic influence, and their visions for the field’s future. These conversations aim to provide practical insights for emerging researchers and express our deepest gratitude to all authors who have been part of our journey. 

Author Interview: Dr. Ke Zhang

Here is the interview we did with her:

I. Origins with BAM

1. What first introduced you to BAM? Do you remember the research topic of your first submission to BAM? What key factors influenced your decision to choose BAM at the time?

In 2023, while preparing a project on “neurovascularized bone regeneration,” I came to know Bioactive Materials in greater depth. During an academic lecture, I was introduced to the concept of “multi-tissue synchronized regeneration,” which impressed me deeply with its comprehensive approach from micro-scale material design to clinical application. It also sparked my own idea of “constructing micro-organs.” After returning to the lab, we decided to submit our manuscript to BAM. Our research integrated three types of cells, two-stage controlled release, and 3D printing technologies, aiming to overcome the challenge of “neurovascular deserts” in bone repair. BAM’s broad academic perspective and inclusiveness made it the ideal platform for such bold and exploratory work. We chose BAM not only because it is an excellent journal, but also because it feels like a companion on our scientific journey—it values not only the problem you address but also the thinking behind it.

2. Among your publications in BAM, which article stands out the most? How has it impacted your academic career?

The article that left the deepest impression on me was published by Professor Juan Xia’s team from Sun Yat-sen University in Bioactive Materials, Volume 23, in 2023: "A multifunctional neuromodulation platform utilizing Schwann cell-derived exosomes orchestrates bone microenvironment via immunomodulation, angiogenesis and osteogenesis." This research represents a major breakthrough in the field of neuromodulation of the bone microenvironment. For the first time, Professor Xia’s team proposed and validated a neural engineering platform based on Schwann cell-derived exosomes (SC Exo), which can coordinately regulate the immune response, angiogenesis, and osteogenesis—three key systems involved in bone healing. In this work, SC Exo not only induced macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype to create an anti-inflammatory microenvironment, but also significantly promoted endothelial tube formation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Furthermore, the article systematically revealed the molecular mechanism by which SC Exo enhances osteogenesis through activation of the TGF-β1/SMAD2/3 signaling pathway. This article has provided significant inspiration for my academic career. It has not only elevated the international visibility of the bone tissue engineering field, but also laid a solid foundation for extending neuromodulatory strategies to the regeneration of other tissues.

3. As a long-term supporter of BAM, how would you describe the journal’s development over the past decade (e.g., impact factor, review processes, internationalization)? What changes have impressed you the most?

As a long-time reader and contributor who witnessed the journal’s impact factor rise from 8.724 to 20.3, the progress over the past decade has been remarkable. What impressed me most was BAM’s improvement in peer review depth and international influence. In one of our submissions, reviewers requested additional experiments involving shRNA-TRIM26 gene editing. This not only strengthened our paper’s credibility but also made us realize that publishing in BAM requires truly addressing core scientific questions. Additionally, the rise of Chinese academic discourse, particularly in the field of 3D printing, has led to increased visibility for formerly marginal interdisciplinary fields, such as “neurotized tissue engineering,” pushing them to the forefront.

II. Submission and Academic Exchange Experiences

   4. Could you share your secrets to success in submitting to  BAM? For example, how do you prepare manuscripts that align with the journal’s scope? How do you efficiently respond to reviewer comments?

We wouldn’t call them “success secrets,” but rather a few practical tips: make the innovations “visible, quantifiable, and well explained.” For example, when introducing the concept of “two-stage release,” we didn’t just mention it, we used schematic illustrations to clarify the spatial and temporal logic of drug release. In the abstract, we clearly quantified the fold improvement in bone, vascular, and nerve regeneration, allowing reviewers to quickly grasp the value. Responding to reviewers felt like defending a thesis: when questioned about the co-culture ratios of the three cell types, we provided experimental data using hPDLSCs to justify our approach. In our response letter, we listed each comment along with the revised page numbers, content changes, and supporting experimental evidence, this enhanced both efficiency and professionalism. Publishing in BAM means not only meeting the high standards of materials scientists, but also translating those materials into clinical potential through collaboration with medical professionals.

5. BAM emphasizes mult-discipline-crossing and clinical translation potential. How do you balance academic innovation with practical application in your research design?

To balance “academic innovation” and “clinical application,” we rely not on occasional inspiration, but on a robust bi-directional feedback mechanism between clinic and lab. One end connects to the clinic, the other to the bench. For instance, clinical studies have shown that failed bone grafts may be due to insufficient neurovascular supply, this gave our research a clear and actionable direction. To address this issue, we adopted FRESH printing technology to fabricate biomimetic microfibers about 200 μm in diameter. This wasn’t just about parameter matching; it was about turning material structure into a language that cells can understand. To me, this is precisely the kind of research BAM promotes—not just aesthetically designed materials, but materials with “vitality,” that can be understood, seen, and trusted by cells, clinicians, and reviewers alike.

6. Research integrity is a core principle of BAM. How do you ensure the authenticity and reproducibility of your data in your research? What advice would you give to early-career scholars on this topic?

Research integrity is a non-negotiable principle for our team. To ensure data authenticity and reproducibility, we keep multiple backups of all raw data, so that even years later, we can retrieve and verify it. We are also committed to presenting negative results. For example, in one of our studies, we found that 200 mg/mL metformin promoted osteogenesis, but higher concentrations showed diminished effects, this result was fully included in the supplementary materials. To young researchers, I’d say: reproducibility lies not in p-values, but in the details. For instance, we recorded the pressure during printing with a 27G needle down to 0.1 kPa. These seemingly minor decimal points are, in fact, the cornerstone of reproducible science.

III. Discipline Outlook and Future Aspirations 

7. At the forefront of the materials science and biomedicine intersection, what do you see as the key breakthrough directions for the next decade? How might BAM contribute to these developments?

In the next decade, the convergence of materials science and biomedicine will likely usher in a revolution of “living scaffolds.” These intelligent materials will not only “understand” cellular signals but also dynamically respond to neural activity, adjusting degradation rates during nerve excitation, or releasing specific factors when regeneration stalls. This is no longer a distant vision, but a developing reality. For instance, TRIM26-mediated pathways are enabling “on-demand degradation” of scaffolds, while 4D printing is making such dynamic adaptability technically feasible. In this transformation, Bioactive Materials can be more than an observer or recorder, it has the potential to shape standards and redefine the landscape of this interdisciplinary field.

8. What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to young scholars submitting to BAM for the first time?

If I could offer just one piece of advice to young scholars submitting to Bioactive Materials for the first time, it would be this: use materials to tell a compelling story of healing. Don’t just make a material; make it speak and give it a narrative. Our research, for instance, started from a clinical story in which bone grafts failed to form bone. This led us to design a neurovascularized scaffold. Later, we identified the TRIM26 pathway, which enabled the scaffold to regulate osteogenesis in a nerve-inductive environment, like deciphering a molecular code for neuralized bone regeneration. We hope to tell a true, profound, and meaningful medical story through the language of materials.

9. Please share a one-sentence wish for BAM’s next decade and your expectations for the journal.

May Bioactive Materials in its next decade become a global pioneer in biomaterials innovation, both a beacon guiding the way and a fertile ground for transformative breakthroughs. I sincerely hope the journal will establish a “Clinical Translation Tracking” section to witness the journey of our research from manuscript to product, from lab to bedside, where every materials breakthrough becomes the starting point for changing a patient’s life.