Menghang Xia, Ph.D., leads systems toxicology activities for the Toxicology in the 21st Century (Tox21) initiative within NCATS’ Division of Preclinical Innovation. Since 2005, she has played a key leadership role in multiple projects, including novel modulator identification for targets and pathways (e.g., AChE, BChE, CAR, CREB, ELG1, HIF-1, NFkB, and PXR), and compound/drug screening for rare diseases (e.g., chordoma, and flavivirus infection). Xia led the effort to develop and validate a battery of in vitro toxicological assays in a quantitative high-throughput screening platform. She and her colleagues have developed and screened more than 100 assays, and profiled hundreds and thousands of environmental chemicals on various pathways and targets, such as AChE, p53 signaling, Nrf2/ARE signaling, mitochondria function, and nuclear receptors.

Xia is the author or inventor for over 200 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters and patents. She conducted over 60 scientific seminars, short courses in assay development for high-throughput screening and in vitro toxicology and has chaired scientific sessions in national and international scientific conferences. Her work has been highlighted in several top toxicological journals, including Chemical Research in Toxicology, Environmental Health Perspectives and Toxicological Sciences.