Fang Li , PhD
Professor, Department of Pharamacology
Contact
Email
Office Phone
Office Address
6-120 Jackson Hall
312 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0215
United States
Titles
Edmund Wallace Tulloch and Anna Marie Tulloch Endowed Chair
Director of Center for Emerging Viruses
Education
Yale University, CT
Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
Peking University, Beijing, China
B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Biography
Fang Li is an Edmund Wallace Tulloch and Anna Marie Tulloch Endowed Chair, a Full Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and the Director of the Center for Emerging Viruses.
Professor Li is a leading researcher in the coronavirus entry field. He has conducted pioneering work on the cell entry mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, and other coronaviruses. His group has solved many structures of coronavirus entry proteins, including the first seven structures reported in the field (2005-2012), and uncovered key molecular mechanisms by which these viruses invade host cells and transmit across species. His work has laid the foundation for the structural biology of coronavirus entry and has played a major role in shaping our current understanding of receptor recognition, cell entry, and cross-species transmission of coronaviruses.
Professor Li's research on COVID-19 has identified critical molecular strategies by which SARS-CoV-2 infects human cells and evades immune detection, while also shedding light on the virus’s evolutionary origins. These contributions have positioned his work as a leading scientific force in the global response to the pandemic.
In recent studies, Professor Li's research has uncovered novel mechanisms by which the highly lethal Ebola, Sudan, and Marburg filoviruses recognize their receptors, evade immune surveillance, and infect host cells.
Building on their discoveries in viral entry, Professor Li's group has developed novel nanobody- and small-molecule-based inhibitors targeting high-priority viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Sudan, and Marburg. His group also pioneered a structure-guided in vitro evolution platform to rapidly adapt nanobodies to newly emerging viral variants.
In addition to his work in structural virology, Professor Li investigates the structural biology of cancer and other human diseases. He has determined the structures of key enzymes involved in tumor growth and metastasis and is using these insights to develop new anti-cancer therapies. Overall, Professor Li's goal is to translate fundamental structural discoveries into targeted therapies for human diseases.
Research
In Dr. Li's Laboratory of Structural Biology of Disease, we study the structural and molecular mechanisms of human diseases of global health concern, including viral infections and cancer.
Our primary research focuses on the invasion mechanisms of viruses. We investigate viral surface proteins that mediate receptor recognition and cell entry, using structural and biochemical approaches, without growing or handling pandemic viruses themselves.
Another area of our research explores the structural and molecular mechanisms of cancer and other human diseases. Specifically, we examine the strucures and functions of human cell surface proteins that are critical for disease mechanisms.
Building on these structural and functional studies, we develop novel preventive and therapeutic strategies against human diseases.
Our research tools include X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, protein biochemistry, vaccine design, and drug discovery.