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 and uncovered key molecular mechanisms by which these viruses invade host cells. 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 and cell entry 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 focuses on the structural biology of cancer and other human diseases. He has determined the structures of key enzymes involved in tumor growth and metastasis. A growing area of his research involves developing novel therapeutic strategies for cancer and other human diseases.
Specialty
Graduate Faculty - Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (MPaT)
