About

Xiao-Fan Wang is the Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research in the School of Medicine at Duke University. He holds multiple faculty positions, including Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and Professor of Cell Biology. He is also a member of the Duke Cancer Institute. His research focuses on cancer biology and pharmacology, contributing to the understanding of cancer mechanisms and potential therapeutic strategies. His work is recognized within the academic community, and he is actively involved in advancing cancer research through his faculty roles at Duke University.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Materials science
• Composite material
• Cancer research
• Medicine
• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Pathology
• Condensed matter physics
• Cell biology

Selected publications

• First-principles study of the lattice thermal conductivity of the Si–O–H system at high pressure

  Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics · 2025-01-01

  article

  will reduce the thermal conductivity compared to that of pure Si at elevated temperatures due to the combined effects of high-frequency localized vibrations from light hydrogen atoms and strong anharmonic phonon scattering induced by polar Si-O bonds. Such suppression of thermal conductivity in Si-O-H systems may alter the conductivity distributions in the convective layer and impair the heat transport efficiency, which may potentially explain the anomalously low heat flux inside Uranus and Neptune. Our work elucidates the physical mechanism of ultrahigh-thermal conductivity in the Si-O-H compounds under extreme conditions and offers critical insights into understanding the thermal evolution of ice giants.

  PublisherDOI

• Genome-resolved metagenomics reveals microbiome diversity across 48 tick species

  Nature Microbiology · 2025-09-23 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Ticks are arthropod vectors capable of transmitting a wide spectrum of pathogens affecting humans and animals. However, we have relatively limited information of their genomic characteristics and the diversity of associated microbiomes. Here we used long- and short-read sequencing on 1,479 samples from 48 tick species across eight genera from China to determine their genome and associated pathogens and microbiome. Through de novo assembly, we reconstructed 7,783 bacterial genomes representing 1,373 bacterial species, of which, 712 genomes represented 32 potentially pathogenic species. Computational analysis found nutritional endosymbionts to be prevalent and highly specific to tick genera. The microbiome genome-wide association study revealed host genetic variants linked to pathogen diversity, abundance and key biological pathways essential to tick biology, including blood-feeding and pathogen invasion. These findings provide a resource for studying the host-microbe interactions within ticks, paving the way for strategies to control tick populations and tick-borne diseases.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A case of sialolipoma presenting with choking and coughing while drinking: A literature review

  Asian Journal of Surgery · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• [Analysis of clinical characteristics and current diagnosis and treatment status of IgG4-related diseases in the real world].

  PubMed · 2025-07-20

  otherOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  As a multisystem disease, IgG4-RD still faces the difficulties of time-consuming diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to rely on a multidisciplinary collaboration model to improve the awareness level and promote the early and standardized diagnosis and treatment of patients with IgG4-RD.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• [Bioinformatics analysis and purification of <i>Treponema pallidum</i> OmpH protein and preparation of polyclonal antibody].

  PubMed · 2025-07-06

  article

  TpOmpH protein is a hydrophobic protein located on the outer membrane of Tp, can induce mice to secrete high titer antibodies, which providing experimental basis for the pathogenesis of Tp and vaccine development.

  PublisherDOI

• [Research progress and prediction of quality markers of Menispermi Rhizoma].

  PubMed · 2024-09-01

  review

  Menispermi Rhizoma, the dried rhizome of Menispermum dauricum, has anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-arrhythmic, anti-myocardial ischemia, and anti-cerebral ischemia activities. The primary constituents of this herbal medicine include alkaloids, polysaccharides, and fatty oils. This study predicts and evaluates the quality markers(Q-markers) of Menispermi Rhizoma by considering the phylogenetic relationship of the plant, chemical composition, conventional effects, component measurability, blood constituents, and network pharmacology. The primary Q-markers of Menispermi Rhizoma are predicted to include daurisoline, dauricine, dauricumine, bianfugecine, epiberberine, tetrandrine, acutumidine, 6-O-demethylmenisporphine, and acutuminine. The findings hold potential for enhancing the quality evaluation system of Menispermi Rhizoma.

  PublisherDOI

• Ab initio study of phase stability, elastic anisotropy, and minimum thermal conductivity of MnB₂ in different crystal structures

  Chinese Physics B · 2024 · 2 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Materials science
  • Condensed matter physics

  Abstract The phase stability, elastic anisotropy, and minimum thermal conductivity of MnB 2 in different crystal structures have been investigated by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The results found that P 6 3 / mmc ( hP 6-MnB 2 ), P 6/ mmm ( hP 3-MnB 2 ), Pmmn ( oP 6-MnB 2 ), <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>R</mml:mi> <mml:mover accent="true"> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> <mml:mo stretchy="false">¯</mml:mo> </mml:mover> <mml:mi>m</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> ( hR 3-MnB 2 ), Pnma ( oP 12-MnB 2 ), and Immm ( oI 18-MnB 2 ) all exhibit mechanical and dynamic stability under environmental conditions, and the sequence of phase stability was hP 6 &gt; hR 3 &gt; oP 6 &gt; oI 18 &gt; oP 12 &gt; hP 3. In addition, Vickers hardness calculations indicated that hP 6, hR 3, oP 6, and oI 18 of MnB 2 have potential as hard materials, while hP 3 and oP 12 are not suitable as hard materials. Moreover, the elastic anisotropy of different MnB 2 phases were also comprehensively investigated. It is found that the anisotropic order of bulk modulus is oP 12 &gt; hP 3 &gt; hP 6 &gt; hR 3 &gt; oI 18 &gt; oP 6, while that of Young’s modulus is oP 12 &gt; hR 3 &gt; hP 6 &gt; oP 6 &gt; hP 3 &gt; oI 18. Furthermore, the minimum thermal conductivity of different MnB 2 phases was evaluated by means of Clarke’s and Cahill’s models. The results suggested that these MnB 2 diborides are all not suitable as thermal barrier coating materials.

  PublisherDOI

• TIMP-1 Promotes Expression of MCP-1 and Macrophage Migration by Inducing Fli-1 in Experimental Liver Fibrosis

  Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology · 2024 · 7 citations

  • Medicine
  • Cancer research
  • Cell biology

  Background and Aims: Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) plays a role in the excessive generation of extracellular matrix in liver fibrosis. This study aimed to explore the pathways through which TIMP-1 controls monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression and promotes hepatic macrophage recruitment. Methods: Liver fibrosis was triggered through carbon tetrachloride, and an adeno-associated virus containing small interfering RNA targeting TIMP-1 (siRNA-TIMP-1) was administered to both rats and mice. We assessed the extent of fibrosis and macrophage recruitment. The molecular mechanisms regulating macrophage recruitment by TIMP-1 were investigated through transwell migration assays, luciferase reporter assays, the use of pharmacological modulators, and an analysis of extracellular vesicles (EVs). Results: siRNA-TIMP-1 alleviated carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis, reducing macrophage migration and MCP-1 expression. Co-culturing macrophages with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) post-TIMP-1 downregulation inhibited macrophage migration. In siRNA-TIMP-1-treated HSCs, microRNA-145 (miRNA-145) expression increased, while the expression of Friend leukemia virus integration-1 (Fli-1) and MCP-1 was inhibited. Downregulation of Fli-1 led to decreased MCP-1 expression, whereas Fli-1 overexpression increased MCP-1 expression within HSCs. Transfection with miRNA-145 mimics reduced the expression of both Fli-1 and MCP-1, while miRNA-145 inhibitors elevated the expression of both Fli-1 and MCP-1 in HSCs. miRNA-145 bound directly to the 3'-UTR of Fli-1, and miRNA-145-enriched EVs secreted by HSCs after TIMP-1 downregulation influenced macrophage recruitment. Conclusions: TIMP-1 induces Fli-1 expression through miRNA-145, subsequently increasing MCP-1 expression and macrophage recruitment. MiRNA-145-enriched EVs from HSCs can transmit biological information and magnify the function of TIMP-1.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Semantic-Aware Monocular Point-Line Visual Odometry in Dynamic Environments

  2024-11-01

  articleSenior author

  This paper introduces an enhanced visual odometry (VO) system tailored for robust performance in complex dynamic environments, specifically urban road scenarios with object motion and varying lighting conditions that challenge VO accuracy. To address these challenges, we propose an indirect VO approach integrating neural network-based feature detection and matching, coupled with the extraction of line features that have strong geometric constraints. Specifically, we employ a semantic segmentation network to categorize objects into three classes: artificial static, natural static, and movable. Line features are derived from the edges of artificial static objects' segmentation masks, while features within movable object segments are disregarded. By employing these techniques, our VO system effectively leverages both geometric and semantic cues to enhance scene understanding and camera motion estimation. Comparative experiments conducted on the KITTI dataset demonstrate the superior performance of our approach in dynamic environments, exhibiting enhanced robustness and accuracy compared to conventional indirect VO methods.

  PublisherDOI

• Optimizing optimization: accurate detection of hidden interactions in active body systems from noisy data

  Nonlinear Dynamics · 2019-02-23 · 3 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• The Roles of MicroRNAs in Glioblastoma

  NIH · $1.6M · 2012–2017

• NIH Grant R01DK045746

  NIH · $1.3M · 2001

• NIH Grant R01CA151541

  NIH · $1.5M · 2015

• NIH Grant R01CA083770

  NIH · $1.1M · 2005

• The anti-senescence activity of trefoil factor 1

  NIH · $1.6M · 2012–2018

Frequent coauthors

• Linda Spremulli

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  30 shared

• Vera Bianchi

  University of Padua

  30 shared

• Luke O'neill

  Trinity College Dublin

  30 shared

• Norma Allewell

  30 shared

• George Carman

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  30 shared

• Charles Samuel

  30 shared

• Joel Gottesfeld

  Scripps Research Institute

  30 shared

• Roger Colbran

  29 shared