Lan Guan

Lan Guan is a Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in the Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics within the School of Medicine. He also serves as Co-Director of the Center for Membrane Protein Research. His research focuses on membrane proteins, which constitute approximately 30% of all eukaryotic proteins and play crucial roles in many aspects of cell function.

Dr. Guan's research seeks to understand the mechanisms of solute transport and lay the foundation for advances in disease treatment and human health. He employs an integrated approach including cryo-EM single-particle analysis, X-ray crystallography, ligand binding, molecular dynamics simulations, thermodynamics, genetic engineering, novel amphiphiles, and many other biochemical & biophysical analyses. His current research focuses on cation-coupled bacterial and human transporters.

Dr. Guan is currently supported by an NIGMS MIRA R35 Award (2024). His publication record demonstrates expertise in membrane protein structure and function, particularly with melibiose transporters (MelB) and their mechanisms. His work spans structural biology, biochemistry, and biophysics, with significant contributions to understanding membrane transport mechanisms.

His research has led to important insights into membrane protein structure-function relationships, particularly in sugar transporters. Dr. Guan's work has implications for understanding fundamental biological processes and potential therapeutic applications related to membrane transport.

• NIGMS MIRA R35 Award 2024

Dr. Guan actively collaborates with researchers across disciplines and institutions, as evidenced by his extensive publication record with numerous co-authors. His work bridges structural biology, biochemistry, and biophysics to advance our understanding of membrane protein function.

He is affiliated with the Center for Membrane Protein Research, where he contributes to advancing methodologies for studying these challenging but critically important biological molecules. His work on novel amphiphiles and detergent design has helped overcome technical barriers in membrane protein research.