معرفی
Fang Tian, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of Molecular and Precision Medicine within the Penn State College of Medicine, where she leads groundbreaking research on membrane structure-function relationships in autophagy. She earned her
- BS from East China Normal University (1984–1989)
- PhD from Florida State University (1992–1998)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia (1998–2001)
Her research focuses on membrane curvature sensing/generation, autophagosome biogenesis, and protein-lipid interactions, with implications for neurodegeneration, obesity, infection, and cancer. Using biochemical, biophysical, and NMR spectroscopy approaches, her lab investigates how membrane architecture regulates autophagy-related protein activity and localization.
Recent publications highlight her team's work on
- Atg8-family protein roles in autophagosome closure
- VPS37A membrane curvature sensing motifs
- ATG3-LC3 conjugation mechanisms
- curved membrane-driven therapeutic strategies
The lab's work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals for advancing health research and education. Dr. Tian's 54 research outputs (including 47 articles) demonstrate sustained contributions to molecular and structural biology.
