Lin Xu

Dr. Lin Xu is an Assistant Professor at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health and the Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center. His research focuses on developing bioinformatics algorithms and deep learning models to identify disease genes and therapeutic targets, particularly in cancer and non-cancer conditions. He holds a Ph.D. in Biostatistics from Cornell University and completed postdoctoral training in machine learning and genomic analysis.

Key research interests include single-cell and spatial multi-omics studies, with emphasis on integrating high-dimensional datasets (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics) to uncover molecular mechanisms of diseases. His lab has published in high-impact journals like Nature, Science, and Cell, and secured grants from NIH institutes (NCI, NHLBI, NHGRI), CPRIT, and foundations.

Dr. Xu’s work spans drug response modeling, biomarker discovery, and translational oncology. His team collaborates on pediatric cancers, sarcomas, and liver tumors, leveraging machine learning to address clinical challenges. Lab members include graduate students such as Alexa Hassien and Chen Tang, focusing on computational biology and experimental validation.

Grants and funding: Over 20 grants from NCI, NHLBI, CPRIT, Hyundai Foundation, and others. Key collaborations include projects on CRISPR-based therapies, spatial transcriptomics, and pediatric tumor genomics.

Lab activities: The Xu Lab develops tools like iIMPACT for spatial data integration and DIGREM for drug combination prediction. They maintain a data commons for germ cell tumors and collaborate on preclinical models of heart disease and cancer.