Wang Xiaofan

Wang Xiaofan

Wang Xiaofan, American nationality, was born in Urumqi, China in 1955. He is a cancer biologist, a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a lifelong professor of Duke University.

Wang Xiaofan graduated from biochemistry of Wuhan University in 1982 and was admitted to the Institute of genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in the same year. In 1986, he received a doctor's degree from UCLA, and then engaged in post doctoral research in MIT. In 1992, he was employed as assistant professor in Department of pharmacology and tumor biology of Duke University. In 1998, he became a tenured professor. In 2003, he was promoted to a full professor. In November 2017, Wang Xiaofan graduated from the Department of pharmacology and tumor biology of Duke University He was elected as a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Wang Xiaofan is mainly engaged in the research on the molecular mechanism of cancer metastasis and tumor microenvironment.

Character experience

In 1955, Wang Xiaofan was born in Urumqi, China. During the "Cultural Revolution", he entered the factory without graduating from primary school and worked as a worker for eight years.

In 1978, through self-study, he was admitted to biochemistry major of Wuhan University.

At the end of 1981, he was admitted to the Institute of genetics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a graduate student and won the first place in the first Sino US joint enrollment program of Biochemistry (cusbea).

In 1982, he went to the United States to study.

In 1986, he received a doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles, and then engaged in postdoctoral research at MIT.

In 1992, he became assistant professor in Department of pharmacology and molecular cancer, Duke University.

In 1998, he became a tenured professor.

In 2003, he became a full professor.

Achievements in scientific research

Achievements in scientific research

Wang Xiaofan has made important discoveries in many cancer related fields, such as cell signal transduction, DNA damage and repair, tumor microenvironment and so on. He first cloned TGF - β type III and II receptors, which play an important role in carcinogenesis and biological development. Two papers were published in cell respectively, which are extremely important findings in the field of TGF - β research and have a profound impact on the later research of TGF - β. He has carried out in-depth and systematic research on TGF - β and its downstream signaling pathways, and found a number of important regulatory factors and related mechanisms, including the recent discovery that specific microRNA molecules and secreted proteins affect the tumor microenvironment as intermediate carriers of TGF - β signal transduction.

According to the official website of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in August 2019, Wang Xiaofan has published more than 130 papers, including more than 20 in high-level journals such as cell, nature, science and PNAs, with a total of more than 16000 citations.

personnel training

Wang Xiaofan believes that talents trained in China should go out to have a look through short-term visits, which will increase students' international vision and innovation motivation. We should encourage students to ask questions and challenge, rather than let them recite a lot of things. This should be done from a more elementary education, such as primary and secondary education.

Wang Xiaofan also believes that China should seize the opportunity and create conditions to attract talents from all over the world to China.

In 2008, Wang Xiaofan, as the sponsor, together with more than 50 other internationally renowned scholars, wrote a letter to Premier Wen Jiabao, calling on the state to improve the living conditions of doctoral students as soon as possible, and received the government's response: since 2010, the monthly income of doctoral students in China has increased by an average of 2-3 times. He also wrote letters to and met with the main national leaders, leaders in charge, the Ministry of science and technology, the Ministry of education, the Ministry of finance, the health and Family Planning Commission, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the NSFC for many times. He put forward many important constructive opinions on the scientific research system (project approval, evaluation system, supervision and evaluation, use of funds, scientific integrity education and management, etc.), medical and health care, and personnel training, and made suggestions It was adopted.

In 2008, Wang Xiaofan began to organize a team of international experts to conduct a series of international research on more than ten research institutes in the field of life sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as College of life sciences of Tsinghua University, College of life sciences and School of basic medicine of Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of medicine of Fudan University, School of life sciences of Peking University, School of life sciences of Zhejiang University, and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Evaluation promotes the reform of China's scientific research evaluation system.

Honorary recognition

In November 2017, he was elected as a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

On December 21, 2017, he was selected into the "list of 50 Chinese students studying abroad in 2017".

In March 2021, he was selected as a candidate for the 13th Tan Jiazhen Life Science Award in 2020.

Social service

In 2006, Wang Xiaofan was deputy editor of Journal of biological chemistry.

In 2007, he was employed as a member of the overseas experts Advisory Committee of the overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council.

In 2010, he was appointed as a member of the expert group of major scientific projects of the Ministry of science and technology.

From 2012 to 2013, he served as chairman of the Chinese American Society for Biological Sciences (SCBA).

Character evaluation

Wang Xiaofan made an important contribution to the reform of China's scientific research evaluation system, and greatly promoted the reform and progress of China's science and technology management system. (review by Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Wang Xiaofan has made important academic contributions in many fields, such as cell signal transduction, DNA damage and repair, molecular mechanism of cancer metastasis, tumor microenvironment and so on. (Nanhu news online review)

Chinese PinYin : Wang Xiao Fan