Yun-Xing Wang, Ph.D.

My laboratory studies the RNA structural biology.  We use biophysical methods, including NMR spectroscopy, SAXS, and X-ray diffraction, to determine RNA three-dimensional structures or topological folds and to understand RNA function.  Our studies provide insight at the atomic level into fundamental mechanisms of RNA biological functions.  This knowledge is the key to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic reagents for cancer and AIDS.

RNA function is coded in its three-dimensional structures and dynamics.  To characterize RNA in four-dimensional space, we have resorted to new technologies that allow us to study ever more challenging problems.  For this reason, our laboratory has developed Position-selective Labeling of RNA (PLOR) technology, which can be applied for structural biology studies, imaging and disease detection. Currently, we are developing a new approach using X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) to study RNA structures and dynamics.