Dianfan Li
Papers
3
Total Citations
164
H-Index
3
About
Dianfan Li is a structural biologist whose research sits at the challenging frontier of membrane protein science, with a particular focus on developing and refining methods for determining the three-dimensional structures of these notoriously difficult targets. Li's most significant contributions center on lipidic mesophase (LCP) crystallography — an innovative approach that uses lipid-based cubic phases to mimic the native membrane environment and coax membrane proteins into forming diffraction-quality crystals suitable for X-ray crystallography. His highly cited 2012 work on membrane protein structure determination using lipidic mesophases, which has garnered over 100 citations, highlights landmark achievements in the field, including the groundbreaking crystal structure of the β2-adrenergic receptor in complex with its G protein — a milestone that opened new windows into GPCR signaling mechanisms at the molecular level. Complementing this, his contributions to robotic, high-throughput crystallization pipelines have helped democratize and accelerate membrane protein structural studies for the broader research community. Li's work has meaningfully advanced our ability to understand how membrane proteins function, with direct implications for drug discovery targeting GPCRs and related transmembrane receptors, making him a valued contributor to modern structural biology.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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