Lixin Fan, Ph.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Bldg. 538/Room 119
- Frederick, MD 21701
- 301-846-1362
- lixin.fan@nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Dr. Lixin Fan contributes her expertise in small-angle scattering to the user community of the CCR SAXS Core Facility scientifically and technically. Dr. Fan plays a major role in designing and conducting SAXS/WAXS experiments, data collection, processing, analysis/modeling and interpretation for multi-disciplinary, multi-laboratory collaborations. Dr. Fan also maintains and operates the in-house SAXS instrument, runs necessary equipment at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory and trains users to operate both the Argonne beamline and the in-house instrument.
Areas of Expertise
Lixin Fan, Ph.D.
Research
The CCR SAXS Core Facility supports the research projects of CCR principal investigators (PIs), NIH intramural PIs, and extramural academic research groups/laboratories. Support includes providing access to an in-house, state-of-the-art SAXS instrument (BioSAXS-2000) and routine access to the Synchrotron SAXS/WAXS instrument at the 12 ID-B beamline of the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, through a Partner User Program. The SAXS Core also provides expertise in experimental design, data collection, processing, analysis and interpretation. The main focus of the research is to determine the structure of biomacromolecules and their complexes in solution. The research field includes, but is not limited to, structural studies of nucleic acids, proteins, protein assemblies, virus particles, lipid membranes, protein/DNA and protein/RNA complexes.
Publications
- Bibliography Link
- View Dr. Fan's Google Scholar page.
Biography
Lixin Fan, Ph.D.
Dr. Lixin Fan obtained her Ph.D. in physics and mathematics from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Moscow region, Russia) and the Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences (Puschino, Moscow region, Russia) where she used small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS) to study the structure of the 30S ribosomal subunit from Thermus thermophilus. From 2000-2002, as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source Division of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), she studied the block copolymer self-assembly and phase transition using SAXS and SANS techniques. From 2002-2007, she worked at the Advanced Photon Source Division of ANL where she served the user community and developed a novel technique known as “fluctuation X-ray microscopy" based on coherent X-ray scattering and X-ray scanning probe imaging techniques and applied this technique for studying medium-range order in disordered materials. Before she joined the CCR SAXS Core Facility, Dr. Fan worked as an applications scientist at Rigaku Innovative Technologies, where she trained researchers worldwide in using the SAXS technique, developed in-house SAXS/GISAXS instrument and applications, characterized a wide range of nanomaterials using SAXS/WAXS, USAXS and GISAXS techniques. As a SAXS expert and a member of the U.S. delegation, she contributed to ISO standard ISO/FDIS 17867 «Particle Size Analysis – Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering». Dr. Fan joined the CCR SAXS Core Facility in 2014, where she serves the NCI and NIH intramural and extramural user community and conducts research focusing on the structural characterization of biomacromolecules and their complexes.