Dr. Tian Xu

Biography

Tian Xu is a Professor at Yale School of Medicine specializing in Genetics. His research primarily focuses on understanding metastasis in cancers, investigating the genetic alterations that propel tumor progression and metastasis. He has conducted extensive genome-wide genetic screens utilizing Drosophila to identify over 50 mutations that promote tumor metastasis. His work has elucidated the role of apicobasal polarity mutations in conjunction with oncogenic Ras mutations in producing tumor phenotypes that mirror those observed in human malignancies. Xu's laboratory has uncovered that mutations in cell polarity genes activate JNK signaling pathways, which in turn down-regulate adhesion complexes essential for cell migration and invasion. His innovative approaches include the use of transposon mutagenesis techniques to generate a library of genome-wide insertional mutants in mice, significantly advancing the field's understanding of mammalian biology and disease. Xu is also engaged in numerous editorial and professional activities in the field and has received multiple prestigious awards for his contributions to science and research.

Research Interests

Awards