2021 Zoetis Award
for Veterinary Research Excellence
Fang Li
PhD, Veterinary Biomedical Sciences Endowed Professor, Structural Biology of Disease Director, Center for Coronavirus Research
Dr. Li obtained his PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 2002 where he was advised by distinguished Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Dr. Thomas A Steitz. During his PhD study, Dr. Li determined the first crystal structure of tRNA CCA-adding enzymes. Moving from Connecticut to Massachusetts, Dr. Li went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School where he was mentored by renowned structural biologist Dr. Stephen C. Harrison. In his postdoctoral study, Dr. Li determined the first crystal structure describing how SARS-CoV-1 binds to its receptor.
Dr Li is currently the Endowed Professor of Structural Biology of Disease conducting impactful research on the structural bases of human and animal diseases, with a focus on viral diseases and cancer. His lab's focus encompasses basic research that targets the cell entry mechanisms of viruses and the cellular basis of cancer, as well as translational research to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against these diseases.
Dr. Li serves as Director of the Center for Coronavirus research. Though his work on coronaviruses dates back to 2003 , his recent work on SARS-CoV-2 has gained wide scientific accolades with publications in distinguished journals such as Nature, Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Journal of Virology. Dr. Li was among world’s most cited researchers 2021 according to Web of Science. As scientists eagerly sought to understand the molecular mechanism of the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, Dr. Li gained worldwide recognition for elucidating the receptor recognition, immune evasion and protease activation of SARS-CoV-2. These findings laid the molecular foundations that have guided the global effort against the COVID pandemic. His group also developed candidate vaccines and drugs to battle SARS-CoV-2 infections. More recently, his lab worked to reveal the structural features of the spike protein of the omicron variant and to shed light on the reasons the variant was able to spread so quickly.
From Dr. David Brown's nomination letter:
Dr. Li has developed a strong and internationally distinguished research program in structural virology, which has contributed importantly to our understanding of zoonotic viruses and in particular, coronaviruses. This family of viruses encompasses enteric or respiratory diseases affecting many animal species, including swine (transmissible gastroenteritis virus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus), poultry (turkey coronavirus, infectious bronchitis virus), and house pets (canine and feline coronaviruses). Over the past three years, Fang’s research group has done pioneering work on the cell entry mechanisms of SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of the current global pandemic, as well as the related zoonotic pathogens SARS-CoV and MERSCoV. Using cryo-electron microscopic methods, his laboratory team determined the key structures of many coronavirus invasion proteins that facilitate coronavirus entry into host cells. These findings have led to the development of structure-based strategies for viral vaccine design and antibody generation, and provided foundational knowledge in the field of coronaviruses. As a recent example, during the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Dr. Li’s laboratory has worked with B lymphocytes from New World camelids (llamas and alpacas) to develop a novel nanobody-based antiviral drug candidate that is effective against SARS-CoV-2.