Dr Huifang Xu

Huifang Xu completed her PhD under the supervision of Professor Xian-En Zhang in 2002 at Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences studying the molecular evolution of E.coli alkaline phosphatase.

After her PhD, she worked for two years in New England BioLabs (Beijing) Ltd. as a senior technical support and research scientist. In 2004, Huifang joined Dr Steve Dilworth’s group at Imperial College London for her first postdoctoral training investigating polyomavirus middle T antigen associated proteins using proteomic techniques. In 2008, Dr Xu started her second postdoctoral training with Dr Birgit Leitinger at NHLI studying biology of matrix-activated receptors (Discoidin Domain Receptors).  

Dr Xu’s research has then been focused on identifying specific DDR binding motifs within collagens, understanding the molecular mechanism of receptor activation for the receptor tyrosine kinases DDR1 and DDR2, their role in cell adhesion and migration, as well as their involvement in human diseases. Her work in collaboration with Dr Bassam Ali has led to the publication of novel data elucidating the cellular and biochemical mechanisms of DDR2 missense mutations found in human SMED disease.

Dr Xu contributes significantly to both undergraduate and postgraduate training within the group.