University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center · BiochemistryThe Signaling Nexus
Xiaochen Bai · Dallas, Texas
Research Focus
Dr. Xiaochen Bai's lab at UT Southwestern Medical Center focuses on understanding how receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) signal in cells and exploring new therapies involving the STING protein, critical for immune response to cancer. The lab combines advanced techniques like cryo-electron microscopy, biochemistry, and cell biology to investigate the complex mechanisms of RTK activation and to develop innovative cancer treatments. By designing new types of therapies that can manipulate these signaling pathways, this research aims to improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients.
receptor tyrosine kinasesSTINGcancer immunotherapycell signalingstructural biology
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the unique mechanisms of activation for various receptor tyrosine kinases.
AIM 02Develop novel STING activators to enhance immune response against tumors.
AIM 03Utilize cryo-EM to study the structure of STING and its complexes at a molecular level.
AIM 04Test new STING-targeted therapies in animal models to evaluate their effectiveness.
AIM 05Explore the potential of engineered nanoparticles for delivering STING agonists to cancer cells.
Skills the Lab Values
cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM)biochemical assayscell cultureligand engineeringanimal modelsnanoparticle designmolecular cloningprotein purificationsignal transduction analysis
Output against the department
Publications175top 49% of dept.195th of 402
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations15ktop 31% of dept.124th of 402
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.