2005.09 - 2009.07  B.Sc. in Bioengineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing

2009.09 - 2014.07  Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

2014.08 - 2017.12  ‘Morningside-IBP’ Postdoctoral Program, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

2018.01 - 2019.07  Associate Professor, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

2019.07 -                Professor, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

1. Invited Reviewer for Materials Today, Advanced Materials, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Nano Today, ACS Nano, Nano Letters, Biomaterials, Small, Biosensor Bioelectronics, Analytical Chemistry, Bioconjugate Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering C.

Excellent Reviewer for Materials Science & Engineering C in 2018。

2. Invited Guest Editor for Frontiers in Chemistry, Journal of Oncology。

3. Member and deputy secretary general of Nanozyme Branch of Chinese Biophysical Society

4. Member of Material Biology and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment Sub-committee of Chinese Biophysical Society

5. Member of Angiography Sub-committee of China Medical biotechnology Association.

6. Member of the Youth Committee of Nano-Tumor Professional Committee, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association

7. Member of the Youth Committee of Nano-Biology branch of Chinese Society of Biophysics。

My research interests focus on the novel functions and applications of nanozyme and ferritin in biomedicine. We discovered new functions of H chain ferritin (HFn) and made a big breakthrough in applications of nanozyme combining new features of HFn. Since then, much original and significant progress has been achieved.

Human HFn targeting tumor and traversing BBB: We firstly discovered that human HFn can target and visualize tumor via binding specifically to a tumor targeting marker transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) (Nature Nanotechnology 2012；PNAS, 2014). Further studies showed that ferritin traverses blood brain barrier and accumulates in the lysosomal compartment of tumor cells after binding to TfR1 (ACS Nano, 2018). Those findings build up a basis for ferritin nanocarriers and nanozymes in new technologies and methods for tumor diagnosis and therapy.

Ferritin as nanocarrier: Combined with the new characteristics of ferritin, Ferritin Drug Carriers were developed, providing a potential nano-drug platform for central nervous system diseases and malignant tumors.

Another method of loading drugs into ferritin relies on its self-assembly ability. Nanobodies will be displayed on the surface of ferritin after its self-assembly, resulting in high affinity and half-life extension (Analytical Chemistry, 2018).

Novel detection methods based on ferritin and nanozyme: Taking advantages of nanozyme activity and magnetism property of iron oxide nanozyme, we developed a novel rapid, highly sensitive, and easy-to-use nanozyme-strip for emergency infectious disease detection. (Biosensor Bioelectronics, 2015).

In addition, we developed a new type of probes for cancer diagnosis based on nanozyme and ferritin. Working with clinicians, we examined 1400 specimens from patients with ten types of cancer and verified that these probes boast high sensitivity and specificity, which are qualified for clinical use (Nature Nanotechnology, 2012).

Improvements, designs and applications of nanozyme: Compared with natural enzymes, nanozyme boasts many advantages but its activity and selectivity need to be improved. To optimize its catalytic activity, we introduced Histidine residues onto the Fe3O4 nanoparticle surface in order to mimic the enzymatic microenvironment of natural peroxidase enzymes. The catalytic efficiency was enormously enhanced (Chemical Communications，2017).

In addition, we designed a nanozyme using nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanospheres which possess four enzyme-like activities (oxidase, peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase). We then introduce ferritin to this multifunctional nanozyme into lysosomes and boost reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in a tumor-specific manner. In the acidic environment of tumor lysosomes, oxidase and peroxidase activity were specifically activated and the dissolved oxygen and hydrogen peroxide generated in tumor cells were directly converted into ROS, which can directly kill tumor cells. This work provides a new concept of nanozyme-mediated tumor catalytic therapy (Nature Communications, 2018).

1. Kelong Fan, Changqian Cao, Yongxin Pan, Di Lu, Dongling Yang, Jing Feng, Lina Song, Minmin Liang and Xiyun Yan. Magnetoferritin nanoparticles for targeting and visualizing tumour tissues. Nature Nanotechnol. 2012, 7, 459-464.

(Highlighted by Gen. Eng. Biotechnol. News: Magnetoferritin Nanoparticles   Highlight Tumors Without Targeting Ligands or Contrast Agents)

(Highlighted by Chemistry Views: Detecting Tumor Cells with Iron)

(Included by Wikipedia ‘Artificial enzyme’) 

2. Kelong Fan^#, Juqun Xi^#, Lei Fan, Peixia Wang, Chunhua Zhu, Yan Tang, Xiangdong Xu, Minmin Liang, Bing Jiang, Xiyun Yan^#, Lizeng Gao^#. In vivo Guiding Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanozyme for Tumor Catalytic Therapy. Nature Commun. 2018, 9: 1440.

(Highlighted by Global Times, The New Indian Express, Business Standard, andChina Daily: Chinese scientists develop nanozymes to target tumor cells; Nanozyme strategy helps kill tumors)

(Included by Wikipedia ‘Artificial enzyme’)

3. Kelong Fan*^#, Xiaohua Jia^#, Meng Zhou^#, Kun Wang, Joao Conde, Jiuyang He, Jie Tian* and Xiyun Yan*. Ferritin Nanocarrier Traverses the Blood Brain Barrier and Kills Glioma. ACS Nano. 2018, 12(5): 4015-4115. (*Corresponding authors).

(Selected as Breakthrough of nanotechnology in 2018 by New Trends in Nanotechnology, Material and Environmental sciences)

4. Zhuoran Wang^#, Ruofei Zhang^#, Xiyun Yan* and Kelong Fan*. Structure and activity of nanozymes: Inspirations for de novo design of nanozymes. Materials Today. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2020.08.020. (*Corresponding authors).

5. Bing Jiang^#, Xuehui Chen^#, Guoming Sun, Xiangru Chen, Yufang Yin, Yiliang Jin, Qian Mi, Long Ma, Yili Yang, Xiyun Yan*, and Kelong Fan*. A natural drug entry channel in the ferritin nanocage. Nano Today. 2020, 35, 100948. (*Corresponding authors)

6. Qian Liang^#, Juqun Xi^#, Xuejiao J Gao^#, Ruofei Zhang, Yili Yang, Xingfa Gao, Xiyun Yan*, Lizeng Gao* and Kelong Fan*. A metal-free nanozyme-activated prodrug strategy for targeted tumor catalytic therapy. Nano Today. 2020, 35, 100935. (*Corresponding authors)

7. Ruofei Zhang^#, Lei Chen^#, Qian Liang^#, Juqun Xi, Hanqing Zhao, Yiliang Jin, Xingfa Gao, Xiyun Yan*, Lizeng Gao*, and Kelong Fan*. Unveiling the active sites on ferrihydrite with apparent catalase-like activity for potentiating radiotherapy. Nano Today, 2021, 41, 101317. (*Corresponding authors)

8. Daji Wang^#, Bin Zhang^#, Hui Ding^#, Dan Liu, JianquanXiang, Xuejiao J.Gao, Xuehui Chen, Zhongjun Li, Lei Yang, Hongxia Duan, Jiyan Zheng, Zheng Liu, Bing Jiang, Yang Liu, Ni Xie, Han Zhang, Xiyun Yan*, Kelong Fan*, and Guohui Nie*. TiO2 Supported Single Ag Atoms Nanozyme for Elimination of SARS-CoV2. Nano Today. 2021, 40, 101243. (*Corresponding authors)

9. Zhuoran Wang, Shuai Zhang, Ruofei Zhang, Xuehui Chen, Guoming Sun, Meng Zhou, Qiubai Han, Baoli Zhang, Yue Zhao, Bing Jiang, Yili Yang, Xiyun Yan*, and Kelong Fan*. Bioengineered Dual‐Targeting Protein Nanocage for Stereoscopically Loading of Synergistic Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic Drugs to Enhance Anticancer Efficacy. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 31(29), 2102004. (*Corresponding authors)

10. Juqun Xi^#, Ruofei Zhang^#, Liming Wang, Wei Xu, Qian Liang, Jingyun Li, Jian Jiang, Yili Yang, Xiyun Yan*, Kelong Fan* and Lizeng Gao*. A Nanozyme‐Based Artificial Peroxisome Ameliorates Hyperuricemia and Ischemic Stroke. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021. 31 (9), 2007130. (*Corresponding authors)

11. Xiangqin Meng^#, Dandan Li^#, Lei Chen, Helen He, Qian Wang, Chaoyi Hong, Jiuyang He, Xingfa Gao, Yili Yang, Bing Jiang, Guohui Nie*, Xiyun Yan*, Lizeng Gao*, and Kelong Fan*. High-Performance Self-Cascade Pyrite Nanozymes for Apoptosis-Ferroptosis Synergistic Tumor Therapy. ACS Nano, 2021, 15, 3, 5735-5751. (*Corresponding authors)

12. Hui Ding, Yanjuan Cai, Lizeng Gao, Minmin Liang, Beiping Miao, Hanwei Wu, Yang Liu, Ni Xie, Aifa Tang, Kelong Fan*, Xiyun Yan*, and Guohui Nie*. Exosome-like Nanozyme Vesicles for H₂O₂-responsive Catalytic Photoacoustic Imaging of Xenograft Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma. Nano Letters. 2019,19(1): 203-209. (*Corresponding authors) 　　

13. Bolong Xu^#, Hui Wang^#, Weiwei Wang^#, Lizeng Gao, Shanshan Li, Xueting Pan, Hongyu Wang, Hailong Yang, Xiangqin Meng, Qiuwen Wu, Lirong Zheng, Shenming Chen, Xinghua Shi, Kelong Fan*, Xiyun Yan*, and Huiyu Liu*. Single-Atom Nanozyme for Wound Antibacterial Applications. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58(15), 4911-4916. (*Corresponding authors)

(Highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News: MOF-derived nanoparticles exhibit enzymelike catalytic activity) 

14. Shuai Zhao, Hongxia Duan, Yili Yang, Xiyun Yan*, and Kelong Fan*. Fenozyme Protects the Integrity of Blood Brain Barrier against Experimental Cerebral Malaria. Nano Letters. 2019, 19, 8887-8895. (*Corresponding authors).

15. Baoli Zhang^#, Guoheng Tang^#, Jiuyang He, Xiyun Yan*, and Kelong Fan*. Ferritin nanocage: a promising and designable multi-module platform for constructing dynamic nanoassembly-based drug nanocarrier. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 2021, 176, 113892. (*Corresponding authors)

16. Minmin Liang^#, Kelong Fan^#, Meng Zhou, Demin Duan, Jiyan Zheng, Dongling Yang, Jing Feng and Xiyun Yan. H-ferritin-nanocaged doxorubicin nanoparticles specifically target and kill tumors with a single-dose injection. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2014, 111(41): 14900-14905 (#Contributed equally to this work).

(Highlighted by Asia Scientists: Harnessing Nature's Design To Reduce Chemo Side-Effects)

17. Ruofei Zhang, Xiyun Yan* and Kelong Fan*. Nanozymes Inspired by Natural Enzymes. Acc. Mater. Res. 2021, 2(7): 534-547. (*Corresponding authors)

18. Yanan Zhang^#, Yingni Li^#, Jianlin Zhang, Xuehui Chen, Ruofei Zhang, Guoming Sun, Bing Jiang, Kelong Fan*, Zhanguo Li*, and Xiyun Yan*. Nanocage-Based Capture-Detection System for the Clinical Diagnosis of Autoimmune Disease. Small. 2021,17, 2101655. (*Corresponding authors)

19. Kelong Fan, Meng Zhou, Xiyun Yan. Questions about horse spleen ferritin crossing the blood brain barrier via mouse transferrin receptor 1. Protein & Cell. 2017, 8 (11): 788-790.

20. Bing Jiang, Ruofei Zhang, Jianlin Zhang, Yaxin Hou, Xuehui Chen, Meng Zhou, Xiuyun Tian, Chunyi Hao, Kelong Fan*, and Xiyun Yan*. GRP78-targeted ferritin nanocaged ultra-high dose of doxorubicin for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. Theranostics. 2019, 9 (8), 2167. (*Corresponding authors).

21. Bing Jiang, Long Fang, Kongming Wu, Xiyun Yan* and Kelong Fan*. Ferritins as natural and artificial nanozymes for theranostics. Theranostics. 2020, 10(2): 687-706. (*Corresponding authors).

22. Demin Duan^#, Kelong Fan^#, Dexi Zhang, Shuguang Tan, Mifang Liang, Yang Liu, Jianlin Zhang, Panhe Zhang, Wei Liu, XiangguoQiu, Gary P. Kobinger, George Fu Gao and Xiyun Yan. Nanozyme-strip for rapid local diagnosis of Ebola. Biosens. Bioelectron. 2015, 74: 134-141 (^#Contributed equally to this work).

(Highlighted by ELSEVIER: How a new test could help curb the spread of Ebola)

(Selected to be awarded the Elsevier Atlas)

(Included by Wikipedia ‘Artificial enzyme’)