Yan Xiyun (; born February 1957) is a Chinese nanobiologist, academician of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

, researcher and doctoral supervisor of the Institute of Biophysics, and professor of the

University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences The University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS; ) is a public university headquartered in Shijingshan, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The university is part of the Double First-Class Construct ...

. Her main accomplishment was the discovery of

nanozymes ''See also artificial metalloenzyme.'' An artificial enzyme is a synthetic organic molecule or ion that recreates one or more functions of an enzyme. It seeks to deliver catalysis at rates and selectivity observed in naturally occurring enzymes. ...

and its application in

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

diagnosis.

Early life and career

Xiyun Yan attended

Henan Medical University Zhengzhou University (ZZU; ) is a provincial public university in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. It is affiliated with the Province of Henan. The university is part of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction. Zhengzhou University is ranked ...

and obtained her B.S. degree in 1983. Following that, Yan studied cell biology in a lab at the

Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences The Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, based in Beijing, China, focuses on biophysically oriented basic research in the life sciences. It was established by Bei Shizhang in 1958, from the former Beijing Experimental Biology In ...

(CAS) until leaving for Germany to obtain a doctorate in 1989. She graduated with a medical doctor’s degree from

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

and later traveled to the United States to engage in post-doctoral research at the

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute– designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Its main campus is ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Yan returned to China in 1997 and was selected for the Hundred Talents Program by CAS. Since then, Yan has focused on

research, working to discover new targets and advancing techniques for tumor diagnosis and

therapy A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications a ...

Research summary

Yan Xiyun focused mainly on tumor immunology and nanozymes research. In 2007, Yan discovered

and proposed that nanoparticles possess

enzymatic An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as produc ...

properties. Yan was the first to integrate the use of

nanomaterials Nanomaterials describe, in principle, chemical substances or materials of which a single unit is sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 and 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale). Nanomaterials research takes a materials science ...

as enzymes mimic to advance tumor diagnosis and therapy. This compelling discovery of nanozyme shifted the initial idea that nanoparticles are chemically inactive, which unveiled many new applications for nanoparticles in the fields of

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

food production The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the World population, world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from sm ...

environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

, and

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. Today, nanozymes is seen as an emerging field that combines both

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

and biotechnology. Tumor immunology research led her to discover

CD146 CD146 (cluster of differentiation 146) also known as the melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) or cell surface glycoprotein MUC18, is a 113kDa cell adhesion molecule currently used as a marker for endothelial cell lineage. In humans, the CD146 ...

, a melanoma cell adhesion molecule that is greatly expressed in tumor cells that leads to

metastasis Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spreading from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, ...

. Yan and her team were able to determine the

ligands In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule with a functional group that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's ...

of CD146, and develop treatments for liver, pancreatic, and colon cancer by creating therapeutic

humanized antibodies Humanized antibodies are antibodies from non-human species whose protein sequences have been modified to increase their similarity to antibody variants produced naturally in humans. The process of "humanization" is usually applied to monoclonal ant ...

. The discovery of nanozymes has won China's

State Natural Science Award The State Science and Technology Prizes () are the highest honors conferred by the national government of the People's Republic of China in science and technology, in order to recognize citizens and organizations who have made remarkable contribut ...

. The work of Yan and her team has been recognized and published in

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...

PNAS ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America'' (often abbreviated ''PNAS'' or ''PNAS USA'') is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of S ...

, and other journals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Xiyun Chinese immunologists 1957 births Living people Chinese women biologists Biologists from Hunan Cancer researchers