Xiaoliang Sunney Xie

Xiaoliang Sunney Xie (; born 24 June 1962) is a Chinese biophysicist well known for his contributions to the fields of single-molecule biophysical chemistry, coherent Raman Imaging and single-molecule genomics. He is the Director of Changping Laboratory, a newly established national scientific research institution in Beijing focused on life sciences innovation. He also serves as Lee Shau-kee Professor and Head of the Faculty of Sciences at Peking University.

In 2023, Xie renounced his U.S. citizenship in order to reclaim his Chinese citizenship.

Early life Xie was born in Beijing in 1962 with ancestral roots in Hepu County, Guangxi. He received his B.Sc. in chemistry from Peking University in 1984, and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1990 from University of California at San Diego. After a brief postdoctoral appointment at University of Chicago, he joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he rose from senior research scientist to chief scientist. In 1998, he became the first tenured professor recruited by Harvard University among Chinese scholars who came to the United States since the reform and opening up.

Research He had been the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University until 2018, when he became the Lee Shau-kee Professor of Peking University. He was the Director of Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC) in 2010–2021, and the Director of Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG) in 2016–2021, both at Peking University.

As a pioneer of single-molecule biophysical chemistry, Coherent Raman scattering microscopy, and single-cell genomics, he made major contributions to the emergence of these fields. Furthermore, he has made significant advances on medical applications of label-free optical imaging and single-cell genomics. In particular, his inventions in single-cell genomics have been used in in vitro fertilization benefited tens of thousands of families by avoiding the transmission of monogenic diseases to their newborns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunney quickly responded to this public health crisis by applying high-throughput single cell sequencing to identify highly potent neutralizing antibodies. His team developed a broad-spectrum antibody drug against all existent SARS-CoV-2 variants, which has saved many lives in China.

More than fifty of his students and post-doctorates have become professors at major universities around the world, and two are co-founders of start-up companies. Professor Xie's current research interests include the following scientific, technological, and medical areas: Scientific: Single-molecule enzymology, Single-molecule biophysical chemistry, Gene expression and regulation, Epigenetics, Mechanism of cell differentiation and reprogramming, Chromosome structure and dynamics, and Genomic instability; Technological: Single-molecule imaging, Single-cell genomics, Coherent Raman scattering microscopy, DNA sequencing; Medical: Preimplantation genetic testing in in vitro fertilization, COVID19 vaccine and neutralizing antibody drugs for SARS-CoV-2 variants and Early cancer diagnosis.

Honors and awards 2024: Tengchong Science Award 2021: Zhongguancun Outstanding Contribution Prize 2018: Asian Scientist 100, Asian Scientist 2017: Qiu Shi Outstanding Scientist Award, Qiu Shi Science & Technologies Foundation 2017: Foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (As of 2023, member of the CAS after Chinese citizenship reclaimed) 2016: Member of the National Academy of Medicine 2015: Albany Medical Center Prize 2015: Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry, American Chemical Society 2014: Fellow of the Optical Society of America 2013: NIH Director's Pioneer Award 2013: Ellis R. Lippincott Award, Optical Society of America and Society for Applied Spectroscopy 2012: Edward Mack Jr. Lecture, OSU 2012: Harrison Howe Award, Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society 2012: Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology 2012: Biophysical Society Founders Award 2011: Member of the National Academy of Sciences 2009: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award 2008: Fellow of the American Physical Society 2008: Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis for Applied Laser Technology 2008: Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2007: Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Sciences and Quantum Optics 2006: Fellow of Biophysical Society 2006: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 2004: NIH Director's Pioneer Award 2003: Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences 1996: Coblentz Award

Selected Literature

COVID-19 Research

Single-Cell Genomics He, Runsheng; Dong, Wenyang; Wang, Zhi; Xie, Chen; Gao, Long; Ma, Wenping; Shen, Ke; Li, Dubai; Pang, Yuxuan; Jian, Fanchong; Zhang, Jiankun; Yuan, Yuan; Wang, Xinyao; Zhang, Zhen; Zheng, Yinhui; Liu, Shuang; Luo, Cheng; Chai, Xiaoran; Ren, Jun; Zhu, Zhanxin; Xie, X. Sunney (2024). "Genome-wide single-cell and single-molecule footprinting of transcription factors with deaminase". Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 121 (52): e2423270121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2423270121. PMC11670102. PMID 39689177

Gene Expression and Regulation

Single Molecule Enzymology

Coherent Raman Imaging

Single Molecule Imaging