Yifan Cheng

Cheng is one of the world's experts in cryo-EM, and the leading expert in membrane protein cryo-EM. He consistently stunned the EM community by obtaining resolutions considered impossible. His technological contributions played a critical role in the current cryoEM revolution. In collaboration with David Julius, Yifan determined de novo atomic structures of members of the diverse mammalian TRP ion channel family in multiple conformational states, providing unprecedented insights into molecular mechanisms of channel gating and ligand binding. To understand the mechanism in natural membranes, Cheng pioneered the use of nanodiscs, providing unprecedented insights into the regulatory role of tightly bound lipids.