Longfu Xu

Biography

Trained as a biophysicist, my work focuses on decoding two essential processes in viral life cycles—DNA replication and packaging—from a single-molecule perspective. By developing and applying advanced single-molecule manipulation, visualization, and structural dynamics approaches, I aim to expand our understanding of living systems and ultimately inform strategies for treating genetic diseases and preventing future viral threats.

I currently work as a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Carlos Bustamante’s laboratory at UC Berkeley, investigating how a virally encoded ATPase motor propels the viral genome into a preassembled container—a mechanism utilized by many dsDNA bacteriophages and their eukaryotic counterparts (herpes-, adeno-, and poxviruses). My broader goal is to elucidate how these packaging machines harness ATP binding, hydrolysis, and release to generate mechanical force.

Prior to this, I obtained my PhD and conducted postdoctoral training in Gijs Wuite’s laboratory at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where I developed and applied correlated optical tweezers and fluorescence microscopy to observe replication dynamics at higher resolution using a simplified T7 system to revisit DNA replication. One of our most interesting findings showed that replication is far more dynamic than previously assumed, leading us to propose a “decentralized model” (see our recent Nature Communications publication). Earlier in my career, I earned an MSc at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under Professors Zhiguo Su and Yongdong Liu, focusing on novel long-acting biopharmaceuticals through PEGylation and albumin-binding domains.