Dr. Xu's research interests lie at the intersection of material science engineering, specifically nanoscience, and biomedical application. His work looks at developing new synthetic materials for the delivery of therapeutic biomacromolecules. In his postdoctoral research, Xu synthesized a library of lipid-like molecules, which were tested for efficacy both in vitro and in vivo in the delivery of protein and messenger RNA. Xu is currently investigating the use of drug delivery as a tool to stimulate host immune system for cancer vaccine applications. Xu is also working on using micro/nanofabrication as tools for tissue engineering applications.