The Fan group uses organic chemistry and radiochemistry as tools to visualize molecular/cellular targets and help solve critical problems in cancer diseases, brain disorders and diabetic illnesses. They also develop methods to improve drug delivery efficiency to targeted tissues.

One major research focus is on development of carbon-11 and fluorine-18 labeled radiotracers for quantitative imaging of diseases using positron emission tomography (PET). These developed radiotracers have been employed in both preclinical and clinical research for disease diagnosis, treatment assessment and drug development.