The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases

Yong Li, MD, Ph.D.

Yong Li, MD, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Pediatric Surgery
Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine

Yong.Li.1@uth.tmc.edu

713-500-2438

Dr. Yong Li, is an Associate Professor within the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Texas, School of Medicine at Houston. He also is appointed as an Associate Professor in the Center Stem Cell for Regenerative Medicine at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), UTHealth. Dr. Li accomplished his MD and PhD training in China, and was a general surgeon before he went to London of United Kingdom in 1997. His first research career as a post-doctor fellow trained in Imperial College School of Medicine in UK (1998-1999), and later as a postdoctoral research associate in Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. He was promoted to a research assistant professor in 2002, assistant professor in 2004 (within tenure track system in 2006), and leaded his research team approach success in the field of stem cell, anti-fibrosis in regeneration medicine. These projects also include the enlargement and application of adult stem cells (muscle and skin) to repair traumatic injury (muscle, tendon, spinal cord and brain) and congenital diseases. They also begin to study some pilot projects such as the dedifferentiation process within skeletal muscle, cartilage and neuron system of mammals and related aging research. As in 2011, Dr. Li has published over 66 refereed journal articles and review papers, and five book chapters. He also services as five journals of editorial board or associate editor, and over fifth scientific communities including some of grant reviewer communities.

Dr. Li has won twenty more international awards for his scientific advances, including most recently, he has won the Michael Miller Young Investigator Award at Children’s Hospital of UPMC. He is also a very successful grant-funded faculty member, including grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense (DOD). He also is a great mentor and supervisor in students, medical residents and research fellows, several of his students and follows had won numerous of national and international awards, and scholarships include one student won the 2011 National Goldwater Scholarship. Dr. Li is recognized to leading in two scientific fields which include dedifferentiation related stem cell studies and fibrosis study in tissue bio-medical engineering field.

Beside the basic biomedical studies, Dr. Li will also conduct with the departmental projects in translational study and clinical application for using the stem cells and bio-engineered tissues to repair children’s congenital diseases such as Diaphragmatic Hernia and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophin (DMD).

Dr. Yong Li - Click here for additional information.

Publications

  1. Bellayr I, Holden K, Mu XD, Li Y. Matrix Metalloproteinase inhibition negative affects muscle stem cell behavior. Medical Research Reviews (2012, in press)
  2. Nozaki M, Ota S, Li Y,  Uehare K, Gharaiben B, Fu FF, Huard J. Timing of the administration of suramin treatment after muscle injury. Muscle & Nerve 2012; Jan. 6, 08:48AM EST | online: DOI: 10.1002/mus.23280
  3. Xu W, Cox CS, Li Y,. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for peripheral nerve regeneration. Journal of Stem Cell  2011; 6(1):xxxx
  4. Lin B, Kim J, Li YX, Pan HY, Carvajal-Vergara X, Salama G, Cheng T, Li Y, Lo CW, Yang L. High purity enrichment of functional cardiac lineage cells from human iPS cells. Circulation Research (2012, in press)
  5. Ma, JQ*, Holden K*, Zhu JH, Pan HY, Li Y,. The Application of Three Dimensional Collagen-Scaffolds Seeded with Myoblasts to Repair Skeletal Muscle Defects. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology 2011;2011:812135. Epub 2011 Dec 12.
  6. Mu XD, Xiang GH, Rathbone CR, Pan HY, Bellayr IH, Walter TJ, Li Y,. Slow-adhering stem cells derived from injured skeletal muscle have improved regenerative capacity. American J Pathology  2011;179(2):931-941.
  7. Zhu JH, Li Y,, Lu AP, Gharaibeh B, Ma JQ, Quintero A, Huard J. Follostatin improves skeletal muscle healing by blocking TGF-beta like signaling pathway. American J Pathology  2011; 179(2): 915-930.
  8. Chirieleison SM, Scelfo CC, Bissell TA, Anderson JE, Li Y, Koebler D, Deasy BM. Automated live cell imaging systems reveal dynamic cell behavior. Biotechnology Progress. 2011 April 20. doi:10.1002. PubMed link
  9. Mu XD, Li Y. Conditional TGF-beta1 treatment increases stem cell-like cell population in myoblasts. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. 2011 March;15(3):679-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2010.01042. [Epub ahead of print 2010 Feb 23.]PubMed Link
  10. Mu XD, Peng HR, Pan HY, Huard J, Li Y. Study of muscle cell dedifferentiation after skeletal muscle injury of mice with a Cre-Lox system. Plos One. 2011 February 3 ;6(2):e16699, doi:10.1371. Direct Link  
  11. Bellayr, IH, Walters, T., & Li, Y. Scarless wound healing. Journal of the American College of Certified Wound Specialists. 2010;2(2)40-43 Direct Link
  12. Li Y *, Pan HY, Huard J. Isolating stem cells from soft musculoskeletal tissues. Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). 2010 July 4 (41). pii 2011, doi: 10.3791/2011. PubMed Link
  13. Mu X.D., Bellayr, I.H., Walters, T., & Li, Y. Mediators Leading to Fibrosis - How to Measure and Control Them in Tissue Engineering. Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics. 2010;20(2)110-118. Link
  14. Bellayr IH, Gharaibeh B, Huard J, & Li Y. Skeletal muscle-derived stem cells differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells and aid in liver regeneration. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2010;3(7):681-690. PubMed Link
  15. Mu XD, Urso M, Murray K, Fu F, Li Y. Relaxin regulates MMP expression in myogenic cells and promotes satellite cell activation during muscle dealing of both young and aged mice. American J Pathology. 2010;177(5)2399-2410 PubMed Link
  16. Chen XP, Li Y. Role of matrix metalloproteinases in skeletal muscle: Migration, differentiation, regeneration and fibrosis. Cell Adhesion & Migration. 2009;3(4):337-341. PubMed Link
  17. Mu XD, Wang W, Li Y. Myoblast transplantation and fibrosis prevention in injured and diseased muscle. US Musculoskeletal Review, 2009; Volume 4 (1):74-77.
  18. Deasy BM, Feduska JM, Payne TR, Li Y, Huard J. Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) on the Vascularization and Fibrosis of Regenerating Skeletal Muscle Tissue/ Fibers. Molecular Therapy. 2009 Oct;17(10):1788-98. PubMed Link
  19. Bellayr I, Mu XD, Li Y. Biochemical insights into the role of matrix metalloproteinases in the regeneration: challenges and recent developments. Future Medical Chemistry. 2009;1(6):1095-1111. PubMed Link
  20. Wang W, Pan HY, Murray K, Jefferson M, Li Y. MMP1 promotes muscle cells migration and differentiation. American J Pathology. 2009 Feb 174(2):541-549. Epub 2009 Jan 15. PubMed Link
  21. Bellayr I, Li Y. Stem Cells: It's Good to Have Choices? Journal of the American College of Certified Wound Specialists. 2009;1(3):92-94.PubMed Link