Yonghe Li, Ph.D.

Biochemist
Cancer Therapeutics
Southern Research Institute
2000 Ninth Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205
Phone: 205-581-2750
E-mail: y.li@southernresearch.org

Biography

Dr. Li joined Southern Research in 2005 after working as a Research Instructor at Washington University. He also currently serves as an adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and is a member of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Li received his B.S. in Pharmacology from Shanghai Medical University in China and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from James Cook University in Australia. He completed his postdoctoral training in cell biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Research Focus: Wnt Signaling in Cancer

The canonical Wnt signaling pathway is important in stem cell biology and embryonic development and can lead to tumor formation when aberrantly activated. Dr. Li's research interests center around the canonical Wnt signaling pathway in cancer. Current projects in this area include:

• Defining the roles of Wnt co-receptor LRP6 and its regulators in cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis;
• Exploring cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic effects of Wnt signaling inhibitors including natural compounds, synthetic agents, recombinant proteins, and peptides;
• Identifying small molecule inhibitors of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway.

Publications