Journal of Aging Science

Yong Li

Yong Li
Professor
The University of Texas Medical School, USA

Biography

Dr. Yong Li, is a Professor within the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Texas, School of Medicine at Houston. He also is appointed a key faculty in the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Li is an expert in the field of stem cell and fibrosis study in regenerative medicine. His recently study move to tissue/cell dedifferentiation process by using musculoskeletal and neuronal system of mammals and related aging research.Dr. Li has published over 70 refereed journal articles and 7 book chapters. Dr. Li is recognized as aleader in two scientific fields which include dedifferentiation related stem cell studies and fibrosis studies in tissue biomedical engineering.

Current Research

• Children’s Regenerative Medicine

• Dedifferentiation and Stem Cell Populations and Aging

• Adult Embryonic Potential Stem Cells and Application in Aging

• Fibrosis and Prevention Studies

Research Interest

My primary research focuses on three major areas of study: 1) exploring the properties of the dedifferentiation/transformation of terminally differentiated cells into various stem cells include aged donors; 2) studying the processes involved with fibrous scar formation and prevention in the injured and diseased tissues of the neuron and musculoskeletal system; and 3) Bioengineering to build 3D soft tissues (muscle & tendon) to repair wound defects with scarless healing. The laboratory is also interested in translational study and clinical application of stem cells and engineered tissue for treating congenital diseases and traumatic injuries. We have also set up classic amphibian models of tissue regeneration; newts and salamanders can rebuild most missing body parts such as limbs, liver, brain and heart after amputation or injury, and no age limitation. We will investigate the molecule and cellular dedifferentiation process for increasing the stem cell population and methods of preventing fibrotic scar tissue formation during mammalian wound healing. Our expectation is to transfer our learning from amphibian regenerative models to enlarge stem cell pool for regenerative medicine applications, and to build various functional human tissues/organs for human patients’ demand.