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Li Li, Ph.D.

Instructor

School
Medical School
Department
Internal Medicine
  • Biography

    Li Li, Ph.D., is an Instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Center for Hypothalamic Research.

    Dr. Li earned his Ph.D. from the John R. Speakman Laboratory at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGDB-CAS). To gain expertise in neuronal control of metabolism, he joined Dr. Chen Liu’s laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2018, focusing on the neuronal mechanisms of appetite regulation.

    Dr. Li's research interests include antipsychotic drugs induced metabolic syndrome and serotonin receptor pathways in appetite control. His long-term research goal is to uncover the key mechanisms underlying obesity and diabetes and to develop effective therapeutic strategies to address these clinical challenges.

    Dr. Li is active in several professional societies including, the American Heart Association, The Obesity Society, and The Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.

    Dr. Li's interests outside of research include his family, cooking, reading, and the great outdoors.

  • Research Interest
    • Antipsychotic drugs induced metabolic syndrome
    • Serotonin receptor pathways in appetite control
  • Publications

    Star Featured Publications

    Functional coupling between MC4R and Kir7.1 contributes to clozapine-induced hyperphagia.
    Li L, Hernandez CC, Gimenez LE, Xu B, Dahir NS, SwatiBirnbaum SG, Cone RD, Liu C, bioRxiv 2024 Jun
    The hedonic overdrive model best explains high-fat diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6 mice.
    Gao L, Hu S, Yang D, Wang L, Togo J, Wu Y, Li B, Li M, Wang G, Zhang X, Li L, Xu Y, Mazidi M, Couper E, Whittington-Davies A, Niu C, Speakman JR, Obesity (Silver Spring) 2024 Apr 32 4 733-742
    Hyperleptinemia contributes to antipsychotic drug-associated obesity and metabolic disorders.
    Zhao S, Lin Q, Xiong W, Li L, Straub L, Zhang D, Zapata R, Zhu Q, Sun XN, Zhang Z, Funcke JB, Li C, Chen S, Zhu Y, Jiang N, Li G, Xu Z, Wyler SC, Wang MY, Bai J, Han X, Kusminski CM, Zhang N, An Z, Elmquist JK, Osborn O, Liu C, Scherer PE, Sci Transl Med 2023 Nov 15 723 eade8460
    Maternal High Fat Diet in Lactation Impacts Hypothalamic Neurogenesis and Neurotrophic Development, Leading to Later Life Susceptibility to Obesity in Male but Not Female Mice.
    Xu Y, Yang D, Wang L, Król E, Mazidi M, Li L, Huang Y, Niu C, Liu X, Lam SM, Shui G, Douglas A, Speakman JR, Adv Sci (Weinh) 2023 Oct e2305472
    Sample enrichment for single-nucleus sequencing using concanavalin A-conjugated magnetic beads.
    Li L, Xu B, Liu C, STAR Protoc 2023 Sep 4 4 102595
    Delineating a serotonin 1B receptor circuit for appetite suppression in mice.
    Li L, Wyler SC, León-Mercado LA, Xu B, Oh Y, SwatiChen X, Wan R, Arnold AG, Jia L, Wang G, Nautiyal K, Hen R, Sohn JW, Liu C, J Exp Med 2022 Aug 219 8
    Calorie restriction and calorie dilution have different impacts on body fat, metabolism, behavior, and hypothalamic gene expression.
    Liu X, Jin Z, Summers S, Derous D, Li M, Li B, Li L, Speakman JR, Cell Rep 2022 May 39 7 110835
    Effects of dietary macronutrients on the hepatic transcriptome and serum metabolome in mice.
    Wu Y, Green CL, Wang G, Yang D, Li L, Li B, Wang L, Li M, Li J, Xu Y, Zhang X, Niu C, Hu S, Togo J, Mazidi M, Derous D, Douglas A, Speakman JR, Aging Cell 2022 Mar e13585
    A single nucleotide mutation in the dual-oxidase 2 (DUOX2) gene causes some of the panda's unique metabolic phenotypes.
    Rudolf AM, Wu Q, Li L, Wang J, Huang Y, Togo J, Liechti C, Li M, Niu C, Nie Y, Wei F, Speakman JR, Natl Sci Rev 2022 Feb 9 2 nwab125
    Increased Variation in Body Weight and Food Intake Is Related to Increased Dietary Fat but Not Increased Carbohydrate or Protein in Mice.
    Wu Y, Hu S, Yang D, Li L, Li B, Wang L, Li M, Wang G, Li J, Xu Y, Zhang X, Niu C, Speakman JR, Front Nutr 2022 9 835536
  • Honors & Awards
    • Best Poster Award
      Gordon Research Conference Hypothalamus (2024)
    • Career Development Award
      American Heart Association (2024)
    • Oral presentation Award
      The 15th CADA Annual Meeting (2024)
    • 1st place in Donald Seldin Symposium Basic Science Award
      UT Southwestern Medical Center (2023)
    • American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship
      American Heart Association (2023)
    • Finalist
      Brown-Goldstein Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research (2023)
    • Future of Science Fund scholarship
      Keystone Symposia (2022)
    • Postdoctoral Association Travel Award
      UT Southwestern Medical Center (2022)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • American Heart Association
    • The Obesity Society
    • The Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior