Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Pennsylvania
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, United States
David Li, PhD is a NRSA T32 postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Rebecca Wells at the University of Pennsylvania. His primary research interests are cell and tissue mechanics, mechanobiology, and mechanics-informed fabrication of in-vitro model systems and therapeutics. His personal goal is to lead a team towards advancing knowledge, developing therapeutics, and educating new scientists as an independently-funded academic investigator.
Dr. Li's scientific aims include investigation of how physical forces influence fibrosis, which underlies diverse medical issues such as hypertrophic scarring, surgical adhesions, and end-stage organ diseases. His current work investigates the relationship between hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, which is a highly significant and urgent question given the current obesity epidemic. He plans to apply the methods and knowledge from his work in the liver to investigations of fibrosis in other tissues and organ systems. His interests in biomaterials and fabrication complement these aims both in making models systems for studying fibrosis, and in designing novel therapeutics that promote healing without scarring.
Dr. Li's background focuses on biomechanics, mechanobiology, and biofabrication. Working with Dr. Wells, he developed a technique to associate the mechanics of sub-millimeter regions of tissue with local histology. With this, he discovered that local increases in fat accumulation generate local softening in steatotic liver, resulting in a first author publication in FASEB Bioadvances. In his doctoral work with Dr. Yu-li Wang at Carnegie Mellon University, he discovered a novel cell behavior in which cells follow each other and direct collective movement through Wnt signaling, resulting in a first author publication in PNAS and two talks at the ASCB Annual Meeting. In his training with Dr. Joyce Wong at Boston University, he studied biomimetics and biocompatible fabrication with silk, resulting in a first author publication in Biofabrication.
Dietary cholesterol stiffens the steatotic liver
Thursday, October 12, 2023
3:15 PM – 3:30 PM PDT