Biography

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    Dr. Li received his Ph.D from Kumamoto University in Japan in 2000, then he carried out post-doctoral research in Molecular Biology at  the University of British Columbia, worked at the University of Saskatchewan and a startup company Adnavance Technologies, Inc. as a Professional Research Associate. He then worked as a Research Officer in the Biotechnology Research Institute (Montreal), Canada National Research Council. He started his academic career in 2006 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering of Florida International University. He held positions as an associate professor (with tenure) and full professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering as well as affiliated faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering, the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Immunology in the FIU medical school. In 2014, Dr. LI was honored to be a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) sponsored visiting professor for 12 months at Tohoku University in Japan.  Dr. Li is the former Program Director in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET) of the National Science Foundations (NSF).  He is the Co-Editor in Chief of the flagship journal of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, which impact factor is ranked No. 1 in the fields of biosensors and analytical chemistry, and the associate editors of journals RESEARCH (AAAS) and Biosensors (MDPI).  

   

      Dr. Li is a fellow member of National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors, and the fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). 

     The impact of Dr. Li’s research is documented in 15 granted patents, about 160 peer-reviewed journal papers, 2 books and 7 book chapters. In recognition of his work, Dr. Li has received several awards and honors including the Kauffman Entrepreneurship Professor Award in 2009 and 2011, 2012 International Resource Award from Indian National Dairy Institute, the 2013 FIU Collage of Engineering and Computing (COC) Outstanding Faculty Award in Research, 2014 JSPS (Japan) Professor Fellowship Award, 2014 Excellent Faculty Award in Research and Creative Activities, 2016  Pioneer in Technology Development Award by the Society of Braining Mapping, 2016 the Finalist for FIU President’s Council Worlds Ahead Award, and  2016 Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Award in Cancer Research, by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

 

Research

In line with the scope of smart health research for the better preparation of aging societies, Dr Li’s research is focused on integrated reconfigurable systems with biomedical devices, biomaterials, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence, primarily for medical diagnosis and therapy. The research looks ahead to the next generation of electrical and optical biosensors, Lab-on-a-Chip, wearable devices, as well as end use of such biomedical devices for neuron mapping, cancer diagnosis/therapy, infectious disease monitoring,  Point of Care Testings (POCTs), cell imaging, drug screening/delivery, which could also have cross-applications for environmental, food safety monitoring, agriculture, and homeland security.

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This combination will emerge from correlative and learned relationships between massive personalized medical information, which may better identify causation of normative processes or pathogenic states, which is the key to success of future smart health systems. Furthermore, I will integrate current applications of biosensing platforms from diagnosis to noninvasive therapeutic treatment of a variety of diseases with emphasis on cancer and neuron disorders.

 

Publications

Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

1. Surface Plasmon Resonance Based Sensing Devices and Methods for Real-Time Analysis of Analyte Secretion from Living Cells; 2016, US 9,465,028; US20160084830, US 9465028, B2USPTO.

2. A facile DNA/RNA nanoflower for sensitive imaging of telomerase RNA in living cells based on “zipper lock-and-key” strategy, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2020, 147, 111788.

3. Sensitive and selective detection of the p53 gene based on a triple-helix magnetic probe coupled to a fluorescent liposome hybridization assembly vai rolling circle amplification, Analyst, 2017, 142,19,3598-3604.

Nutrient-deprived cancer cells preferentially use sialic acid to maintain cell surface glycosylation, Biomaterials, 2015, 70, 23-36.

4. Live Cell Integrated SPR Biosensing Approach to Mimic the Regulation of Angiogenic Switch (VEGF-VEGFR) upon Anti-Cancer Drug Exposure, Analytical Chemistry, 2014, 86(15):7305-10.

5. Immuno Nanoparticles Integrated  Electrical Control of Targeted Cancer Cell Development Using Whole Cell 5. Bioelectronic Device, Theranostics, 2014; 4(9):919-930. 

6. Immuno strip based point-of-care testing for bladder cancer biomarkers detection, Chemical Sensors, 2014, 4,12-18.

7. Electrical Field Manipulation of Cancer Cell Behavior Monitored by Whole Cell Biosensing Device, Biomedical Microdevices, 2013. 15(4), 657-663.

8. Preferential Lectin Binding of Cancer Cells upon Sialic Acid Treatment Under Nutrient Deprivation, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2013, 171(4), 963-974.

9. Highly dispersible PEGylated graphene/Au composites as gene delivery vector and potential cancer therapeutic agent, J. Mat. Chem. B , 2013, 1, 38, 4956-4962.

10. Real-Time Monitoring Biomarker Expression of Carcinoma Cells by Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensors, Chem. Comm, 2012, 48(84), 10389-10391.

11. Electrochemical sensing of label free DNA hybridization related to breast cancer1gene at disposable sensor platforms modified with single walled carbon nanotubes, Electrochimica Acta, 2012, 82, 137-142.

 

Biosensors for Neuron Biomarkers Detection

1. Rapid in vivo Measurement of beta-amyloid Reveals Biphsic Clearance Kinetics in an Alzheimer’s Mouse Model”,  Journal of Experimental Medicine 2016,213 (2), 2132OIA84

2. Peptide modified polymer poly (glycerol- dodecanedioate co-fumarate) for efficient control of motor neuron differentiation, Biomedical Materials, 2015, 10(6): 065013.

3. Electrochemical Imaging of Dopamine Release from Three-Dimensional-Cultured PC12 Cells Using Large-Scale Integration-Based Amperometric Sensors, Anal. Chem., 2015, 87 (12), pp 6364–6370.

4. PC12 cell integrated biosensing neuron devices for evaluating neuronal exocytosis function upon silver nanoparticles exposure, Sci. Chia Chem., 2015, 58,(10), 1600-1604.

5. Microbiosensor for Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostics:  Detection of Amyloid Beta Biomarkers, Journal of Neurochemistry, 2012, 122, 374-381.

6. Point of Care Testings of Infectious disease and Environmental Toxins

Internet of medical things (IoMT)-integrated biosensors for point-of-care testing of infectious diseases, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2021, 113074A.

7. A sensitive electrochemical immunosensor for label-free detection of Zika-virus protein, Scientific Reports, 2018, 9700.

8. Resonance light scattering aptasensor for urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine based on magnetic nanoparticles: a preliminary study of oxidative stress association with air pollution. Microchimica Acta, 2018, 185 (9), 419.

9. Bright Yellow Fluorescent Carbon Dots as a Multifunctional Sensing Platform for the Label-Free Detection of Fluoroquinolones and Histidine, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2018, 10 (49), 42915–42924.

10. Paper Based Point-of-Care Testing Disc for Multiplex Whole Cell Bacteria Analysis, Biosensors and Bioelectroncs, 2011, 26, 4342-4348.  

 

Cardiovascular Diseases and Drug Screening

1. Surface plasmon resonance based mechanical sensing of beating heart cells; 2020, US Patent 10,551,313.

Biosensor technologies for blood biomarkers toward monitoring cardiovascular diseases at the point of care, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2020, 112621.

2. Non-Invasive Plasmonic-Based Real-Time Characterization of Cardiac Drugs on Cardiomyocytes Functional Behavior, Analytical Chemistry, 2019,  92 (2), 2244-2250.

3. Imaging based cellular analysis based on nanobiosening probes

A facile DNA/RNA nanoflower for sensitive imaging of telomerase RNA in living cells based on “zipper lock-and-key” strategy, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2020, 147, 111788.

4. In situ monitoring of cytoplasmic precursor and mature microRNA using gold nanoparticle and graphene oxide composite probes, Analytica Chimica Acta, 2018, 1021, 129-139.

5. A reusable aptasensor of thrombin based on DNA machine employing resonance light scattering technique, Biosensor and Bioelectronics, 2017, 91,631-636.

6. A label-free colorimetric assay for detection of c-Myc mRNA based on peptide nucleic acid and silver nanoparticles”, Science Bulletin, 2016, 61, 4, 276-281.

 

Organ on a Chip for Drug Screening and Toxicity Assay

1. Electrochemical Analysis of Single Cells, Bioelectrochemical Interface Engineering, 55-76, 2019.

Whole cell analysis ranging from intercellular assay to organ on a chip. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 2019,117, 157-165.  

2. Non-Invasive Plasmonic-Based Real-Time Characterization of Cardiac Drugs on Cardiomyocytes Functional Behavior, Analytical Chemistry, 2019,  92 (2), 2244-2250.

3. Microelectromechanical System-Based Sensing Arrays for Comparative in Vitro Nanotoxicity Assessment at Single Cell and Small Cell-Population Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2016,9,5804-5812.

4. Chip Based Single Cell Analysis for Nanotoxicity Assessment, Analyst, 2014, 139, 2088-2098.

Lab-on-Chip device for single cell manipulation and analysis, Biomedical Microdevices, 2014, 16(1), 35-41.

5. Electrochemical Imaging of Dopamine Release from Three-Dimensional-Cultured PC12 Cells Using Large-Scale Integration-Based Amperometric Sensors, Anal. Chem., 2015, 87 (12), pp 6364–6370.

6. Biosensing Approach for Rapid Genotoxicity and Cytotoxicity Assay upon Nanomaterial Exposure, Small, 2013, 9, 1821-1830.

7. Co-culture based blood-brain barrier in vitro model, a tissue engineering approach using immortalized cell lines for drug transport study, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2011, 163, 278-295.

8. Assessment of Oxidative DNA Damage and Repair at Single Cellular Level via Real-time Monitoring of 8-OHdG Biomarker, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2010, 26 (4), 1743-1749.

 

Fundamental Study of Electronic Properties of Biomolecules

1. Biosensor technologies for blood biomarkers toward monitoring cardiovascular diseases at the point of care, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2020, 112621.

2. The Dependence of the Photocurrent on the Concentration of Electron Mediator (Para-Benzoquinone) in Thylakoids, Biophysical Journal, 2014, 2, 181A.

3. Electrical Field Manipulation of Cancer Cell Behavior Monitored by Whole Cell Biosensing Device, Biomedical Microdevices, 2013. 15(4), 657-663.

4. Engineered Proteins: Redox properties and their applications, Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, 2012,17(12), 1796-1822.

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You can find full publication list at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=f5BVq6MAAAAJ&hl=en