Research Areas
- Heart physiology
- Cellular biology
- Environmental pollution
- Ischemia-reperfusion
- Gut microbiota
Scientific Achievements
- Contributed to the discovery of a novel mechanism involving sarcomeric protein phosphorylation in protecting hearts from ischemia-reperfusion injury.
- Pioneered the investigation in the cardiac health effects of environmentally realistic microplastics.
Funding
RCMI Funding: 2U54MD013376 NIH/NIMHD: Pilot Project: The Effect of Weathered Micro Micro-and Nanoplastics on Heart: Implications of Environmental Pollution Inequity and Health Disparity
Other funding obtained with RCMI support: Not yet. The findings obtained from the pilot project provided preliminary data for an RO1 grant submitted in February 2025 (PI: Li).
Other funding obtained with RCMI support: Not yet. The findings obtained from the pilot project provided preliminary data for an RO1 grant submitted in February 2025 (PI: Li).
Scientific Advance
- Liu, P., Akter, R., Chen, E., Suh, D., Kwon, C., & Li, Y. (2025, March). Microplastics and heart health: RNA RNA-seq reveals molecular impacts. Presented at the RCMI Consortium National Conference, Bethesda, MD.
- Kutbi, A., Gong, J., Dluzen, D., Pop, M., & Li, Y. (2025). The gut microbiota of Peruvian children under the age of two during the complementary feeding period. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(9), 1369.
- Microplastics entered human stem cell–derived heart cells and changed the activity of many genes. These changes affected key pathways involved in cholesterol metabolism, ion transport, and heart disease signaling, suggesting microplastics may disrupt normal heart cell function and contribute to cardiovascular problems.
- Babies who keep breastfeeding while eating solid foods develop gut bacteria more slowly and stay rich in beneficial Bifidobacterium longer, while weaned children’s gut bacteria shift more quickly toward an adult-like balance.
Grant cited: 2U54MD013376 NIH/NIMHD
