Pioneering research into the inflammatory and molecular mechanisms driving atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathies, and rare conduction disorders.
The Li Lab · 2026Combining molecular biology, mouse models, and human tissue samples to understand and ultimately treat cardiac arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies.
Our group was the first to establish a causal role for inflammasome signaling in atrial fibrillation, mapping links to clonal hematopoiesis, liver disease, and aging.
Yao et al., Circulation 2018 →We identified FKBP5 as a novel molecular contributor to atrial cardiomyopathy, delineating its role in fibrotic and inflammatory remodeling across cardiac cell types.
Read publication →In collaboration with Dr. Mihail Chelu at BCM, we investigate molecular mechanisms underlying sinoatrial node dysfunction and atrioventricular block.
TDD is caused by TANGO2 gene mutations leading to life-threatening arrhythmias. We study TANGO2 function in cardiomyocytes using a knockout mouse model.
Dr. Yue Yuan won 2nd place in the Young Investigator Award competition at the 2026 Cardiovascular Science in Session in Chicago.
Dr. Adeniyi Adeleye received the BCM Dean's Award.
Graduate student Yuying Zeng won the Outstanding Pitch Talk Award and a Poster Award at the CardioFrontiers 2026 meeting in Houston, TX.
We welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists. Join our collaborative environment at the heart of the Texas Medical Center.
The Li Lab is supported by research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, enabling foundational discoveries in cardiac molecular biology.