Dr. Guoliang Li is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology at Meharry Medical College. He earned his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Wayne State University in 2007. His doctoral research focused on catecholamine oxidation and its role in the death of dopaminergic neurons, a process associated with the development of Parkinson’s disease. As a postdoctoral researcher at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Li investigated genetic variations that contribute to cancer development, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), copy number variations and microsatellite instability.
As an independent investigator, Dr. Li’s research program focuses on dysregulated epigenetic and signaling pathways in prostate cancer. He has laid the groundwork for understanding the molecular mechanisms of the KDM5B signaling network in prostate cancer and has identified it as a potential novel therapeutic target to suppress disease progression. His work has been published in prestigious journals such as JNCI, PNAS and Cancer Research.
As a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on several projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Cancer Society (ACS), Dr. Li has made significant contributions to prostate cancer research, with a particular emphasis on castration-resistant prostate cancer. His ongoing project, supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), seeks to elucidate the functional role of SMARCA1 signaling in prostate cancer progression and therapy resistance.