Dr. Liwu Li

Liwu Li, PhD, FAHA, Fellow AAAS
Endowed College of Science Faculty Fellow Professor of Inflammation Biology and Immunology
lwli@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 231-1433
Fax: (540) 231-4043
162 Life Science 1 Building, 907 Washington Street,
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0910
Biological Sciences, Medicine, & Biomedical Engineering Sciences

Director, GBCB (Genetics, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology)

Research Program Highlights

  1. Our group pioneered the paradigm-shift concept of innate immune memory dynamics that can “memorize” the relative strength and duration of generic danger/damage signals
  2. We defined subsets of low-grade inflammatory memory monocytes involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis
  3. We discovered the generation of exhaustion monocyte memory during sepsis pathogenesis
  4. We revealed TRAM as a general innate sensor for low-grade inflammatory stress
  5. We engineered genetic and chemical approaches in generating rejuvenated subsets of homeostatic monocytes and neutrophils with robust potential in propagating homeostasis and reducing atherosclerosis
  6. We revealed Tollip as a novel PIP lipid binding protein important for autophagy completion; Characterized IRAK-M serving biphasic roles in dampening low-grade immune-enhancing inflammation through suppressing STAT5, while facilitating exhaustion via stabilizing/activating STAT1; defined STAT3 as an IRAK-1 substrate; cloned and discovered human CDC14A/B phosphatase that dephosphorylates substrates such as p53; defined the principle of mutually suppressive circuitry for the stable generation of innate immune memory in monocytes and neutrophils
  7. Genetically engineered neutrophils with IRAK-M deletion can robustly enhance anti-tumor immunity and maintain tissue homeostasis.

Education and Appointments

  • 2019-present: Director, Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
  • 2009-present: Professor of Inflammation Biology and Immunology, Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
  • 2012-present: Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Tech-Carilion School of Medicine
  • 2005-2009: Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
  • 1999-2005: Faculty of Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
  • 1996-1999: Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Department of Biological Chemistry, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 
  • 1991-1996: Ph.D. in Biology (Cell and Molecular), Department of Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Awards and Honors

  • 2024 Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 2023 Endowed College of Science Faculty Fellow, Virginia Tech
  • 2023 Elected Fellow of the American Heart Association
  • 2021 Regular member, Atherosclerosis and Vascular Inflammation Review Panel, NIH
  • 2018-2020 President, Inflammation Research Association
  • 2017 Meeting co-organizer, 50th anniversary conference for the Society of Leukocyte Biology
  • 2017 Alumni Award in Research Excellence, Virginia Tech 
  • 2016 Outstanding Research Award, Department of Biological Sciences, VT 
  • 2015 Outstanding Teaching Award, Department of Biological Sciences, VT 
  • 2014 Outstanding Service Award, Department of Biological Sciences, VT 
  • 2013 Scholar of the Week, Virginia Tech 
  • 2012 Scholar of the Week, Virginia Tech 
  • 2012 Outstanding Research Award, Department of Biological Sciences, VT 
  • 2008 Elected to the Board of Directors, Inflammation Research Association 
  • 2005-2008 Regular member, Innate Immunity & Inflammation Review Panel, NIH