Li joined the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Binghamton University in January 2024. She received her PhD in nutrition and food science from Ohio State University, under the co-mentorship of Duxin Sun at University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and Steven Schwartz at Ohio State University Department of Food Science. Her doctoral training was highly interdisciplinary, integrating nutritional biochemistry and pharmaceutical sciences, with a focus on the molecular mechanisms and therapeutics of natural products in various types of cancer. Li has established a strong research program focused on understanding the bi-directional interactions between gut microbiota and dietary natural products, with the goal of developing microbiome-based precision strategies for disease prevention and management as well as healthy aging. Her work encompasses both preclinical mechanistic studies and human trials. Her lab utilizes molecular and cellular tools, animal models of diseases, human intervention studies and clinical trials to study the roles of human microbiome and metabolome in chronic diseases, such as aging-related disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, and inflammation-associated tumorigenesis (e.g., colon cancer). Additionally, Li has been collaborating with other investigators in targeted bio-delivery, including nano-delivery through dietary exosomes, and PK/PBPK studies. Her current research projects are funded by several grants from USDA/NIFA, NIH/NIDDK, and private foundations.
Yanyan Li
Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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