Dr. Zhenyu Li's Lab

Research Goals

The Li lab focuses on two areas:

1. The mechanism of platelet activation and thrombosis
2. Contribution of inflammasome and pyroptosis to inflammation, coagulation and thrombosis in sepsis.

Mechanism of platelet activation and thrombosis: 
Blood platelets play important roles in hemostasis, thrombosis, wound healing, atherosclerosis, inflammation, immunity, and tumor metastasis. Of these functions, the primary physiological function of platelets is to form hemostatic thrombi that prevent blood loss and maintain vascular integrity. This function must be tightly regulated because dysregulated thrombus formation (thrombosis) causes blockage of blood vessels, leading to ischemia. Thrombotic diseases, such as heart attack and ischemic stroke, are a leading cause of mortality in the modern world. Thus, platelets in normal circulation are in a nonadherent “resting” state and become activated at sites of vascular injury after exposure to immobilized adhesive proteins or soluble platelet agonists. Platelet activation involves many protein kinases such as p38 and ERK MAP kinases, PI3K/Akt pathway, Src family kinases, PKC, PKA, etc, and second messengers such as cAMP, cGMP, Ca2+. Our lab focuses on investigating the molecular mechanism of platelet activation under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

Contribution of inflammasome and pyroptosis to inflammation, coagulation and thrombosis in sepsis: 
Sepsis plagues 19 million people globally every year, with a mortality rate of ~ 30%, resulting in ~ five million deaths every year. While inflammasome activation and subsequent pyroptosis are known to play a key role in defending the host from infections, they also play critical roles in the pathogenesis of sepsis. Our lab aims to understand how inflammasome activation and pyroptosis contribute to sepsis-associated inflammation, coagulopathy, and organ dysfunction.