07/1994 B.S. in Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University School of Medicine, Zhengjiang, Jiangsu, China
07/2001 M.S. in Immunology, Southeast University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China
07/2004 Ph.D. in Immunology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
06/2011 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY

The  role of fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) in autoimmune diseases and cancer development. FABPs constitute a family of small, highly homologous intracellular lipid chaperones that have been recognized as central regulators of both metabolic and inflammatory pathways. We have shown that adipose FABP (A-FABP) and epidermal FABP (E-FABP) play important roles in many animal disease models, such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model and different tumor models. However, the exact mechanisms underlying these observations remain to be determined. Currently, research in my laboratory strives to understand how FABPs regulate cellular metabolism and intracellular signal transduction pathways in leukocytes, to determine the mechanisms by which FABPs link metabolism and complex diseases, and to identify specific inhibitors of FABPs for potential drug discovery.

• 2000 LIANBANG Award for Yearly Excellent Students
• 2001 Award for Excellent Graduate Student of Southeast University
• 2002 Award for Yearly Excellent Student of Peking University Health Science Center
• 2003 Innovation Award for graduate students (top 10 in 550 students)
• 2004 Award for Excellent Graduate Student of Peking University Health Science Center
• 2006 First Place Award, Fifth Annual Brown Cancer Center Retreat, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
• 2007 Oral Presentation Award, the 94th Annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), Miami, USA
• 2007 Natural Science Award (first-class), Ministry of Education of China, Beijing, China
• 2008 Oral presentation Award, the 41th annual of meeting of Society for Leukocyte
• 2009 Career Transition Fellowship Award, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, New York, NY
• 2011 Oral Presentation Award, the 98th annual meeting of American Association of Immunologists, San Francisco, CA
• 2013 Paint the Town Pink Award for breast cancer research in Austin, MN
• 2013 Feasibility and Pilot Research Award, Minnesota Obesity Center, Minneapolis, MN
• 2015 Poster Award, the IMMUNOLOGY 2015™, AAI Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA

2014- Associate Editor of BMC Immunology
2014- Editor for Global Journal of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
2016- Editorial Board Member for Journal of Allergy and Immunology

Peer-reviewed
1. Fei Yan, Na Shen, Jiuxia Pang, Yuwen Zhang, Shengcai Wei, Enyu Rao, Aref Al-Kali, Mark R. Litzow, Bing Li*, Shujun Liu*(*co-last author). Fatty acid-binding protein FABP4 mechanistically links obesity with aggressive AML by enhancing aberrant DNA methylation in AML cells. Leukemia. 2016 Dec 2. doi: 10.1038/leu.2016.349. [Epub ahead of print]
2. Zhang Y, Rao E, Zeng J, Hao J, Sun Y, Liu S, Sauter ER, Bernlohr DA, Cleary MP, Suttles J, Li B. 1. Adipose Fatty Acid Binding Protein Promotes Saturated Fatty Acid-Induced
Macrophage Cell Death through Enhancing Ceramide Production. J Immunol. 2016 Dec 5. pii: 1601403. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Li B, Schmidt NW. Epidermal Fatty Acid Binding Protein (E-FABP) Is Not Required for the Generation or Maintenance of Effector and Memory T Cells following Infection with Listeria monocytogenes. PLoS One. 2016 Sep 2;11(9):e0162427
4. Rao E, Zhang Y, Li Q, Hao J, Egilmez NK, Suttles J, Li B. AMPK-dependent and independent effects of AICAR and compound C on T-cell responses. Oncotarget. 2016 Jun 7;7(23):33783-95
5. Rao E, Zhang Y, Zhu G, Hao J, Persson XM, Egilmez NK, Suttles J, Li, B. Deficiency of AMPK in CD8+ T cells suppresses their anti-tumor function by inducing protein phosphatase-mediated cell death. Oncotarget, (10):7944-58, 2015.
6. Zhang YW, Li Q, Rao EY, Sun Y, Grossmann ME, Morris RJ, Cleary MP, Li, B. Epidermal Fatty Acid Binding Protein Promotes Skin Inflammation Induced by High-Fat Diet. Immunity, 42(5):953-964,2015
7. Rao E, Singh P, Li Y, Zhang Y, Chi YI, Suttles J, Li, B. Targeting epidermal fatty acid binding protein for treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. BMC Immunol, 16(1):28, 2015.
8. Rao E, Singh P, Zhai X, Li Y, Zhu G, Zhang Y, Hao J, Chi YI, Brown RE, Cleary MP, Li, B. Inhibition of tumor growth by a newly-identified activator for epidermal fatty acid binding protein. Oncotarget, 6(10):7815-27, 2015.
9. Zhang Y, Sun Y, Rao E, Yan F, Li Q, Zhang Y, Silverstein KA, Liu S, Sauter E, Cleary MP, Li, B. Fatty acid-binding protein E-FABP restricts tumor growth by promoting IFN-β responses in tumor-associated macrophages, Cancer Research, 74:2988-98, 2014
10. Zhang Y, Li, B. E-FABP: regulator of immune function, Oncosceince, 6: 398-399, 2014
11. Zhang Y, Rao E, Li B. Shaping Immune Responses by Dysregulated adipokines in Obesity, Glob J Obes Diabetes Metab Syndr, 1(2): 106-108, 2014
12. Li H, Zhu F, Sun Y, Li, B, Naomi Oi, Chen H, Lubet RA, Bode AM, Dong Z. Select Dietary Phytochemicals Function as Inhibitors of COX-1 but Not COX-2. PLoS One. 2013;8(10):e76452
13. Qi, C., Cai, Y., Ding, C., Li, B., Kloecker,G., Qian, K., Vailakos, J., Saijo, S., Iwakura, Y., Yannelli, J., Gunn, L., Yan, J. Differential Pathways Regulating Innate and Adaptive Anti-
tumor Immune Responses by Particulate and Soluble Yeast-derived β-Glucans, Blood, 117(25):6825-36, 2011
14. Li, B., Cai, Y.H., Qi,C.J., Hansen,R., Ding,C.L., Mitchell,T. and Yan, J. Orally administered particular β-Glucan modulates tumor-capturing dendritic cells and improves anti-tumor T cell responses in cancer, Clin.Cancer Res., 16:5153-5164, 2010.
15. Watkins,S.K., Li, B., Richardson,K.S., Head,K., Egilmez,N.K., Zeng,Q., Suttles,J. and Stout,R.D. Rapid release of cytoplasmic IL-15 from tumor-associated macrophages is an initial and critical event in IL-12-initiated tumor regression, Eur.J.Immunol., 39: 2126-2135, 2009.
16. Li, B., Reynolds,J.M., Stout,R.D., Bernlohr,D.A. and Suttles,J. Regulation of Th17 differentiation by epidermal fatty acid-binding protein, J.Immunol., 182: 7625-7633, 2009.
17. Zhong,W., Hansen,R., Li, B., Cai,Y., Salvador,C., Moore,G.D. and Yan,J. Effect of yeast-derived β-glucan in conjunction with bevacizumab for the treatment of human lung adenocarcinoma in subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft models, J.Immunother., 32: 703-712, 2009.
18. Yan,J., Allendorf,D.J., Li, B., Yan,R., Hansen,R. and Donev,R. The role of membrane complement regulatory proteins in cancer immunotherapy, Adv.Exp.Med.Biol., 632: 159-174, 2008.
19. Cramer,D.E., Wagner,S., Li,B., Liu,J., Hansen,R., Reca,R., Wu,W., Surma,E.Z., Laber,D.A., Ratajczak,M.Z. and Yan,J. Mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells by yeast-derived β-glucan requires activation of matrix metalloproteinase-9, Stem Cells, 26: 1231-1240, 2008.
20. Salvador,C., Li,B. (co-first author), Hansen,R., Cramer,D.E., Kong,M. and Yan,J. Yeast-derived β-glucan augments the therapeutic efficacy mediated by anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibody in human carcinoma xenograft models, Clin.Cancer Res., 14: 1239-1247, 2008.
21. Li,B., Allendorf,D.J., Hansen,R., Marroquin,J., Cramer,D.E., Harris,C.L. and Yan,J. Combined yeast β-glucan and antitumor monoclonal antibody therapy requires C5a-mediated neutrophil chemotaxis via regulation of decay-accelerating factor CD55, Cancer Res., 67: 7421-7430, 2007.
22. Li,B., Cramer,D., Wagner,S., Hansen,R., King,C., Kakar,S., Ding,C. and Yan,J. Yeast glucan particles activate murine resident macrophages to secrete proinflammatory cytokines via MyD88- and Syk kinase-dependent pathways, Clin.Immunol., 124: 170-181, 2007.
23. Li,B., Allendorf,D.J., Hansen,R., Marroquin,J., Ding,C., Cramer,D.E. and Yan,J. Yeast β-glucan amplifies phagocyte killing of iC3b-opsonized tumor cells via complement receptor 3-Syk-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway, J.Immunol., 177: 1661-1669, 2006.
24. Cramer,D.E., Allendorf,D.J., Baran,J.T., Hansen,R., Marroquin,J., Li,B., Ratajczak,J., Ratajczak,M.Z. and Yan,J. Β-glucan enhances complement-mediated hematopoietic recovery after bone marrow injury, Blood, 107: 835-840, 2006.
25. Li,B., Wang,Y., Chen,J., Wu,H. and Chen,W. Identification of a new HLA-A*0201-restricted CD8+ T cell epitope from hepatocellular carcinoma-associated antigen HCA587, Clin.Exp.Immunol., 140: 310-319, 2005.
26. Li,B., He,X., Pang,X., Zhang,H., Chen,J. and Chen,W. Elicitation of both CD4 and CD8 T-cell-mediated specific immune responses to HCA587 protein by autologous dendritic cells, Scand.J.Immunol., 60: 506-513, 2004.
27. Li,B., Wu,H.Y., Qian,X.P., Li,Y. and Chen,W.F. Expression, purification and serological analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma associated antigen HCA587 in insect cells, World J.Gastroenterol., 9: 678-682, 2003.
28. Li,B., Qian,X.P., Pang,X.W., Zou,W.Z., Wang,Y.P., Wu,H.Y. and Chen,W.F. HCA587 antigen expression in normal tissues and cancers: correlation with tumor differentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma, Lab Invest, 83: 1185-1192, 2003.
29. Li,B., Dou,J., Wang,L.X., Shi,Z.Y., Wang,J., Yin,P.Q. and Lin,L. DNA immunization of mice with a plasmid encoding hepatitis C virus structural proteins elicits significant cell-mediated immune responses, Chin. J. Immunol., 18: 394-397, 2002.
30. Li,B., Dou,J. The updates of hepatitis C virus DNA vaccine. Progress in Microbiology and Immunology, 28: 87-89, 2000.
31. Li,B., Dou,J. The research progress of hepatitis C virus molecular biology. Foreign Medical Sciences, 6: 102-104, 1999.