Linxian Li

Li Linxian obtained his PhD from Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg in 2014 and then went on to study biological materials at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Li Linxian is dedicated to employing the combinatorial methods to build structurally diverse biomaterials libraries, developing brand new photochemical methods to fabricate cell microarrays for high-throughput screening, and establishing novel high-throughput screening methods to identify safe and effective nucleic acid drug carriers rapidly.

His research integrated the combinatorial biomaterials libraries, cell microarrays and high-throughput screening, and has provided innovative tools to accelerate the development of novel biomaterials for global healthcare challenges.

Take Messenger RNA for an example. It is different from recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies, which are the core of the biotech industry. mRNA is a new class of drugs that can direct human cells to generate proteins for disease prevention and treatment, and can potentially replace recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies.

At the present stage, the major challenge limiting the clinical application of mRNA as therapeutics is its inefficient delivery. The platform developed by Li Linxian can rapidly and accurately identify safe and effective mRNA carriers for clinical treatment. In the meantime, Li is also advocating these biomaterials as clinical mRNA therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, Zika, Ebola, and genetic disorders.

Li Linxian said “technical innovation can truly help patients ease pain caused by diseases, and especially offer cures to infectious and genetic diseases as well as cancer. I hope I can push advancements through technology and serve the society in the end.”