Ruoyan Li Laboratory
Ruoyan Li, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
- Departments, Labs and Institutes
- Labs
- Ruoyan Li Laboratory
Research Areas
- Cancer Genomics
- Genetics
- Single-Cell Genomics
- Tumor Microenvironment
- Tumor Heterogeneity
Our research focuses on understanding how cancer initiates from early normal cells and evolves into complex clonal architectures and multicellular ecosystems. We seek to address this question by applying and developing cutting-edge genomics, single-cell multiomics and spatial genomics technologies. The overarching goal is to use the new knowledge from our research to facilitate the development of strategies for the prevention, detection and interception of cancer before it progresses to an intractable stage.
Current research directions
- Studying somatic mutations in normal and premalignant tissues and their impact on cancer development
- Understanding premalignant progression and mutant clonal evolution
- Resolving the microenvironment of premalignancy and cancer in space and time
Ruoyan Li, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor, Systems Biology
RLi11@mdanderson.org
Dr. Ruoyan Li is an assistant professor in Systems Biology. He obtained his bachelor's degree at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in 2012 and his Ph.D. at Peking University in 2017. Before joining MD Anderson, he received postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Fan Bai at Peking University and in the lab of Dr. Sarah Teichmann at Wellcome Sanger Institute. Dr. Li has a longstanding interest in understanding cancer development, evolution and heterogeneity.
Select publications
Somatic mutagenesis in normal human tissues:
- Li R*, Lin D*, Jie L*, Wen F* et al. A body map of somatic mutagenesis in morphologically normal human tissues. Nature. 2021 Sept;597(7876):398-403.
- Highlighted by News & Views: Naxerova K. Mutation fingerprints encode cellular histories. Nature. 2021 Sept;597(7876):334-336.
- Li R*, Du Y*, Chen Z*, Xu D*, Lin T* et al. Macroscopic somatic clonal expansion in morphologically normal human urothelium. Science. 2020 Oct 2;370(6512):82-89.
- Highlighted by Perspective: Rozen SG. Mutational selection in normal urothelium. Science. 2020 Oct 2;370(6512):34-35.
Single-cell and spatial mapping of tumor microenvironments:
- Li R, Ferdinand JR, Loudon KW, Bowyer GS et al. Mapping single-cell transcriptomes in the intra-tumoral and associated territories of kidney cancer. Cancer Cell. 2022 Dec 12;40(12):1583-1599.
- Jin S*, Li R*, Chen M*, Yu C*, Tang L* et al. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis defines the interplay between tumor cells, viral infection, and the microenvironment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Cell Research. 2020 Nov;30(11):950-965.
Intra-tumor heterogeneity and tumor clonal evolution:
- Xue R*, Li R*, Guo H*, Guo L* et al. Variable intra-tumor genomic heterogeneity of multiple lesions in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology. 2016 Apr;150(4):998-1008.
- Highlighted by Editorial: Birkbak NJ, Andersen JB. Heterogeneity Among Liver Cancer—A Hurdle to Optimizing Therapy. Gastroenterology. 2016 Apr;150(4):818-821.
- Du Y*, Li R*, Chen Z*, Wang X, Xu T, Bai F. Mutagenic factors and complex clonal relationship of multifocal urothelial cell carcinoma. European Urology. 2018 May;71(5):841–843.
- Li R*, Li X*, Xue R*, Yang F* et al. Early metastasis detected in patients with multifocal pulmonary ground-glass opacities (GGOs). Thorax. 2018 Mar;73(3):290-292.
* indicates co-first author