معرفی
Dr. Yun Li is a Senior Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. She also holds the Medicine by Design Investigator title. Her work bridges stem cell biology, genome sequencing, and neuroscience to explore human brain development and diseases.
- PhD in Molecular Biology (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2002–2008)
- Postdoctoral training at Whitehead Institute and MIT (2009–2017)
Her research focuses on modeling human brain development using pluripotent stem cell technology, CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering, and 3D brain organoids, with particular emphasis on human-specific neural features and autism-related molecular mechanisms.
Recent publications highlight her work on PTEN-deficient neurons, DNA origami nanodevice imaging, and human cerebral organoid folding. These studies span neuroscience, molecular biology, and nanotechnology, often integrating cross-species comparisons and gene regulation analyses.
- Young Investigator Award (2020, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation)
- Bridge to Independence Award (2016, Simons Foundation)
- New Investigator Award (2008, American Society for Neurochemistry)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2020–2026)
- Stem Cell Network (2020–2022)
- Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (2019–2022)
The Yun Li Lab at The Hospital for Sick Children investigates neural development mechanisms, leveraging advanced stem cell and genome editing tools to model human-specific cortical features and study neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.
