IUPUI Chemistry Professor Receives Prestigious NIH Grant

Dr. Lei Li

The National Institute of Environmental Health Science at the National Institutes of Health recently awarded Dr. Lei Li, a tenure-track assistant professor in bioinorganic chemistry at the School of Science at IUPUI, a three year R00 grant for $750,000 exploring DNA damage and repair related to Ultraviolet (UV) light in endospore-forming bacteria.

New to the School of Science this year, Li will engage undergraduates, graduates and post doctorate researchers in investigations focused on the DNA repair enzyme named spore photoproduct lyase (SPL).

Understanding how the SPL enzyme repairs DNA UV damage will help scientists develop inhibitors to prevent the damage repair process. The goal of this research is the discovery of mechanisms leading to the death of the spores which cause diseases such as anthrax, botulism (food poising), and tetanus -- diseases that harm and even kill humans every day.

“IUPUI is a renowned institution with many experts studying various aspects of DNA biochemistry,” said Li. “I am thrilled to join experts within the School of Science, and on campus, in collaborative chemical, biological and medical research.”
For the past 10 years, Li’s research in the area of bioinorganic chemistry has been internationally recognized. His work to design copper complexes as anti-cancer drugs earned Li two international patent applications and the “Outstanding Invention of the Year Award” from the University of Maryland in 2001. Li is also widely published in top chemistry and biochemistry journals.

“The School of Science is honored to have a leader in DNA biochemical research join our faculty,” said Bart Ng, Dean of the School of Science at IUPUI. “Dr. Li’s experience will provide our students with great exposure to research methods and discovery. His work on our campus will eventually improve the way we combat harmful bacteria threats throughout the world.”

Li joins the School of Science’s Department of Chemistry this fall from the University of Michigan where he received one of the NIH’s most prestigious career development awards - the Pathway to Independence Award. This award at K99 phase (postdoctoral phase) provided Li the resources to study the structure and mechanisms of radical enzymes, including SPL.
Li earned his Ph.D. in Bioinorganic Chemistry from The Johns Hopkins University as well as his Masters of Science in organometallic chemistry and Bachelors of Science in chemistry from Peking University in Beijing, China.

About the School of Science at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis

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