Hongmin Li

Hongmin Li

Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology
Endowed Chair, R Ken and Donna Coit - Drug Discovery
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Contact
(520) 626-2823

Work Summary

My laboratory focuses on both basic and translational sciences. In basic science part, we investigate the structures, functions and mechanisms of essential macromolecules involved in various cellular actions and disease processes. The knowledge gained from these basic science studies leads to the second category, the drug discovery part where we develop novel biochemical and cellular assays for different drug targets, carry out high throughput screening (HTS) assays to identify novel target-based inhibitors, perform cellular antiviral/antifungal/anti-cancer assays, and conduct ADMET profiling and mouse model efficacy studies for lead compounds.

Research Interest

My laboratory has developed a research platform that integrates virology, mycology, bacteriology, RNA, biochemistry, structural biology, cellular biology, and in vivo animal model in the same lab. We also work closely with collaborators and colleagues in the aspects of medicinal chemistry, computational biology, immunology, cancer biology, and in vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD). Currently, the main research focuses on development of therapeutics against cancers and human pathogens such as dengue virus, Zika virus, SARS-CoV-2, Cryptococcal fungi and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.