Liming Li, PhD
Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics; Feinberg School of Medicine
Research Program
Cancer-Focused Research
Prion proteins are capable of existing in multiple stable conformations, at least one of which is infectious. It is generally accepted that prion (PrPSc) is the responsible agent for the devastating neurodegenerative disorders known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases. Our laboratory is interested in using yeast and other model organisms to understand how a prion protein acquires its infectious prion conformations and how such conformations are maintained in vivo. Our ultimate goal is to dissect the initiation and propagation processes of prionogenesis, and to identify important cellular factors required in each of these processes