Email: fuming_li@fudan.edu.cn
   Office Address: 14th Floor, Building D3, Kuanting Bay Valley Community, Chengtou, Yangpu District, Shanghai

Personal Profile

2021.7-       Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, Fudan University

2020.8-2021.6  Research Associate, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

2015.8-2020.7  Postdoc, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

2011.1-2020.7   Postdoc, Institute of Biochemestry and Cell Biology, CAS

Research Interests

Li's lab studies metabolic control of liver and lung tumorigenesis . We use multiple animal and cell line models together with clinical samples, and integrate metabolic approaches with CRISPR screen to explore the metabolic remodeling underlying tumor proreression and drug resistance. The long term goal is to provide new mechanistic insights for targeting precision cancer metabolism and personalized medicine. Current research projects include: (1) Identify metabolic vulurabilities in cancer; (2) Dissect metabolic plasticity in cancer; (3) Develop metabolism-focused cancer therapeutics.

Honors and Awards

• 2020  Holtzer Outstanding Postdoc Research Award, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

• 2019  Travel Arward, NCI CCR Liver Cancer Program: Special Conference on Tumor Metabolism, invited speaker
  

Selected Publications

1. Li LC#, You JW#, Chai ZQ#, Li XS, Cai XL, Wang L, Yang F, Zhu LZ, Mi W, Xia XY, Yan HH, Li F, Wang J, Zhao TJ, Chen LG, Ji HB, Liu PY, Zhou XL*, Chen L*, Li FM*. SLC6A6 imports taurine into mitochondria to sustain mitochondrial translation and tumour growth. Nat Metab. 2026 Mar;8(3):704-721. doi: 10.1038/s42255-026-01455-6. Epub 2026 Feb 6. New & Views Nat Metab. 2026 Mar;8(3):536-538. doi: 10.1038/s42255-026-01471-6

2. Zhu LZ, Wu KS, You JW, Mi W, Xu J, Li LC, Yang F, Xia XY, Yan HH, Li F, Chen L, Liu PY, Li FM*. Mitochondrial glutamine import sustains electron transport chain integrity independently of glutaminolysis in cancer. Mol Cell. 2026 Jan 8;86(1):150-165.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2025.12.001. Epub 2025 Dec 22. Previews. Mol Cell. 2026 Jan 8;86(1):6-8. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2025.12.014

3. Mi W, Xue Y, Yan H, Zhang Y, Cai X, Zhang S, He R, Li L, Zhu L, Xia X, Liang Y, Cao C, Xu Y, Bi J, Wang G, Chen L, Ye D, Li F, Ren R, Liu P, Ji H, Li FM*. α-Ketoglutarate dictates AMPK protein synthesis for energy sensing in human cancers. Nat Chem Biol. 2025 Aug 22. doi: 10.1038/s41589-025-02013-z.

4. Mi W, You JW, Li LC, Zhu LZ, Xia XY, Yang L, Li F, Xu Y, Bi JF, Liu PY, Chen L, Li FM*. BET inhibition induces GDH1-dependent glutamine metabolic remodeling and vulnerability in liver cancer. Life Metabolism, 2024,loae016.

5. Liu PY, Ji HB, Li FM*. MRE11 lactylation: a linker between Warburg effect and DNA repair. Life Metabolism, 2024, 3(3), loae013.

6. Li FM*#, Liu PY#, Mi W, Li LC, Anderson NM, Lesner NP, Burrows M, Plesset J, Majer A, Wang GL, Li JY, Zhu LZ, Keith B, Simon MC*. Blocking methionine catabolism induces senescence and confers vulnerability to GSK3 inhibition in liver cancer. Nat Cancer. 2024 Jan;5(1):131-146. (* co-corresponding).

7. Liu ZJ, You YY, Chen QY, Li GB, Pan WF, Yang Q, Dong JJ, Wu Y, Bei JX, Pan CY*, Li FM*, Li B*. Extracellular vesicle-mediated communication between hepatocytes and natural killer cells promotes hepatocellular tumorigenesis. Mol Ther. 2022 Feb 2;30(2):606-620

8. Li FM*, Simon MC*. Cancer cells don't live alone: metabolic communication within tumor microenvironments. Dev Cell, 2020, 20;54(2):183-195.

9. Li FM, Huangyang PW, Burrows M, Guo K, Riscal R, Godfrey J, Lee KE, Lin N, Lee P, Blair IA, Keith B, Li B*, Simon MC*. FBP1 loss disrupts liver metabolism and promotes tumorigenesis through a hepatic stellate cell senescence secretome. Nat Cell Biol. 2020, 22(6):728-739.

10. Li FM#, Han XK#, Li F#, Wang R, Wang H, Gao YJ, Wang XJ, Fang ZY, Zhang WJ, Yao S, Tong XY, Wang YT, Feng Y, Sun YH, Li Y, Wong KK, Zhai QW, Chen HQ*, Ji HB*. LKB1 inactivation elicits a redox imbalance to modulate non-small cell lung cancer plasticity and therapeutic response. Cancer Cell. 2015,11;27(5):698-711.

11. Han XK#, Li FM#, Fang ZY, Gao YJ, Li F, Fang R, Yao S, Sun YH, Li L, Zhang WJ, Ma HM, Xiao Q, Ge GX, Fang J, Wang HD, Zhang L, Wong KK, Chen HQ, Hou YY, Ji HB. Transdifferentiation of lung adenocarcinoma in mice with Lkb1 deficiency to squamous cell carcinoma. Nat Commun. 2014;5:3261-3274.

12. Li FM, Liu P, Liu C, Xiang D, Deng L, Li W, Wangensteen K, Song J, Ma Y, Hui L, Wei L, Li L, Ding X, Hu Y, He Z, Wang X. Hepatoblast-like progenitor cells derived from embryonic stem cells can repopulate livers of mice. Gastroenterology. 2010,139(6):2158-2169.