Meng Li's group is interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlining neural fate specification and the subsequent differentiation of neuroectoderm cells into defined neuronal subtypes.

We aim to exploit iPSC-derived neurons for elucidating the cellular basis of neuropsychiatric diseases and developing better strategies for cell therapies.

We employ an integrated experimental approach involving in vitro neural development of human and mouse embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), as well as contemporary genetic manipulation in model organisms.

We apply the resulting knowledge to devise novel strategies that drive pluripotent stem cells into clinically important neurons, such as midbrain dopamine neuron, striatal GABAergic neurons and cortical interneurons.

Gennet, N.et al. 2016. FolR1: a novel cell surface marker for isolating midbrain dopamine neural progenitors and nascent dopamine neurons. Scientific Reports 6, article number: 32488. (10.1038/srep32488) pdf Noakes, Z., Fjodorova, M. and Li, M. 2016. Deriving striatal projection neurons from human pluripotent stem cells with activin A. Neural Regeneration Research 10(12), pp. 1914-1916. (10.4103/1673-5374.169621) pdf Fjodorova, M., Noakes, Z. and Li, M. 2015. How to make striatal projection neurons. Neurogenesis 2(1), article number: e1100227. (10.1080/23262133.2015.1100227) Arber, C.et al. 2015. Activin A directs striatal projection neuron differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells. Development 142(7), pp. 1375-1386. (10.1242/dev.117093) Craddock, N.et al. 2014. Identifying gene-environment interactions in schizophrenia: contemporary challenges for integrated, large-scale investigations. Schizophrenia Bulletin 40(4), pp. 729-736. (10.1093/schbul/sbu069) Chang, K. and Li, M. 2013. Clonal isolation of an intermediate pluripotent stem cell state. Stem Cells 31(5), pp. 918-927. (10.1002/stem.1330) Arber, C. and Li, M. 2013. Cortical interneurons from human pluripotent stem cells: prospects for neurological and psychiatric disease. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 7, article number: 10. (10.3389/fncel.2013.00010) pdf Cambray, S.et al. 2012. Activin induces cortical interneuron identity and differentiation in embryonic stem cell-derived telencephalic neural precursors. Nature Communications 3, article number: 841. (10.1038/ncomms1817) Smith, G.et al. 2012. L-dopa and graft-induced dyskinesia in the 6-OHDA-lesioned mouse [Abstract]. Cell Transplantation 21(4), pp. 792-792.