Li Lab

We aim to learn more about our genome in sequence, conformation, and function.

98% of the mammalian genome are non-coding regions, which harbor numerous cis-regulatory elements and facility the spatial organization of the genome. The dynamic of genome organization contributes to spatiotemporal gene activities that direct specialized cell types in multi-cellular organisms.

Our lab utilizes single-cell multi-omics and functional genomics to examine:

• Epigenetic modification mechanisms
• 3D genome organization
• Non-coding regulatory elements

Background

Emerging as a transformative frontier in life sciences, spatial omics resolves a critical limitation of conventional bulk and single-cell omics approaches - the loss of spatial context. While genomics and transcriptomics revolutionized molecular profiling, they traditionally required tissue dissociation, discarding the native architectural information essential for understanding cellular ecosystems in health and disease.

Significance

• Mapping molecular gradients across tissue microenvironments
• Deconvoluting cell-cell communication networks
• Identifying spatially restricted disease biomarkers
• Reconstructing developmental trajectories in native morphology

This paradigm shift bridges the gap between molecular biology and histopathology, particularly crucial for studying organogenesis, tumor microenvironment heterogeneity, and neurological circuit mapping.