Dr. Bing Li, the Endowed Professor in Cancer Immunology Research in the Department of Pathology, has been appointed Director of the newly formed Iowa Cancer and Obesity Initiative by the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this role, Dr. Li will be responsible for coordinating scientific discovery and collaboration around metabolic disease research focused on obesity as a significant risk factor for many types of cancer prevalent in Iowa. He will also lead an advisory council that will promote institutional and state-wide cancer and obesity research efforts. Such initiatives will include faculty recruitment into this emerging research field.

Dr. Li moved to the Department of Pathology in the Carver College of Medicine in 2021. He oversees a research program exploring the mechanisms by which fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) modulate immune cell metabolism, differentiation and function. In particular, he and his group have revealed a critical role for FABP members in regulating different signaling pathways in macrophages and T cells in the context of obesity-associated disorders including cancer, chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease. His program if currently funded by a Bridge to the Cure Award from the UI Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, two NIH R01 grants and an NIH U01 grant, the latter of which is part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Metabolic Dysregulation and Cancer Risk Program.