Prof. Li Min is an esteemed expert in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases by using Chinese medicine, a research scientist in the field of Autophagy, Chinese medicinal pharmacology in treating and prevention of Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Currently, Prof. Li holds these positions in the School of Chinese Medicine (SCM) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU): Executive Associate Dean of SCM; Programme Director of Bachelor of Chinese Medicine (BCM) & Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Biomedical Science (BSc.BioMed); Director of Master of Chinese Medicine programme (MCM); Director of Mr. and Mrs. Ko Chi Ming Centre for Parkinson's Disease Research (CPDR) and Director of Golden Meditech Centre for NeuroRegeneration Sciences (GCNS).

Prof. Li obtained her Bachelor's degree in Chinese Medicine from Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China, in 1985, she also obtained Master degree in Chinese Medicine at the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China, in 1988 and obtained her PhD degree in Cardiology at the School of Medicine, Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan, in 2001. Prof. Li joined the SCM, HKBU in 2001 as Assistant Professor and was promoted to Full Professor in 2014.

Prof. Li’s research focuses on the relationship between impairment of autophagy and neurodegenerative diseases, including PD, AD and ALS and the discovery of new drug from Chinese medicine. Prof. Li's clinical specialty is in Chinese medicine treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including PD, AD, ALS and vascular dementia (VD), along with Cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. For more information please refer to her lab: https://cpdr.hkbu.edu.hk

Based on near 40 years of clinical experience, Prof. Li believes that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments can help detoxify harmful proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases by enhancing the clearance mechanisms of neuronal and glial cells, primarily through autophagy. Her research has identified natural compounds in commonly prescribed herbal medicines that can induce autophagy and promote the clearance of toxic proteins. For instance, Corynoxine B (Cory B) and Corynoxine (Cory), two active compounds from the Chinese medicine Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Jacks. (Gouteng), have shown promise in animal models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases by inducing autophagy and disrupting the SNCA-HMGB1 interaction (Lu JH, et al. Autophagy 2012; Song JX, et al. Autophagy 2014; Chen LL, et al. Autophagy 2017; Zhu Q, et al. APSB, 2023). Additionally, Prof. Li's group engineered hippocampal neuron cell-derived exosomes to overexpress Fe65, creating a targeted drug delivery system that carried Cory B to APP overexpressing neuron cells in AD mice, highlighting the potential of Fe65-EXO-Cory B as an effective therapy for AD (Iyaswamy A, et al. STTT 2023).

Under Prof. Li’s leadership, her team has made significant strides in discovering and developing autophagy inducers for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Her group identified a novel TFEB activator, C1, a curcumin analog from Curcuma longa L. (Jianghuang), which binds to and activates TFEB. Knockdown of TFEB and inhibition of lysosomal activity significantly inhibited the effects of C1 on APP and Tau degradation in vitro. C1 efficiently activated TFEB, enhanced autophagy and lysosomal activity, and reduced APP, APP C-terminal fragments (CTF-β/α), β-amyloid peptides, and Tau aggregates in AD models, accompanied by improved synaptic and cognitive functions (Song JX, et al. Autophagy 2016; Song JX, et al. Aging Cell 2020). Her group’s findings indicated that the curcumin analog C1 is a potent TFEB activator with promise for the prevention or treatment of AD, leading to several US and CN patents (US Patent No. US 9,351,946 B2. 31 May 2016; CN Patent Publication No. CN106102728 A. 9 November 2016; US Patent No. US9540299 B2, 10 January 2017; US Patent No. US 10987319B2. 27 April 2021).

As of November 2024, Prof. Li has been granted over 13 patents and has presented and published over 400 papers in journals, books, and international conferences. In recognition of her outstanding performance in teaching, research, and clinical services, Prof. Li received the Award of the Distinguished Female Chinese Medicine Practitioner by the China Association of Chinese Medicine in 2007, the School's Award for Outstanding Performance in Scholarly Work from HKBU in 2012, the President's Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching from HKBU in 2013 and 2018, and the President's Award for Outstanding Performance in Research Supervision from HKBU in 2024.

Prof. Li's long-term research interests include:

• The relationship between autophagy regulation and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's Disease (PD), Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
• The use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
• The development of molecular targets for new drug discovery from TCM for neurodegenerative diseases.

Prof. Li's current research directions focus on:

• Autophagy regulation in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
• Understanding the neuroprotective effects and underlying mechanisms of TCM on neurodegenerative diseases, including AD, PD, and ALS.
• Investigating the efficacy and safety of TCM in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as AD and PD, through randomized controlled clinical trials, as well as exploring the interaction between TCM and Western medicine.