U.S. flag An official website of the United States government
  1. Home
  2. About FDA
  3. FDA Organization
  4. Office of the Commissioner
  5. Office of the Chief Scientist
  6. National Center for Toxicological Research
  7. Science & Research (NCTR)
  8. Li-Rong Yu
  1. Science & Research (NCTR)

Li-Rong Yu Ph.D.

Team Leader — Division of Systems Biology

Dr. Li-Rong Yu
Li-Rong Yu, Ph.D.
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov  

Back to NCTR Principal Investigator page


 About  |  Publications


Background

Dr. Li-Rong Yu received his B.S. in biology from Hangzhou Teachers College in 1991 and M.S. in hydrobiology from the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1994. He then received a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2000. His Ph.D. research focused on liver cancer proteomics using 2D-PAGE and mass spectrometry. Dr. Yu completed postdoctoral research training in quantitative proteomics and biological mass spectrometry under Dr. Richard Smith at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2002. From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Yu worked at the Laboratory of Proteomics and Analytical Technologies, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Maryland. He worked as a scientist, senior scientist, and group head with studies focusing on the development of mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic technologies and their application to cancer biology. In 2007, Dr. Yu joined NCTR as a team leader and director for proteomics. His current research has been on the development of proteomic biomarkers and understanding the mechanisms of drug-induced organ toxicity at the proteome level. Dr. Yu has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications or book chapters and has served on editorial boards of professional journals and committees of international working groups.

Research Interests

Dr. Yu’s current research focuses on biomarker development and mechanisms of drug-induced toxicity using cutting-edge proteomics technologies and assays in both nonclinical models and clinical settings. He has developed mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics approaches for better understanding of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and cardiotoxicity in rodent models. His investigation in these areas has resulted in identification of nonclinical proteomic biomarker candidates of DILI or cardiac injury, and discovery of hepatotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction promoted by c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) mediated phosphorylation of mitochondrial proteins. Translation of preclinical/nonclinical biomarkers to clinical use is a critical step in translational biomarker development. Dr. Yu evaluates and uses high throughput multiplex proteomic assays, including SOMAscan and Olink assays, to identify and verify predictive biomarkers of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity in cancer patients. He has also conducted clinical studies and identified mortality-associated serum biomarkers in dialysis-dependent acute kidney injury (AKI-D) patients. While clinical biomarker development relies on quality clinical samples, pre-analytical variables may affect sample quality, thus confounding biomarker discovery and validation. Using SOMAscan assays, multiplex immunoassays, and mass spectrometry, Dr. Yu has identified potential metabolomic and proteomic biomarkers for quality assessment of human plasma samples processed and stored under variable pre-analytical conditions. Dr. Yu is participating in the Metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consortium (mQACC) to provide guidance on best practice and reporting standards of quality control in metabolomics.     


Professional Societies/National and International Groups

Metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consortium (mQACC)
Member
2019-present

Society of Toxicology
Member
2014-present

International Cardioncology Society
Member
2014 – Present 

Journal of Proteomics
Editorial Board Member
2009 – Present

American Society for Mass Spectrometry 
Member
2002 – Present

 

Selected Publications

Identification of Proteomic Biomarkers of Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity Using Stable Isotope Labeling.
Yu L.R., Gao Y., and Beger R.D. 
Methods Mol Biol. 2024, 2823:225-239. 

Phenotypic, Genotypic and Proteomic Variations between Poor and Robust Colonizing Campylobacter jejuni Strains.
Sung K., Gao Y., Yu L.R., Chon J., Hiett K.L., Line J.E., Kweon O., Park M., and Khan S.A. 
Microb Pathog. 2024, 193:106766. 

Current Practices in LC-MS Untargeted Metabolomics: A Scoping Review on the Use of Pooled Quality Control Samples.
Broeckling C.D., Beger R.D., Cheng L.L., Cumeras R., Cuthbertson D.J., Dasari S., Davis W.C., Dunn W.B., Evans A.M., Fernández-Ochoa A., Gika H., Goodacre R., Goodman K.D., Gouveia G.J., Hsu P.C., Kirwan J.A., Kodra D., Kuligowski J., Lan R.S., Monge M.E., Moussa L.W., Nair S.G., Reisdorph N., Sherrod S.D., Ulmer Holland C., Vuckovic D., Yu L.R., Zhang B., Theodoridis G., and Mosley J.D. 
Anal Chem. 2023, 95(51):18645-18654. 

Modeling Clinical Phenotype Variability: Consideration of Genomic Variations, Computational Methods, and Quantitative Proteomics.
Bai J.P.F. and Yu L.R.
J Pharm Sci. 2023, 112(4):904-908. 

Quality Assurance and Quality Control Reporting in Untargeted Metabolic Phenotyping: mQACC Recommendations for Analytical Quality Management.
Kirwan J.A., Gika H., Beger R.D., Bearden D., Dunn W.B., Goodacre R., Theodoridis G., Witting M., Yu L.R., Wilson I.D.; metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consortium (mQACC).
Metabolomics. 2022, 18(9):70.

Discovery of Novel Proteomic Biomarkers for the Prediction of Kidney Recovery from Dialysis-Dependent AKI Patients.
Daniels J.R., Ma J.Z., Cao Z., Beger R.D., Sun J., Schnackenberg L., Pence L., Choudhury D., Palevsky P.M., Portilla D., and Yu L.R.
Kidney360. 2021, 2(11):1716-1727. 

Stability of the Human Plasma Proteome to Pre-analytical Variability as Assessed by an Aptamer-Based Approach.
Daniels J.R., Cao Z., Maisha M., Schnackenberg L.K., Sun J., Pence L., Schmitt T.C., Kamlage B,, Rogstad S., Beger R.D., and Yu L.R.
J Proteome Res. 2019, 18(10):3661-3670.

An Integrated Analysis of Metabolites, Peptides, and Inflammation Biomarkers for Assessment of Preanalytical Variability of Human Plasma.
Cao Z., Kamlage B., Wagner-Golbs A., Maisha M., Sun J., Schnackenberg L.K., Pence L., Schmitt T.C., Daniels J.R., Rogstad S., Beger R.D., and Yu L.R.
J Proteome Res. 2019, 18(6):2411-2421.

Aptamer-Based Proteomics Identifies Mortality-Associated Serum Biomarkers in Dialysis-Dependent AKI Patients.
Yu L.R., Sun J., Daniels J.R., Cao Z., Schnackenberg L., Choudhury D., Palevsky P.M., Ma J.Z., Beger R.D., and Portilla D.
Kidney Int Rep. 2018, 3(5):1202-1213.

Apoptosis of Enterocytes and Nitration of Junctional Complex Proteins Promote Alcohol-Induced Gut Leakiness and Liver Injury.
Cho Y.E., Yu L.R., Abdelmegeed M.A., Yoo S.H., and Song B.J.
J Hepatol. 2018, 69(1):142-153.

Immune Response Proteins as Predictive Biomarkers of Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Breast Cancer Patients.
Yu L.R., Cao Z., Makhoul I., Daniels J.R., Klimberg S., Wei J.Y., Bai J.P., Li J., Lathrop J.T., Beger R.D., and Todorova V.K.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2018, 243(3):248-255.

CHD4 Has Oncogenic Functions in Initiating and Maintaining Epigenetic Suppression of Multiple Tumor Suppressor Genes.
Xia L., Huang W., Bellani M., Seidman M.M., Wu K., Fan D., Nie Y., Cai Y., Zhang Y.W., Yu L.R., Li H., Zahnow C.A., Xie W., Chiu Yen R.W., Rassool F.V., and Baylin S.B.
Cancer Cell. 2017, 31(5):653-668.e7.

Proteomic Analysis of Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Identification of Heme Oxygenase 1 as a Potential Plasma Biomarker of Liver Injury.
Gao Y., Cao Z., Yang X., Abdelmegeed M.A., Sun J., Chen S., Beger R.D., Davis K., Salminen W.F., Song B.J., Mendrick D.L., and Yu L.R.
Proteomics Clin Appl. 2017, 11(1-2):10.1002/prca.201600123.

Early Metabolomics Changes in Heart and Plasma During Chronic Doxorubicin Treatment in B6C3F1 Mice.
Schnackenberg L.K., Pence L., Vijay V., Moland C.L., George N., Cao Z., Yu L.R., Fuscoe J.C., Beger R.D., and Desai V.G.
J Appl Toxicol. 2016, 36(11):1486-95.

Early Transcriptional Changes in Cardiac Mitochondria During Chronic Doxorubicin Exposure and Mitigation by Dexrazoxane in Mice.
Vijay V., Moland C.L., Han T., Fuscoe J.C., Lee T., Herman E.H., Jenkins G.R., Lewis S.M., Cummings C.A., Gao Y., Cao Z., Yu L.R., and Desai V.G.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2016, 295:68-84.

Critical Role of C-Jun N-Terminal Protein Kinase in Promoting Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Acute Liver Injury.
Jang S., Yu L.R., Abdelmegeed M.A., Gao Y., Banerjee A., and Song B.J.
Redox Biol. 2015, 6:552-64.

Integrated MicroRNA, mRNA, and Protein Expression Profiling Reveals MicroRNA Regulatory Networks in Rat Kidney Treated with a Carcinogenic Dose of Aristolochic Acid.
Li Z., Qin T., Wang K., Hackenberg M., Yan J., Gao Y., Yu L.R., Shi L., Su Z., and Chen T.
BMC Genomics. 2015, 16:365.

Proteomics Quality and Standard: from a Regulatory Perspective.
Gu Q. and Yu L.R.
J Proteomics. 2014, 96:353-9.

Phosphopeptide Enrichment Using Offline Titanium Dioxide Columns for Phosphoproteomics.
Yu L.R. and Veenstra T.
Methods Mol Biol. 2013, 1002:93-103.

Functional Robustness of a Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolic Network Examined in a nidA Aromatic Ring-Hydroxylating Oxygenase Mutant of Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1.
Kim S.J., Song J., Kweon O., Holland R.D., Kim D.W., Kim J., Yu L.R., and Cerniglia C.E.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012, 78(10):3715-23.


Contact Information
Li-Rong Yu
(870) 543-7121
Expertise
Expertise
Approach
Domain
Technology & Discipline
Toxicology
Back to Top