Dr. Dapeng Li received his bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from Nanjing Agricultural University in 2010, and got his PhD in Microbiology from Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2016. He was then trained at Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine as a postdoctoral associate and a research scientist from 2017 to 2021, under the mentorship of Dr. Barton Haynes. He served as an Instructor in Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine from 2021 to 2022. Dr. Li joined Westlake University in 2022 as an assistant professor and Principal Investigator of the Laboratory of Vaccinology and Immunotherapy.

Dr. Dapeng Li's works have been focused on antibody- and vaccine-related studies for emerging infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2, HIV-1, hepatitis C virus, Ebola virus, etc. His doctoral and postdoctoral studies include:

1) Antibody isolation and vaccine development for SARS-CoV-2 and other Group 2B coronaviruses;

2) Vaccine development and establishment of in vivo evaluation systems for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Ebola virus;

3) Identification of transcriptomic signatures and immune correlates for the induction of HIV broadly neutralizing antibody responses;

4) Immune checkpoint antibodies that regulate NK cell functions for therapeutic use.

Our lab at Westlake University will integrate molecular biology, virology, cellular immunology, structural biology, and systems biology (particularly antibodyome and transcriptome), to develop vaccines and antibodies for emerging viruses and these high-priority viral families, particularly zoonotic viruses that could spill over from animals to humans. Our research interests will mainly focus on:

1) Design, development and evaluation of novel vaccines (nanoparticle vaccines, viral vector vaccines, mRNA vaccines, etc.);

2) Isolation, characterization and structure-based optimization of therapeutic antibodies;

3) Mechanisms of vaccine- and antibody-induced immune protection;

4) Development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies that target host factors or immune checkpoints.

 * Co-first authors, ^#Co-corresponding authors.

1. Dapeng Li, David R Martinez, Alexandra Schäfer, Haiyan Chen, ..., Kevin O Saunders^#, Barton F Haynes^#. Breadth of SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization and Protection Induced by a Nanoparticle Vaccine. Nature Communications. 2022. 13, 6309. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33985-4.

2. Dapeng Li*, Robert J. Edwards*, Kartik Manne*, David R. Martinez*, Alexandra Schäfer*, ..., Barton F. Haynes^#, Kevin O. Saunders^#. In vitro and in vivo functions of SARS-CoV-2 infection-enhancing and neutralizing antibodies. Cell. 2021. 184(16):4203-4219.e32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.021

3. David R. Martinez*^#, Alexandra Schaefer*, Sophie Gobeil*, Dapeng Li*, …, Priyamvada Acharya^#, Barton F. Haynes^#, Ralph S. Baric^#. A broadly cross-reactive and neutralizing antibody protects against Sarbecovirus challenge in mice. Science Translational Medicine. 2022. 14, eabj7125. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.abj7125 

4. Dapeng Li*, Simon Brackenridge*, Lucy C Walters*, …, Geraldine M. Gillespie^#, Andrew J. McMichael^#, Barton F. Haynes^#. Mouse and Human Antibodies that Bind HLA-E-Leader Peptide Complexes and Enhance NK Cell Cytotoxicity. Communications Biology, 2022. 5, 271. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03183-5

5. Dapeng Li, Gregory D. Sempowski, Kevin O. Saunders, Priyamvada Acharya, Barton F. Haynes^#. SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies for COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment. Annual Review of Medicine. 2022. 73:1-16. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-med-042420-113838

6. Dapeng Li*^#, Todd Bradley*, Derek W. Cain*, …, Barton F. Haynes^#. RAB11FIP5-Deficient Mice Exhibit Cytokine-Related Transcriptomic Signatures. ImmunoHorizons. 2020. 4(11):713-728. https://doi.org/10.4049/immunohorizons.2000088

7. Todd Bradley*^#, Dimitra Peppa*, Isabela Pedroza-Pacheco*, Dapeng Li*, …, Persephone Borrow^#, Barton F. Haynes^#. RAB11FIP5 Expression and Altered Natural Killer Cell Function Are Associated with Induction of HIV Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Responses. Cell. 2018. 175(2):387-399.e17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.064

8. Tan Chen*, Dapeng Li*, Yufeng Song*, Xi Yang, Qingwei Liu, Xia Jin, Dongming Zhou^#, Zhong Huang^#. A heterologous prime-boost Ebola virus vaccine regimen induces durable neutralizing antibody response and prevents Ebola virus-like particle entry in mice. Antiviral Research. 2017. 145:54-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.07.009.

9. Dapeng Li, Xuesong Wang, Markus von Schaewen, Wanyin Tao, Yunfang Zhang, Brigitte Heller, Gabriela Hrebikova, Qiang Sun, Qiang Deng, Alexander Ploss^#, Jin Zhong^#, Zhong Huang^#. Immunization with a subunit hepatitis C virus vaccine elicits pan-genotypic neutralizing antibodies and intra-hepatic T-cell responses in non-human primates. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2017. 215(12):1824-1831. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jix180

10. Dapeng Li, Markus von Schaewen, Xuesong Wang, Wanyin Tao, Yunfang Zhang, Li Li, Brigitte Heller, Gabriela Hrebikova, Qiang Deng, Alexander Ploss^#, Jin Zhong^#, Zhong Huang^#. Altered glycosylation patterns increase immunogenicity of a subunit HCV vaccine, inducing neutralizing antibodies which confer protection in mice. Journal of Virology. 2016. 90(23):10486-10498. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01462-16.

11. Dapeng Li*, Tan Chen*, Yang Hu, Qingwei Liu, Dongming Zhou, Xia Jin, Zhong Huang. A novel reporter Ebola virus-like particle enabling in vivo infection and bioluminescent imaging of mice under non BSL-4 conditions. Journal of Virology. 2016. 90(19):8720-8. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01239-16

12. Dapeng Li, Zhong Huang, Jin Zhong. Hepatitis C virus vaccine development: old challenges and new opportunities. National Science Review. 2015. 2:285–295. https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwv040 

For a complete publication list please visit:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CuUNSpcAAAAJ&hl=en

lidapeng@westlake.edu.cn