Yefu Li

In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community?
I have been teaching graduate classes and working with PhD students and Post-doctoral fellows. I really enjoy interacting with students and feel very satisfied in seeing many of them on paths to successful lives.
I am also happy to see that some of these students are interested in our research.

What are you most proud of about your work at HMS/HSDM?
We are the first group to propose a novel mechanism - a molecular chain of events, that is responsible for the development of osteoarthritis. The molecular chain is as follows: excessive mechanical stress > induction of transtorming growth factor beta 1 > induction of a serine protease, high temperature requirement A1 > degradation of the pericellular matrix of chondrocytes by the protease > activation of a cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase, discoidin domain receptor 2, by the interaction of the receptor with native type Il collagen > induction of the matrix metalloproteinase 13, which eventually leads to destruction of joints. Thus, the molecules in this chain of events are ideal therapeutical targets for the development of drugs to treat osteoarthritis. In fact, a number of the big pharmaceutical companies have already started to identify drugs that target those molecules.