2005 Early Career Investigator Grant Recipient — Andrew Li, MD

Project Summary

Sometimes findings from one area in biomedical research can have applications in unrelated fields. Dr. Li is studying the possibility that two non-cancer medications might benefit women with ovarian cancer. One of the medications he is studying targets the androgen receptor, a protein on the surface of the cell that binds male hormones and determines male sexual characteristics. The androgen receptor is closely related to the receptor for the female hormone progesterone, which may have some role in ovarian cancer. He also is working on how statin medications, used to lower cholesterol, influence ovarian cancer cells. He has shown that statins synergize with chemotherapy drugs in killing cancer cells by influencing the creation of cholesterol in the cells.

Bio

Andrew John Li, MD is a staff physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC) with offices in the Samuel Oschin Cancer Center. Dr. Li is also a physician in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at CSMC. Dr. Li’s expertise is in gynecologic cancers, performing both minimally invasive and robotic surgeries. He has a special interest in hormonal alterations that may lead to ovarian carcinoma.

Dr. Li is an Assistant Professor In-residence in the department of obstetrics/gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and is board certified in Gynecologic Oncology. In addition to English, Dr. Li speaks both Spanish and Chinese.

Dr. Li has an extensive research background in genetic testing and interventional strategies for detecting and fighting malignancies that affect the female reproductive tract. He has received many awards for his outstanding clinical and laboratory research, including the Scholar-in-Training Award and the Outstanding Clinical Scholars Award from the American Association of Cancer Research. Dr. Li has published numerous research articles and book chapters on treatment issues surrounding women’s health, including breast cancer prevention and genetic abnormalities in ovarian cancer. He has also been invited to numerous lectureships to speak on current issues in gynecologic oncology.

Dr. Li underwent training at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and completed a fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and CSMC. A native Texan, Dr. Li completed his residency and earned his medical degree at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas.