Investigators

Research profiles

1. The growth and behavior of odontogenic lesions of the jaws, which mainly involves surgical pathology of odontogenic cysts and tumors, molecular pathogenesis of odontogenic lesions and mechanisms of bone resorption caused by aggressive odontogenic lesions.

2. Inter-/ intra-tumor heterogeneity by sequencing both the whole genome and transcriptome of microscale tissue regions in a number of oral malignancies using histology guided micro-dissection technique. 

Academic publications

1.  Li TJ. Odontogenic keratocyst: A cyst, or a cystic neoplasm? J Dent Res, 2011; 90: 133-142.

2. Gu XM, Zhao HS, Sun LS, Li TJ*: PTCH mutations in odontogenic keratocysts from Chinese patients. J Dent Res 2006; 85: 859-863.

3.  Sun LS, Li XF, Li TJ*. PTCH1 and SMO alterations in keratocystic odontogenic tumors. J Dent Res, 2008; 87: 575-579.

4. Pan S, Li TJ*. PTCH1 mutations in odontogenic keratocysts: Are they related to epithelial cell proliferation? Oral Oncol 2009; 45: 861-865.

5. Pan S, Dong Q, Sun LS, Li TJ*. Mechanisms of inactivation of PTCH1 gene in keratocystic odontogenic tumors: modification of the two-hit hypothesis. Clin Cancer Res 2010; 16: 442-450.

6. Zhou CX, Chen XM, Li TJ*. Central mucoepidermoid carcinoma: A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of 39 Chinese patients. Am J Surg Pathol, 2012; 36: 18-26.

7. Shi RR, Li XF, Zhang R, Chen Y*, Li TJ*. GNAS Mutational Analysis in Differentiating Fibrous Dysplasia and Ossifying Fibroma of The Jaws. Mod Pathol, 2013; 26 (8): 1023-31.

8.  Hong YY, Yu FY, Qu JF, Chen F*, Li TJ*. Fibroblasts regulate variable aggressiveness of syndromic keratocystic and non-syndromic odontogenic tumors. J Dent Res, 2014; 93 (9): 904-10.

9.  Qu JF, Hong YY, Guo YY, Zhang JY, Sun LS, Li XF, Chen F*, Li TJ*. Underestimated PTCH1 mutation rate in sporadic keratocystic odontogenic tumors. Oral Oncol, 2015; 51 (1): 40-45.

10. Hong YY, Zhang Lei, Zhang JY, Zhang HY, Li XF, Qu JF, Zhai JM, Chen F*, Li TJ*. Heterozygous PTCH1 Mutations Impact the Bone Metabolism of Patients with Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome Likely by Regulating SPARC Expression. J Bone Miner Res. 2016; 31 (7): 1413-28.

11. Zhai JM, Zhang HY, Zhang JY, Zhang R, Hong YY, Qu JF, Chen F*, Li TJ*. Effect of the sonic hedgehog inhibitor GDC-0449 on an in vitro isogenic cellular model simulating odontogenic keratocysts. Int J Oral Sci, 2019; 11 (1): 4.

* corresponding author 

Honours and Awards

1. The Overseas Research Student Awards (1992-1995) by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principles, UK

2. Gatsby Foundation Award (1993) by the British Royal Microscopical Society, UK

3. Grant-in-aid Research Award (1996) by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Japan

4. The second prize of the National Science and Technology Achievement Award（2005）nominated by the Chinese Ministry of Education, China

5. National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in 2006 by the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation, China