Assistant Professor
Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine

Massachusetts General Hospital

Harvard Medical School

Email: haobo.li [at] mgh [dot] harvard [dot] edu or drhaoboli [at] gmail [dot] com

Motivated scientists wanted at all levels - Please send your CV

[Harvard Page] [Li Lab] [Google Scholar]

1. Molecular mechanisms of cardiac response to exercise;

2. Noncoding RNAs and RNA modifications in the heart and brain;

3. Organ crosstalk in aging and diabetes;

4. Epitranscriptional regulation in heart failure and Alzheimer's disease.

• Postdoc, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mentor: Anthony ROSENZWEIG
• PhD, The University of Hong Kong, Mentors: Zhengyuan XIA and Michael IRWIN
• Master, South China Agricultural University, Mentor: Xiaobo WEN
• Bachelor, South China Agricultural University, Mentor: Jingyun MA

Selected publications (First/co-first:15, Corresponding:17, Total:79, Google Scholar H-Index:40):

• Wang C, Shen S, Kang J, Sugai-Munson A, Xiao X, Zhang Y, Zhu J, Liu Z, McKay T, Akeju O, Jonas E, Ambardekar A, Bristow M, Yao W, Li H*. METTL3 is essential for exercise benefits in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Circulation 2025;152(5):327-45.(*Corresponding author)
• Hsieh P, Shen S, Chukwurah M, Churchill T, Stewart K, Chung E, Weiner R, Li H*, Guseh J*. The athlete's heart revisited: Historical, structural, and molecular perspectives on exercise-induced cardiac remodeling. Cir Res 2025;137(2)231-54.(*Co-corresponding author)
• Shen S, Sugai-Munson A, Xiao X, Zhang Y, Kang J, Khetarpal S, Jonas E, Ambardekar A, Bristow M, Li H*. Exercise mitigates diabetic cardiomyopathy by suppressing ferroptosis via N-acetyltransferase 10. Cir Res 2025;137(2)354-6.(*Corresponding author)
• Kang J, Rhee J, Wang C, Yang Y, Li G, Li H*. Unlocking the dark matter: noncoding RNAs and RNA modifications in cardiac aging. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2024;326(3):H832-44.(*Corresponding author)
• Li H, Trager LE, Liu X, Hastings MH, Xiao C, Guerra J, To S, Li G, Yeri A, Rodosthenous R, Silverman MG, Das S, Ambardekar AV, Bristow MR, Gonzalez-Rosa JM, Rosenzweig A. lncExACT1 and DCHS2 regulate physiological and pathological cardiac growth. Circulation 2022,145:1218-33. (Published with an editorial)
• Li H, Hastings M, Rhee J, Trager L, Roh J, Rosenzweig A. Targeting age-related pathways in heart failure. Circ Res 2020,126:533-51.
• Li H, Yao W, Liu Z, Xu A, Huang Y, Ma XL, Irwin MG, Xia Z. Hyperglycemia abrogates ischemic postconditioning cardioprotection by impairing AdipoR1/Caveolin-3/STAT3 signaling in Diabetic Rats. Diabetes 2016, 65(4):942-55. (Published with an commontary)
• Li H, Yao W, Irwin MG, Wang T, Wang S, Zhang L, Xia Z. Adiponectin ameliorates hyperglycemia-induced cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction by concomitantly activating Nrf2 and Brg1. Free Radic Biol Med 2015, 84:311-21.
• Li H, Liu Z, Wang J, Wong GT, Cheung CW, Zhang L, Chen C, Xia Z, Irwin MG. Susceptibility to myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury at early stage of type 1 diabetes in rats. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2013, 12,133. (Highly accessed)
• Lei S, Li H, Xu J, Liu Y, Gao X, Wang J, Ng KF, Lau WB, Ma XL, Rodrigues B, Irwin MG, Xia Z. Hyperglycemia-induced protein kinase C beta2 activation induces diastolic cardiac dysfunction in diabetic rats by impairing caveolin-3 expression and Akt/eNOS signaling. Diabetes 2013, 62, 2318-28.
• Xu J, Li H, Irwin MG, Xia ZY, Mao X, Lei S, Wong GT, Huang V, Cheung CW, Fang X, Clanachan AS, Xia Z. Propofol ameliorates hyperglycemia-induced cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction via Heme Oxygenase-1/STAT3 signaling pathway in rats. Crit Care Med 2014, 42(8):e583-94. (Published with an editorial)
• Wu Q, Wang T, Chen S, Zhou Q, Li H, Hu N, Feng Y, Dong N, Yao S, Xia Z. Cardiac protective effects of remote ischaemic preconditioning in children undergoing tetralogy of fallot repair surgery: a randomized controlled trial. Eur Heart J 2018, 39(12):1028-37. (Recommended by F1000Prime)
• Xia Z, Li H, Irwin MG. Myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury: the challenge of translating ischaemic and anaesthetic protection from animal models to humans. Br J Anaesth 2016, 117(Suppl. 2):44-62. (Review)

• The Role of SALTe1 in Vascular Aging and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction. NIH/NHLBI R01 (PI) (Ongoing)
• METTL3 in Cardiac Benefits of Exercise in Diabetes. NIH/NHLBI R01 (PI) (Ongoing)
• NAT10 in Cardiac Response to Exercise in Diabetes. American Heart Association (AHA) SCEFIA (PI) (Ongoing)
• A Long noncoding RNA SALTe Links Heart Failure to Alzheimer's Disease. NIH/NIA R21 (PI) (Completed)
• Long noncoding RNA lncExACT1 in cardiac response to exercise. American Heart Association (AHA) CDA (PI) (Completed)
• Role and mechanism of Brg1/RIP3-medaited necroptosis in protein kinase Cβ2 over-activation induced cardiac dysfunction in diabetes. (PI) (Completed)
• Brg1/lncCBRF through reducing necroptosis restores sevoflurane postconditioning cardioprotection in diabetes. (PI) (Completed)
• PKCɛ/Caveolin-3 impact on diabetic heart responsiveness to ischemic postconditioning via regulating autophagy and necroptosis. (Co-PI) (Completed)
• Brg1 by down-regulating lncCNIF-mediated necroptosis restores sevoflurane postconditioning cardioprotection in diabetes. (Co-PI) (Completed)

Selected awards:

• Elected Fellow, American Heart Assocation (AHA)
• Second Century Early Faculty Independence Award (SCEFIA), American Heart Assocation (AHA)
• Outstanding Early Career Award (Winner), BCVS, American Heart Assocation (AHA)
• BCVS Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Science Research Prize Finalist, American Heart Association (AHA)
• Career Development Award, American Heart Association (AHA)
• BCVS Melvin L. Marcus Early Career Investigator Award Finalist, American Heart Association (AHA)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Strategically Focused Research Networks, American Heart Association (AHA)
• Faculty Research Output Award, The University of Hong Kong
• Global Young Scientists Summit, Fellow, National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore
• Graduate Student Scientist Award (Third place), American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)
• YS and Christabel Lung Postgraduate Scholarship, YS and Christabel Lung Fund
• Graduate Student Travel Award, ASPET
• American Heart Association (AHA) International Travel Award, AHA Scientific Secession 2014
• Dr. Lo Kwee Seong Education Foundation Travel Grant, The University of Hong Kong (HKU)
• Resident Abstract Awards Finalist, International Anesthesia Research Society Annual Meeting

• Journal reviewer: JACC; Ciruclation; Eur Heart J; Ann Intern Med; Autophagy; Cell Death Dis; Sci Adv; Br J Pharmacol; JMCC; Clin Sci; Sci Rep, etc.
• Abstract reviewer: American Heart Association Scientific Session 2016; IARS Annual Meeting 2020 - present
• Editorial Board: British Journal of Pharmacology.
• Guest Editor: Oxid Med Cell Longev (Leading guest editor), Int J Mol Sci (Guest editor).
• Handling Editor: Front Cardiovasc Med, Front Mol Biosci.
• Grant Reviewer: Swiss National Science Foundation; National Institutes of Health; Department of Defense; American Heart Association; UK Research and Innovation; Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award
• Reviewer: AHA Student Scholarships in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.
• Meeting (co)chair: IARS 2025; ASPET 2023 and 2025; 13th Global Diabetes Conference and Medicare Expo 2016, Birmingham, UK; 21th Research Postgraduate Symposium, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 2016, Hong Kong SAR China, Poster adjudicator.

• American Heart Association (AHA)
• International Society of Heart Research (ISHR)
• The Academy of Cardiolovascular Research Excellence (ACRE)
• American Diabetes Association (ADA)
• American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)
• American Physiological Society (APS)
• International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS)
• Chinese American Diabetes Associationy (CADA)