About

Dr. Zhipeng Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. His work focuses on lipid metabolism and cell death, specifically investigating how cancer cells rewire their metabolic networks to cope with stress conditions and evade cell death. Recently, his research has centered on ferroptosis, a regulated, iron-dependent form of cell death caused by the excessive accumulation of lipid damage on membranes. His lab continues to explore the mechanisms underlying ferroptosis vulnerability in cancer cells and how selenium can protect cells from oxidative stress. Dr. Li has a background that includes a Ph.D. from Mayo Clinic in 2017 and a B.S. from China Agricultural University in 2007. He is actively involved in teaching courses related to molecular and cell biology and has secured funding for his research from various agencies, including the National Institute of Health and the American Cancer Society.

Research topics

• Nuclear physics
• Oncology
• Physics
• Medicine
• Medical physics
• Statistics
• Internal medicine
• Mathematics

Selected publications

• RBE-Guided Treatment Planning, LET Optimization, and Implications of Proton Arc Therapy for the Sparing of Nervous Tissue in Head and Neck Proton Therapy

  Cancers · 2025-11-21 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background/Objectives: Traditionally, proton therapy assumes a fixed relative biological effectiveness (RBE) value of 1.1, which can lead to inaccurate dose calculations in treatment planning. This study examines the effect of dynamic arc delivery and pencil beam scanning (PBS) linear energy transfer (LET) optimization on LET-dependent RBE dose escalation to nervous tissue structures in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients undergoing proton beam therapy, utilizing two RBE dose models. Methods: Fifteen head and neck cancer patients previously treated with PBS proton therapy at high risk of nervous tissue toxicity were retrospectively analyzed. Three plans were developed for each patient: PBS, dynamic arc, and PBS with LET optimization. RBE-weighted dose distributions were calculated and compared for all patient plans using a linear LET-weighted model and a tissue-specific α/β-dependent model. LET-dose (LETd) constraints were systematically tested to determine optimal values for plan quality and efficacy in altering LET spatial distribution in regions of concern. LET-dependent RBE enhancement was calculated for the three different planning methods. Results: Dynamic arc plans increased RBE enhancement when compared to PBS, while LET optimization for PBS consistently reduced RBE-enhanced dose to nervous tissue compared to non-optimized plans for both RBE models. Patient-specific variability in optimization benefit was observed, with the most significant improvements in cases with greater initial RBE enhancement. A maximum LETd constraint of 2.5 µm/keV above 80% of the maximum structure dose threshold was found to balance plan quality and RBE mitigation. Conclusions: Dynamic arc delivery increased RBE enhancement relative to static PBS. LET optimization successfully modified LETd spatial distributions to minimize RBE enhancement to nervous tissue structures when compared to non-LET optimized PBS and dynamic arc plans. Patient-specific risk stratification should be used when clinically deploying LET optimization.

  PublisherDOI

• Author response: comparative efficacy of HSCT strategies in pediatric aplastic anemia

  Bone Marrow Transplantation · 2025-11-10

  letter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Severe combined immunodeficiency with BCG-osis by salvage therapy with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: cases report and literature review

  BMC Pediatrics · 2025-10-06

  articleOpen access

  Severe combined immunodeficiency(SCID) combined with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin(BCG) disease(BCG-osis) is a rare but life-threatening complication in pediatric patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Early recognition and intervention are essential to prevent severe complications. We have described two pediatric cases of SCID combined with BCG-osis in which the patients received salvage therapy with allo-HSCT. Data were collected from two male infants who underwent allo-HSCT for SCID with BCG-osis at Wuhan Children’s Hospital between January 2017 and December 2022. The data of the two patients were retrospectively collected and analyzed to summarize their clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis. Patient 1 presented with SCID combined with disseminated BCG-osis and underwent HSCT after only 30 days of anti-tuberculosis therapy. The tuberculosis infection recurred at 83 days after transplantation, and the patient eventually died of multi-organ failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Patient 2 presented with SCID combined with disseminated BCG-osis after HSCT. The patient responded well to antituberculosis drugs and successfully completed a year and a half of anti-tuberculosis treatment. On day 591 post-transplant, the anti-tuberculosis regimen was discontinued in this patient. Patients with SCID have severe defects in cellular and humoral immunity. Genetic screening at birth would help identify such patients, and the BCG vaccination should be delayed in such cases. The sole curative option for SCID is HSCT, which can achieve immune reconstitution when performed early on and can improve the survival rate.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• [Clinical Analysis of Reversible Posterior Encephalopathy Syndrome after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children].

  PubMed · 2024-10-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical features of reversible posterior encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in children. METHODS: The clinical data of six children who developed PRES after undergoing allo-HSCT in the Department of Hematology of Wuhan Children's Hospital from June 2016 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and their clinical characteristics, imaging examination, laboratory examination, and treatment regression were summarized. RESULTS: Among 281 children underwent allo-HSCT, 6 cases (2.14%) developed PRES, with a median age of 5.1(1.5-9.7) years old. 4 cases underwent related haploidentical donor transplantation, and 2 cases underwent sibling allografting and unrelated donor allografting donor transplantation, respectively. All six children had an acute onset of illness, with clinical manifestations of nausea and vomiting, seizures, psychiatric disorders, visual disturbances. The five cases elevated blood pressure. All children with PRES were treated with oral immunosuppressive drugs during seizures, and 3 cases were combined with different degrees of graft-versus-host disease. Most of the children showed effective improvement in clinical symptoms and imaging after adjusting/discontinuing suspected medications (cyclosporine, etc.) and symptomatic supportive treatments (oral antihypertensive, diazepam for antispasmodic, mannitol to lower cranial blood pressure), and one of them relapsed more than 8 months after the first seizure. CONCLUSION: PRES is rare after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children, and its onset may be related to hypertension, cytotoxic drugs, graft-versus-host disease, etc. Most of them can be recovered after active treatment, but not completely reversible, and the prognosis of those who combined with TMA is poor.

  PublisherDOI

• ANISOTROPIC GAMMA ANALYSIS：A NEW ANALYSIS METHOD FOR PATIENT-SPECIFIC MEASUREMENTS USING A 2D DETECTION ARRAY

  International Journal of Particle Therapy · 2024-06-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Software from publicly funded research should be free and open source for research

  Medical Physics · 2024-05-04

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Dr. Li has no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose. Data sharing not applicable—no new data generated, or the article describes entirely theoretical research.

  PublisherDOI

• The Effect of ABO Blood Group Incompatibility on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children with Aplastic Anemia

  2024-03-08

  preprint1st authorCorresponding

  The influence of ABO incompatibility on transplant results in juvenile aplastic anemia (SAA) children receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is debated, and no published data are available. This study involved 85 children with AA who received hematopoietic stem cell transplants from donors who were ABO-compatible (n = 38), major ABO-incompatible (n = 17), minor ABO-incompatible (n = 21), and bi-directionally incompatible (n = 9). Except for a statistical difference in acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), the four groups did not have significantly different chronic GVHD, overall survival, and neutrophil and platelet implantation rates, and no pure red cell aplasia or passenger lymphocyte syndrome. Therefore, we inferred that ABO blood group-incompatible donors do not significantly affect HSCT outcomes and are not a barrier.

  PublisherDOI

• Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as first-line therapy for aplastic anemia in children: A single-center experience

  Research Square · 2024-01-23

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Challenges and benefits of implementing DIBH for breast cancer radiotherapy: Experiences from Guangzhou Concord Cancer Center

  Visualized Cancer Medicine · 2023-01-01 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Radiation therapy is used for breast cancer treatments to improve local control and overall survival but may also lead to unwanted complications such as cardiac toxicity and pneumonitis. Deep inspirational breath hold (DIBH) has been used to reduce doses to the heart and other organs near the treatment target to lower the risk of radiation-induced complications. In this study, we present our experience on the clinical implementation and application of DIBH for breast cancer patients, its dosimetric benefits in heart and other organ sparing based on comparisons with free breathing plans, effects on the treatment efficiency as represented by treatment imaging, and beam delivery times, as well as challenges during implementation and clinical application at our center.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dasatinib‐induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia with Philadelphia chromosome: A report of two cases

  Pediatric Blood & Cancer · 2023-05-17 · 2 citations

  letterSenior author

  Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Nancy P. Mendenhall

  177 shared

• Bradford S. Hoppe

  Mayo Clinic in Florida

  123 shared

• Christopher G. Morris

  Charles Sturt University

  118 shared

• R.C. Nichols

  University of Florida Health

  101 shared

• William M. Mendenhall

  88 shared

• Randal H. Henderson

  Henry Ford Health System

  88 shared

• Stella Flampouri

  Emory University

  59 shared

• Christopher R. Williams

  57 shared

Awards & honors

• American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (2022-2…