WELCOME TO THE
RESEARCH
Dr. Wenyi Li is a Senior Lecturer and NHMRC Investigator (Emerging Leadership Level 1) in the development of antimicrobials to combat nosocomial infections by using his chemical biology expertise and skillset at the Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. By fostering an active collaborative research network, Dr Li has obtained several outstanding successful grants of a total of >$2 million, including 1 NHMRC Investigator EL1 grant, CIA Ramaciotti Health Investment Grant and 1 CIE NHMRC Ideas Grant. In recognition of the young scientist's excellent contribution to peptide sciences, Dr Li recently received the most prestigious Rennie Memorial Medal from the Royal Australia Chemical Institute (RACI, 2024), Young Investigator Award (Pharmaceuticals, 2025) and a Young Peptide Scientist Award from the Chinese Peptide Society (2023). Dr Li has served as an expert reviewer for several funding systems, such as NHMRC and HFSP, and as the associate editor of the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. In addition to his research, Wenyi is currently serving as the President-Elect of the Victorian Branch of RACI.Fostering innovation through cutting-edge research
Current Research
Latest Publication
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“One quote that I find particularly inspiring comes from the renowned physicist Enrico Fermi: 'There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery.' For me, this quote deeply highlights the value of both validation and unexpected findings in research, reminding me that progress is made not only through success but also by the unknown/failure.”
— Dr. Wenyi Li
Contact
Address
La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science
Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry
La Trobe University | Bundoora, Victoria | 3086 | Australia
Email
wenyi.li@latrobe.edu.au
Phone
+61 (03) 9479 6336
Wound healing is a complex biological process that, when disrupted, can result in chronic wounds and substantial healthcare burdens. Materials that enhance wound repair while enabling real-time monitoring represent a significant advancement in wound management. In this study, we report a series of fluorescent quinoline-malononitrile (QM) derivatives with aggregate-induced emission (AIE) properties and evaluate their therapeutic potential in dermal and epidermal cell models. Cytotoxicity assays revealed selective proliferative and anti-proliferative effects across different QM analogues. Notably, QOne (1) and MeQM (4) promoted keratinocyte proliferation, a critical step in re-epithelialisation. In a 3D in vitro wound model, both compounds significantly enhanced wound repair, accelerating the regeneration of the stratified epidermis and dermal matrix compared to untreated controls. Their intrinsic fluorescence also enabled real-time tracking of compound localisation during healing in a 3D in vitro wound model. These findings highlighted AIE-active molecules such as QOne (1) and MeQM (4) as promising dual-function agents for therapeutic intervention and fluorescence-guided wound monitoring.