Pioneering heart stem cell expert Li Renke dies at 65 during a Chinese conference
Por Shi Huang — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Science China Science Pioneering heart stem cell expert Li Renke dies at 65 during a Chinese conference
A memorial service will be held for the Chinese cardiovascular scientist who used engineering principles to treat heart conditions
2 -MIN READ 2 -MIN Listen
Shi Huang Published: 3:27pm, 16 Oct 2026 Li Renke, a visionary cardiovascular scientist who applied engineering principles to the human heart and developed conductive biomaterials to repair tissue damaged by heart attacks, died while attending an academic conference in the Chinese city of Xian earlier this month. He was 65.
His death on October 10 was announced by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), where he was presidential chair professor and associate dean of research and translation at the school of medicine, which he joined in March last year.
The university did not specify the cause of death.
Li was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, in 1961. He completed his medical and scientific education at Harbin Medical University, Shanxi Medical University and the University of Toronto in Canada.
Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
