The Liu lab consists of a group of young scientists with passion for biomedical research. The goal of Liu lab is to better understand deregulated signaling events in cancer to search for new drug targets and develop new treatment modalities. One focus of the Liu lab is on the ubiquitin/kinase signaling to define cancer type specific drivers. The other focus is to understand roles of the innate immune cGAS/STING signaling in cancer and other human diseases. We do both basic and preclinical science to develop new knowledge and help patients. We collaborate with the great UNC community and beyond to actively find cures for cancer and related human disorders.
Congratulations to the Liu lab who recently had two papers published and a new grant!
- Engineered Cas9 variants bypass Keap1-mediated degradation in human cells and enhance epigenome editing efficiency. Chen J, Su S, Pickar-Oliver A, Chiarella AM, Hahn Q, Goldfarb D, Cloer EW, Small GW, Sivashankar S, Ramsden DA, Major MB, Hathaway NA, Gersbach CA, Liu P. Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Sep 4:gkae761. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkae761. Online ahead of print. PMID: 39228373 – This study is of interest to anyone who has been and is going to use CRISPR-mediated gene editing and epigenome editing. This is a collaboration among UNC/Duke labs.
- Co-targeting JAK1/STAT6/GAS6/TAM signaling improves chemotherapy efficacy in Ewing sarcoma. Yu L, Deng Y, Wang X, Santos C, Davis IJ, Earp HS, Liu P. Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 21;15(1):5292. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49667-2. PMID: 38906855 Free PMC article. Another study came to a similar conclusion: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/16/16/2831
- Grant news: Liu lab received a foundation grant from the Mary Kay Ash foundation for the project entitled “Statins suppress breast cancer metastasis by controlling canonical and non-canonical 2’3’-cGAMP signaling.” Grant amount: $100,000. Grant period: July 1st, 2024-June 30, 2026.