Dr. Liu's research interests are focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying calcium-dependent cardiac dysfunctions and developing novel mechanism-based therapeutics. Her primary experimental approaches involve live cell imaging using fluorescent confocal microscopy and in vivo cardiac functional studies, including electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings in genetic or diet-based mouse models of cardiac diseases.
Dr. Liu’s lab welcomes students to apply for a) graduate assistantship positions and b) undergraduate research training experiences.
Currently we are still recruiting graduate students for Fall 2023 or Spring 2024. Please contact Dr. Liu directly if you are interested in joining our team.
Research:
The Liu lab conducts multiscale studies ranging from molecules to whole animals in order to understand the impact of genetic defects and diet or nutrition on cardiac physiology. Novel genetic or diet-based mouse models are developed to investigate the mechanisms of heart disease, utilizing methods of cellular physiology, protein biochemistry, and in vivo cardiac functional assays. One of the current projects in the lab is to explore how the calcium-dependent crosstalk between the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and mitochondria impacts disease phenotype in different heart disease settings. Other projects focus on (1) understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic heart diseases, including prediabetes and diabetes; (2) exploring the impact of nutrition and diet on cardiac physiology and pathophysiology; and (3) identifying new epigenetic regulators of cardiac contractile function and/or heart rhythm.
