Karenliu:Lab Members

The Liu Lab

Department of Craniofacial Biology

Kings College London

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Principal Investigator

Dr. Karen J. Liu

2007-present King's College London, Department of Craniofacial Development: Lecturer
2003-2006 Stanford University Medical School: Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Mike Longaker and Dr. Jerry Crabtree
1997-2003 University of California, Berkeley: PhD with Dr. Richard Harland
1995-1997 Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons: Technician with Dr. Argiris Efstratiadis
1992-1995 Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Architects (formerly I.M.Pei & Partners)
1988-1992 Columbia College, Columbia University: BA, English/Architecture

Link to Nature "Authors" profile

Post-docs

Dr. Sandra Gonzalez Malagon

Funding: BBSRC
Project: Small molecule control of Wnt signal transduction
Summary: In this project, we have two broad goals: First, we are creating new alleles of β-catenin, using an approach called inducible stabilization. Second, we are exploiting reversible chemical control to study the genetic requirements of GSK-3 and β-catenin during neural crest migration. We hope that this project will provide a suite of broadly applicable tools for the study of Wnt signaling, as well as valuable insight into the mechanisms underlying neural crest migration.

Students

Basil Yannakoudakis PhD Student Project: Genetic Requirements in Craniofacial Skeletogenesis

Aida Mesbahi MSc Student Project: Requirements for FUZ in palate development

Wills Barrell BDS Student Project: Ossification of the Skull Vault

Yvonne Yeung BDS Student Project: Development of the palatine bone

Zenab Sher BMS Student Project: Syndromic tracheal defects

Former Post-docs

Dr. Heather Szabo-Rogers Now an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh

Funding: Wellcome Trust
Project: Signal transduction by GSK-3beta in craniofacial development
Summary: Congenital malformations of the craniofacial skeleton are among the most frequent developmental anomalies affecting live births. Common defects can include cleft palate and premature or delayed fusion of cranial sutures (craniosynostosis and cleidocranial dysplasia, respectively). GSK-3β, a kinase implicated in a number of important signaling pathways, is required for proper development of the craniofacial skeleton, including the palate and skull vault. We will use genetic analysis and novel protein regulation techniques to study the roles of GSK-3β in skull formation. Understanding this requirement will shed light on signalling events involved in craniofacial development and thus illuminate the mechanistic causes of these birth defects.

Dr. Lucy Smithers

Funding: BBSRC-Selective Chemical Intervention in Biological Systems
Project: Using chemical tools to study Wnt signalling in neural development
Summary: We are adapting a novel drug-dependent conditional system to the study of Wnt signalling. This project has two goals, first, to provide additional chemical tools for the study of Wnts and second, to use these tools to define the subcellular and temporal requirements of Wnts during patterning of the neurectoderm. We are developing tools in which activation of target proteins will be regulated temporally and spatially using small molecules specifically designed to have minimal off-target effects.

Former Students

Triona Bolger PhD Student Project: Roles of GSK-3 in neural crest migration and specification

Warda Yakob MSc Student Project: Requirements for GSK-3 in palate development

Chisom Emecheta BSc Student Project: Requirements for GSK-3 in palate development

Siobhan McMahon Summer Student Project: Requirement of Wisp1 in embryonic development

Sara Misra BSc Student Project: Osteoclastic bone resorption is a feature of skull development

Related Projects

Postdocs or students interested in working in the lab are welcome to discuss potential projects and fellowship applications. Informal inquiries may be made at any time to Dr. Karen Liu.