A/Professor Liu’s research aims to uncover the causes of, and develop therapeutics for, gastrointestinal and urinary bladder diseases. She has over 20 years of research experience in inflammatory bowel disease, slow transit constipation, diverticular disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. In recent years, her research interests have expanded to include bladder urothelium function, overactive bladder, and urinary tract infections.

Dr. Liu...view more

A/Professor Liu’s research aims to uncover the causes of, and develop therapeutics for, gastrointestinal and urinary bladder diseases. She has over 20 years of research experience in inflammatory bowel disease, slow transit constipation, diverticular disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. In recent years, her research interests have expanded to include bladder urothelium function, overactive bladder, and urinary tract infections.

Dr. Liu completed her PhD in Pharmacology at Monash University in 1998, receiving the prestigious Mollie Holman Medal for Thesis Excellence. From 1998 to 2005, she worked as a post-doctoral research associate and senior NHMRC research officer in the gastrointestinal and bladder research field at UNSW. During this period, she received a Young Investigator Award at an international meeting on gastrointestinal motility and the prestigious ASCEPT Denis Wade Johnson & Johnson New Investigators Award.

In 2006, Dr. Liu took up an academic position as a Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology at UNSW, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2009, and became an Associate Professor in 2015.

As a Chief or Sole Investigator, A/Prof Liu has attracted external research funding, including four NHMRC project grants and support from clinical collaborators and philanthropic sources, totalling approximately $3 million. Her extensive experience in studying physiological functions and diseases of the gastrointestinal and urinary bladder systems has led to national and international collaborations and numerous co-authored publications.

My Grants

Gastrointestinal and Bladder Research Fund (since 2018)
UNSW and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Seed Grant (CIA): “The role of non-neuronal acetylcholine in gastrointestinal inflammation”. 2016
Menarini Pharmaceutical Group (Sole CI) “Insight into gender-related differences in therapeutic outcome of patients with irritable bowel syndrome”. 2014-2015
NHMRC project grant 1048885 (CIA) “Mechanisms of ATP release from gastrointestinal epithelium”. 2013-2016
UNSW Goldstar Award (CIC): “Inflammatory bowel disease and serotonin transport in the GI tract”
NHMRC project grant 568861 (CIB): Hemokinin - a new inflammatory mediator in the intestine. 2009-2012
UNSW Faculty Research Grant Program (CIB): “Understanding human intestinal diseases by correlating markers of serotonin metabolism and release”. 2009
NHMRC project grant 510202 (CIB): “The knotty problem of enterochromaffin cells and gastro-intestinal function: Unravelling cause and effect”. 2008-2010
UNSW Faculty Research Grant Program (Sole CI): “New prospects of mucins: potential role in the pathophysiology of colonic neuromuscular disorder”. 2007
UNSW Faculty Research Grant Program (Sole CI): “Interaction between prostaglandins and enteric nervous system in human colon. 2006
Rebecca Cooper Medical Research Foundation (Sole CI): Vanilloid receptors in the aged human bladder: relevance to excessive signalling of bladder fullness in urge incontinence” 2005.
UNSW Faculty Research Grant Program (Sole CI). Novel tachykinin receptors in Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri. 2004
UNSW Goldstar Award (CIB): “Novel tachykinin receptors in non-mammals. 2004
NHMRC Project grant 222739 (CIB): Mechanisms of action of neurochemicals and modulators in human intestine. 2003-2005
UNSW Research Support Program (Sole CI) “Vanilloid receptors in the human bladder: relevance to urge incontinence”. 2002

My Qualifications

BSc (Pharmacology): Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China

MSc (Pharmacology): Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China

PhD (Pharmacology): Monash University, Australia

My Awards

2023 SBMS Award for Contribution to the Student Experience (to the SBMS Honours and Administrative Office Team)

2016 UNSW Vice Chancellor Teaching Award

2016 Symposium organiser and chair, Joint ASCEPT-MPGPCR conference. Nov, Melbourne

2015 Symposium organiser and chair, Joint APSA-ASCEPT Scientific Meeting. Nov, Hobart

2015 Invited symposium speaker: 7th National Symposium on Advances in Urogenital and Gut Research, Sept, Adelaide

2015 Invited keynote speaker at the International Conference on Gastrointestinal Therapeutics (Gastro-2015), Aug, Valencia, Spain

2012 SoMS Teaching Award for Contribution to the Student Experience

2012 Conference Convener for the Fourth National Symposium on Advances in Urogenital and Gut Research

2011 Invited symposium speaker. Australian Neuroscience Society Annual Conference, Auckland, NZ

2010 The organiser for the Second Enteric Nervous System Workshop

2010 Winner of Young Investigator Award, International Neurogastroenterology and Motility Meeting, Boston, USA

2009 Invited speaker at the Gut Symposium of ASCEPT Conference, Sydney.

2004 Invited speaker at the International Symposium on Peptide Receptors-from Gene to Therapy, Montréal, Canada

2002 Winner of ASCEPT Travel Grant to attend IUPHAR Congress, San Francisco, USA

2002 ASCEPT Denis Wade Johnson & Johnson New Investigator Award

1998 Mollie Holman Doctoral Medal (Monash University) for best PhD thesis

My Research Activities

Current Projects Undertaken in A/Professor Liu's Lab

PROJECT 1: Non-antibiotic Management of Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) cause significant morbidity, affecting 150 million people worldwide annually. The rise of antibiotic-resistant UTIs necessitates non-antibiotic alternatives. Cranberry, D-mannose, and intravesical glycosaminoglycans may reduce UTI symptoms and recurrence, though their mechanisms are unclear. Using MDCK cells and porcine bladder models, we will study the effects of these non-antibiotic agents on E. coli UTI89-induced damage to urothelial integrity and permeability, cytokine production, cell viability, oxidative stress, and the expression of programmed cell death ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2).

PROJECT 2: Mas-related G Protein-coupled Receptors in the Human Colon: In Health and Disease

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate numerous body functions and are targets for about 30% of therapeutic drugs. Recently, a new GPCR family, Mas-related GPCRs (MRGPRs), was discovered, consisting of over 50 members known to mediate pain and inflammation. We recently found that MRGPR subfamilies D, F, and X2 are expressed in the human colon with distinct profiles in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease, and slow transit constipation, suggesting roles in intestinal inflammation and motility. Further research is needed to explore MRGPR expression in neuronal and immune cells, their role in colonic motor functions, and their clinical significance.

PROJECT 3: Profiling Mas-related G Protein-coupled Receptors in the Bladder

There is almost no information on MRGPRs in the urinary tract, and profiling this family in the bladder will address this knowledge gap.

My Research Supervision

Supervision keywords

pharmacology

gastrointestinal diseases

inflammatory bowel diseases

molecular biology

urinary tract infections

overactive bladder

g-protein coupled receptors and ion channels

gene expression

immunohistochemistry

functional assessments

Areas of supervision

For research projects offering supervision, please refer to "My Research Activities" above.

Currently supervising

Irit Markus, Research Assistant
Jenane Konesan, PhD student
Christopher Yuwono, PhD student (co-supervision)
Sarah Chong, PhD student (co-supervision)
Samuel Bang, PhD student (co-supervision)

Lab alumni (as primary supervisor)

Zhinoos Taidi, PhD
Hafiz Sana-Ur-Rehman, PhD
Stelina Drimousis, Hons, PhD
Erica Diezmos, Hons, PhD
Forough (Flair) Bahadory, PhD
Lisa (Liying) Dai, PhD
Xinyi Li, Hons
Sichong Meng, Hons
Travis Pavlovski, Hons
Jenny (Zhiqing) Wang, Hons
Patrick Hawker, Hons
Ken Ee Teoh (Med Hons)
Nathalie Cheng (Med Hons)
Jason Chandra, Hons
Tommy Zhou, Hons
Lilian Zhang, Hons
Purinat Laungtawatkul, Hons
Cassandra Liang, Hons
Kiran Pawar, Hons
Kate Cranswick, Hons
Saira Chahrour, Hons
Swastika Shivangni, Hons
Nabila Hussain, Hons
Huy Le, ILP
Yong Sul Kim, ILP
Joe Li, ILP
Karan Rao, ILP
Olle Johansson, Visiting Scholar
Juan Li, Visiting Scholar
Jian Ji, Visiting Scholar
Jing Du, Visiting Scholar

My Engagement

Society Memberships & Professional Activities:

Member of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT)
Member of the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS)
Member of the International Continence Society (ICS)
Panel member of the ASCEPT Gastrointestinal-urogenital Special Interest Groups

My Teaching

A/Prof Liu has contributed to the development and designing of undergraduate courses, including:

PHAR 2011 Introductory Pharmacology and Toxicology
PHAR 3102 Molecular Pharmacology
PHAR 3111 Clinical Pharmacology for Health and Exercise Science
PHAR 3306 Pharmacology for Optometry
NEUR2201 Neuroscience Fundamentals

Currently, A/Prof Liu convenes PHAR 3102 Molecular Pharmacology and the SBMS Honours Program (SOMS4888/SOMS4884), and teaches medical science and medicine courses: