Shun-Qing (Simon) Liang, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Former RTI Lab: Postdoctoral Associate, Xue Lab
Training Period: 2018–2024
Prior Academic Degree Institution: University of Bern
@ShunqingLiang
My scientific career is focused on understanding mechanisms of genetic disease using mouse models. As a graduate student at University of Bern (Switzerland), I investigated drug resistance mechanisms in lung cancer with FGFR1 amplification and KRAS mutation using CRISPR-based knockout screens. During my postdoc training at UMASS medical school, I developed PE-tag technology and GUIDE-tag technology for identification of toxicity and specificity of CRISPR-based genomic medicine. In addition, I developed an adeno-associated virus and lipid nanoparticle-mediated in vivo delivery system for CRISPR. This provides a rapid and facile platform for functionally characterizing the cancer genome and repairing disease-causing gene mutations in vivo.
As an assistant Professor in the department of medicine at the University of Minnesota twin cities, I aim to harness the capabilities of CRISPR to develop precise and targeted genome-editing strategies tailored to the challenges of lung and liver disease. This work holds promise for unlocking new avenues in gene therapy, cancer research, and immunotherapy.