Main Research Interests
1. Heterogeneity and personalized treatment of hepatobiliary tumors
2. Development of tumor drug targets and clinical translation
3. Decoding the spatiotemporal evolution and immune microenvironment of tumors
Biography
- Ph.D. Supervisor, Professor, Associate Chief Physician
- Selected for the National Youth Talent Program
- Graduated with a Ph.D. in Surgery from Harbin Medical University in 2019
With extensive experience in clinical diagnosis and basic research in general surgery, particularly in the clinical-basic integration and translation of hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumors, I have achieved several original research outcomes. I have published over 20 high-impact SCI papers as the first author or corresponding author in journals like *Journal of Hepatology*, *Nature Communications*, *Gastroenterology*, *Advanced Science*, and *Clinical Cancer Research*. I have led over 10 national and provincial research projects and served as a project leader and key member for the Ministry of Science and Technology's National Key R&D Program. I hold five national invention patents, with one granted, and have co-authored two books. My research has been reviewed in the *Journal of Hepatology* and cited in international journals like *Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology*. I have received honors such as the Excellent Youth Research Project from the Anhui Provincial Department of Education and the National Outstanding Young Scholar in Medical Cell Biology. Currently, I am the Director of the Research Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China and Deputy Director of the Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery. I also chair the Innovation and Translation Branch of the Anhui Medical Biotechnology Association.
Representative Papers
1. Cheng C, Zha Q, Sun L, Cui T, Guo X, Xing C, Chen Z, Ji C, Liang S, Tao S, Chu J, Wu C, Chu Q, Gu X, Zhang N, Fu Y, Deng S, Zhu Y, Wang J, Liu Y, Liu L. VCP downstream metabolite glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) inhibits CD8+T cells function in the HCC microenvironment. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2025 Jan 24;10(1):26. （Corresponding Author）
2. Zhai F, Pan G, Xue L, Cheng C, Wang J, Liu Y, Liu L. PRDM16 Induces Methylation of FLT3 to Promote FLT3-ITD Signaling and Leukemia Progression. Cancer Res. 2025 Feb 1;85(3):535-550. （Corresponding Author）
3. Fu Y, Guo X, Sun L, Cui T, Wang J, Liu Y, Liu L. Exploring the Interplay of Diet, Obesity, Immune Function, and Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2024 Nov 1;14(11):2047-2050.（Corresponding Author）
4. Liu Y, Xun Z, Ma K, Liang S, Li X, Zhou S, Sun L, Liu Y, Du Y, Guo X, Cui T, Zhou H, Wang J, Yin D, Song R, Zhang S, Cai W, Meng F, Guo H, Zhang B, Yang D, Bao R, Hu Q, Wang J, Ye Y, Liu L. Identification of a tumour immune barrier in the HCC microenvironment that determines the efficacy of immunotherapy, J Hepatol. 2023 Apr;78(4):770-782.（First Author）
5. Guo X, Cui T, Sun L, Fu Y, Cheng C, Wu C, Zhu Y, Liang S, Liu Y, Zhou S, Li X, Ji C, Ma K, Zhang N, Chu Q, Xing C, Deng S, Wang J, Liu Y, Liu L. A STT3A-dependent PD-L1 glycosylation modification mediated by GMPS drives tumor immune evasion in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Death Differ. 2024 Dec 17. （Corresponding Author）
6. Ma K, Chu J, Liu Y, Sun L, Zhou S, Li X, Ji C, Zhang N, Guo X, Liang S, Cui T, Hu Q, Wang J, Liu Y, Liu L. Hepatocellular Carcinoma LINC01116 Outcompetes T Cells for Linoleic Acid and Accelerates Tumor Progression. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 Mar 9:e2400676.（Corresponding Author）
7. Li X, Liang S, Fei M, Ma K, Sun L, Liu Y, Liu L, Wang J. LncRNA CRNDE Drives the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by inducing the Immunosuppressive Niche. Int J Biol Sci. 2024 Jan 1;20(2):718-732.（Corresponding Author）
8. Zheng C, Zhang B, Li Y, Liu K, Wei W, Liang S, Guo H, Ma K, Liu Y, Wang J, Liu L. Donafenib and GSK-J4 Synergistically Induce Ferroptosis in Liver Cancer by Upregulating HMOX1 Expression, Adv Sci (Weinh), 2023, e2206798.（Corresponding Author）
Recruitment
1. Recruiting postdoctoral researchers and associate researchers with backgrounds in surgery, immunology, cell biology, oncology, or bioinformatics.
2. Welcoming undergraduates interested in our research areas to pursue a Ph.D. or internships.
Contact Information
Email: liuyao66@ustc.edu.cn