Research Interests:
- DNA double-strand break repair mechanisms
- Maintenance of genome stability and sources of genomic instability
- Mechanisms and regulation of break-induced replication (BIR)
- Molecular basis of genome instability in cancer development
Biography
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. My research focuses on DNA double-strand break repair and the mechanisms that cells maintain genome stability, with a particular interest in break-induced replication (BIR), an error-prone DNA repair pathway that contributes to genome instability and cancer development. My work has been published in leading scientific journals, including Nature, Nature Communications, and Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
My laboratory integrates molecular biology, genetics, genomics, and cell biology to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of DNA repair and the cellular networks that regulate DNA double-strand break repair. The long-term goal of my research is to identify vulnerabilities in DNA repair pathways that can be exploited for precision cancer therapies and to advance the development of more effective treatments for cancer.
Positions
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Assistant Professor
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
State University of New York at Buffalo
- Assistant Professor
Background
Education and Training
- 2014-2021 - PhD - DNA damage repair, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Publications
1. Liu, L., Lee, R.S., Twarowski, J.M. et al. Genome-wide screen reveals dependence of break induced replication on several distinct checkpoints. Nat Commun 17, 494 (2026).
2. Liu, L., Yan, Z., Osia, B.A. et al. Tracking break-induced replication shows that it stalls at roadblocks. Nature 590, 655–659 (2021).
3. Liu L, Malkova A Break-induced replication: unraveling each step. Trends in Genetics, 2022; 38, 752-765