Liu Chuang

Liu Chuang

Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

chuangliu@nus.edu.sg

Laboratory for Gene Medicine

Biography

“Hi, I am Chuang LIU. I join NUS in Jan 2026 as an Assistant Professor (Tenure track) in the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, and as a joint Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. I received my PhD in Materials Physics and Chemistry from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 06/2021, where I conducted research in Prof. Aiguo Wu’s lab at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering. I am a recipient of the Special Prize of the President Scholarship 2021 from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. From 01/2020 to 06/2021, I was a visiting PhD student in Prof. Wei Tao’s lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, where I continued as a Research Fellow from 06/2021 to 06/2023, focusing on mRNA-based therapies for cancer and other diseases. From 06/2023 to 12/2025, I worked in Prof. Khalid Shah’s lab on mRNA and gene-edited cell therapies for cancer immunotherapy. My research interests lie in immunotherapy, particularly for cancer, using modalities such as mRNA, gene-engineered cells and bacteria, and oncolytic viruses.”

Affiliations

  • Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore
  • Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

Research Areas of Interest:

Chuang Lab (Laboratory for Gene Medicine, www.chuangliulab.com) is a multidisciplinary research team dedicated to unlocking the power of genetic science to develop the next generation of therapies. Our research interests lie in immunotherapy, particularly for cancer, using modalities such as mRNA, gene-engineered cells and bacteria, and oncolytic viruses. By bridging fundamental discovery with translational innovation, we strive to make curative genetic medicines a reality.

  • Gene medicine: Designing and optimizing next-generation gene therapeutics (e.g. mRNA) for immunomodulation, cancer therapy, and treatment of inflammatory and neurological diseases
  • Cell medicine: Leveraging gene-engineered cells as therapeutic candidates for targeted immune regulation and anti-tumor applications
  • Delivery platforms: Developing novel lipid-based and biomaterial-enabled gene delivery platforms to enhance therapeutic efficacy, tissue specificity, and clinical translatability

Selected Publications

  1. Chuang Liu, Xiangang Huang, Kok-Siong Chen, Sihan Xiong, Alexey V Yaremenko, Xueyan Zhen, Xinru You, Filippo Rossignoli, Yi Tang, Seyoung Koo, Wei Chen, Na Kong, Tian Xie, Khalid Shah, Wei Tao*. Systemic reprogramming of tumour immunity via IL-10-mRNA nanoparticles. Nature Nanotechnology (2025), 20, 1526–1538.
  2. Chuang Liu#, Qiangqiang Shi#, Xiangang Huang, Seyoung Koo, Na Kong*, Wei Tao*. mRNA-based cancer therapeutics. Nature Reviews Cancer (2023), 23, 526–543.
  3. Chuang Liu#, Alexey V. Yaremenko#, Xiaolong Li#, Xinru You, Xiaoyu Zhu, Nuo Liu, Wei Chen, Na Kong, Tian Xie, Gaurav D. Gaiha*, Robert Langer, and Wei Tao*. mRNA technology for the prevention and treatment of HIV-1 infection. Nature Reviews Bioengineering (2025). doi: 10.1038/s44222-025-00387-2.
  4. Chuang Liu*. mRNA-based enzyme replacement for propionic acidaemia. Nature Reviews Endocrinology (2025), 21, 526. (*corresponding author)
  5. Chuang Liu, Khalid Shah*. Taming CAR T cell therapy toxicity. Nature Materials (2023), 22, 1444–1445. (*corresponding author)
  6. Sihan Xiong, Chuang Liu*. Breaking the PEG barrier to boost mRNA-LNP therapeutics. Nature Reviews Materials (2025), 10, 799-800. (*corresponding author)
  7. Sihan Xiong, Chuang Liu*. Core mission: mRNA endosomal escape. Nature Reviews Chemistry (2025), 9, 433. (*corresponding author)
  8. Sihan Xiong, Khalid Shah*, Chuang Liu*. A zwitterionic twist. Nature Reviews Chemistry (2024), 8, 721. (*corresponding author)
  9. Xiangang Huang#, Chuang Liu#, Na Kong, Yufen Xiao, Arif Yurdagul, Ira Tabas, Wei Tao*. Synthesis of siRNA nanoparticles to silence plaque-destabilizing gene in atherosclerotic lesional macrophages. Nature Protocols (2022), 17, 748–780. (#co-first authors)

Honors and Scientific Appointments

  1. Health & Technology Innovation Fund Award (co-investigator), Brigham and Women’s hospital, Harvard Medical School.
  2. Presidential Scholarship of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Special Prize, highest-level award)
  3. Journal reviewer for Adv. Mater.; Acta Pharm. Sin. B; Aggregate; J. Nanobiotechnol; etc.
  4. Served as topic editor/co-editor to ensure high-quality publications in academic journals.
  5. Mentored several students and research fellows in material science and immuno-oncology, fostering scientific skills, encouraging the exchange of ideas, and providing consistent guidance and support.

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