Liu, Chunming*

CoM - Markey Cancer Center

Description of Dr. Chunming Liu Lab research

Our lab is interested in the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in cancers. Deregulation in Wnt signaling including mutated APC and ß-catenin is an early event in the development of colorectal cancer. We have discovered novel molecules in Wnt pathways, which shows how mutations cause ß-catenin accumulation that leads to cancer. In order to transform our findings into clinical benefits, we are collaborating with medicinal chemists to develop small molecular inhibitors for cancer prevention and treatment.

Projects

Development of novel natural products derivatives as anti-cancer agents: The goal of this project is to identify novel anti-cancer compounds and probe the mechanism of action. Once we validate the target of action, we will utilize the structural information of the target to direct the design and synthesis of next generations of inhibitors.

People on this project:

Yanqi Xie (Graduate Student),
Professor Chunming Liu (PI),
Professor David Watt (Co-PI)

Computational methods

Homology modeling, molecular docking,

Softwares

Gaussian (available at UK), Autodock (Publicly available software)

Collaborators

UK collaborator:
Professors David Watt, Chang-Guo Zhan