Dr. Liu’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of spinal cord injury (SCI), neuroprotection and recovery of function following injuries to the central nervous system (CNS). Currently, his research is focused on four separate projects: 1)Investigation into whether phospholipase A2(PLA2) is a therapeutic target for SCI; 2) Exploring the molecular role of anionic phospholipids, particularly mitochondria-specific cardiolipin in the signaling pathway of neuronal death after SCI; 3)Investigating the role of miRNAs in pathogenesis of SCI; and 4), After establishing several well-accepted models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and developed new TBI models for their own need, these models are used to investigate the role of cPLA2 in TBI, and whether blocking PSD-95 and nNOS interaction results in neuroprotection. The goal is to develop a novel repair strategy to improve anatomical reorganization and functional recovery after traumatic CNS injuries.
