Biosketch

Chao Liu is an Associate Professor at Southern University of Science and Technology (2019-present). Chao received his Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science from University of Toronto (2008), in Canada. He received his Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering (2010) and PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto (2016). Chao has completed a postdoctoral fellowship at New York University with joint appointment from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Orthopedics at NYU Langone Health Medical Center. Chao’s research interests include the mechanobiology of stem cells, tissue engineering of bone tissue for regenerative medicine applications, and biomechanical functional implants.

 Lab website: https://abtrl.bme.sustech.edu.cn/

Education

2010-2016 PhD, Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), University of Toronto, Canada

2008-2010 MASc, Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

2003-2008 BASc, Engineering Science - Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

Work Experience

2024.11-present, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology

2019-2024.11, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology

2016-2019, Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Langone Medical Center, New York University

Honors and Awards

2019 International Conference on Biomedical Engineering Young Investigator Award

2017 International Federation of Musculoskeletal Research Societies Travel Grant

2016 American Society of Bone and Mineral Research Young Investigator Travel Grant

2010-2014 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Travel Awards

2011-2013 Ontario Graduate Scholarship

2008, 2010 Barbara and Frank Milligan Graduate Fellowship

Research Interests

Stem cell tissue engineering using mechanical forces and scaffolds in the musculoskeletal system.

(1) Utilize mechanical forces to alter bone forming (osteogenic) and blood vessel forming (angiogenic) stem cells that ultimately enhance bone regeneration

(2) Develop implants with functional macro- and micro-geometry to enhance the activity of angiogenic and osteogenic stem cells

(3) Develop 3D real-time cellular and molecular imaging modalities to observe the bone repair process in situ.

Selected Publications

1. Zhang, Jianing, Yanrong Tong, Yang Liu, Minmin Lin, Yao Xiao, and Chao Liu. "Mechanical loading attenuated negative effects of nucleotide analogue reverse-transcriptase inhibitor TDF on bone repair via Wnt/β-catenin pathway." Bone (2022): 116449.

2. Wang, Ziyan, Yang Liu, Jianing Zhang, Minmin Lin, Chufan Xiao, Haoying Bai, and Chao Liu. "Mechanical loading alleviated the inhibition of β2‐adrenergic receptor agonist terbutaline on bone regeneration." The FASEB Journal 35, no. 12 (2021): e22033.

3. Chao Liu, Pamela Cabahug‐Zuckerman, Christopher Stubbs, Martin Pendola, Cinyee Cai, Kenneth A. Mann, and Alesha B. Castillo. "Mechanical loading promotes the expansion of primitive osteoprogenitors and organizes matrix and vascular morphology in long bone defects." Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (2019) e3668 In press

4. Chao Liu and Alesha B. Castillo. "Targeting Osteogenesis-Angiogenesis Coupling for Bone Repair." JAAOS-Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 26.7 (2018): e153-e155.

5. Ma, Yu-Heng Vivian; Lam, Candy; Dalmia, Shreyash ; Gao, Peter; Young, Jacob; Middleton, Kevin; Liu, Chao; You, Lidan. “Mechanical regulation of breast cancer bone metastasis via direct and indirect osteocyte signalling in vitro” Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 2018, 119 (7), 5665-5675

6. Chao Liu, Robert Carrera, Vittoria Flamini, Lena Kenny, Pamela Cabahug-Zuckerman, Benson George, Daniel Hunter, Bo Liu, Gurpreet Singh, Philipp Leucht, Kenneth A Mann, Jill A Helms, Alesha B Castillo, “Effects of mechanical loading on cortical defect repair using a novel mechanobiological model of bone healing” Bone. 2018, 108, pp. 145-155.

7. Qian, Weiyi; Gong, Lanqi; Cui, Xin; Zhang, Zijing; Bajpai, Apratim; Liu, Chao; Castillo, Alesha; Teo, Jeremy; Chen, Weiqiang “Nanotopographic regulation of human mesenchymal stem cell osteogenesis” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 2017, 9 (48), pp 41794–41806

8. Bradaschia-Correa V, Josephson AM, Mehta D, Mizrahi M, Neibart SS, Liu C, Kennedy OD, Castillo AB, Egol KA, Leucht P. “The selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor fluoxetine directly inhibits osteoblast differentiation and mineralization during fracture healing in mice.” Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 32(4) 2017: 821–833

9. Chao Liu, Xin Cui, Thomas Michael Ackermann, Vittoria Flamini, Weiqiang Chen, Alesha Castillo “Osteoblast-Derived Paracrine Factors Regulate Angiogenesis in Response to Mechanical Stimulation” Integrative Biology 8(7) 2016, 785-794

10. Chao Liu, Xiaoqing Zhang, Michael Wu, Lidan You “Mechanical Regulation of Osteocyte Responses to Physical Damage in vitro” Journal of Biomechanics 2015. 48(16): 4221-4228

11. Ashutosh Parajuli*, Chao Liu*, Wen Li*, Xiaoyu Gu, Xiaohan Lai, Christopher Price, Lidan You, X. Lucas Lu, Liyun Wang “Bone's Responses to Mechanical Loading are Impaired in Type 1 Diabetes” Bone 81 (2015) 152–160. (*Equal contributions)

12. Jia-Ning Zhang, Yan Zhao, Chao Liu, Elizabeth S. Han, Xue Yu, Darcy Lidington, Steffen-Sebastian Bolz, Lidan You “The Role of the Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling Pathway in Osteocyte Mechanotransduction Bone” Bone 79 (2015) 71-78.

13. Chao Wei, Beiyuan Fan, Deyong Chen, Chao Liu, Yuanchen Wei, Bo Huo, Lidan You, Junbo Wang and Jian Chen “Osteocyte Culture in Microfluidic Devices” Biomicrofluidics. 9, 014109 (2015)

14. Wing-Yee Cheung, Chao Liu, Craig A. Simmons, Lidan You, “Osteocyte Apoptosis is Mechanically Regulated and Induces Angiogenesis In Vitro”, Journal of Orthopedic Research, 2011 April ;29(4):523-30

15. Chao Liu, Yan Zhao, Wing-Yee Cheung, Ronak Gandhi, Liyun Wang, Lidan You “Effects of cyclic hydraulic pressure on osteocytes” Bone. 46 (5), May 2010, pp. 1449-1456

16. Chao Liu, Alesha B. Castillo, “Targeting Osteogenesis-Angiogenesis Coupling for Bone Repair” Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2018 (invited review)

17. Jan-Hung Chen*, Chao Liu*, Lidan You, Craig A. Simmons, “Boning up on Wolff’s Law: Mechanical regulation of the cells that make and maintain bone” Journal of Biomechanics 43 (1), pp. 108-118 (*Equal contributions)