Name: Karen J. Liu

Position: Lecturer

Research Description:

In any intricate developmental process, the encoded genes are interpreted as myriad intercellular and intracellular interactions, all of which must occur at the right time and place. With this in mind, we are developing new methods to block or alter the activities of individual proteins in a drug-dependent manner. Our goal is to expand the repertoire of molecular tools available to developmental biologists.


The biological problem that we are interested in is the development of the neurectoderm and its derivatives, including the craniofacial skeleton. At present, we are developing chemical tools to study the roles of GSK-3 and Wnt signaling in development. We are using two model systems, the frog Xenopus laevis and the mouse. Xenopus embryos are abundant and live in an aquatic environment, allowing easy manipulation and drug accessibility; thus, we are using Xenopus to study early positional patterning and to rapidly test new tools. We then adapt these tools to mammalian systems. In the mouse, we are currently studying the development of the bony skull, using conventional and drug-dependent alleles of GSK-3.

Lab Memberships

British Xenopus Group (Other)
Liu Lab (Principal Investigator/Director)

Contact Information

Address:
King's College London
Dept. of Craniofacial Development
Floor 27, Guy's Tower
Guy's Hospital
London
SE1 9RT, United Kingdom

Email: karen.liu@kcl.ac.uk
Web Page: http://karenliu.openwetware.org
Phone:  +44 (0)20 7188 8035