Biography
After completing his undergraduate degree in China (South China University of Agriculture), he moved to Canada for his MSc (Plant Science, Dr. JF Peterson as supervisor) and PhD (Biochemistry, Dr. Gordon Shore as supervisor) at McGill University. Following postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Tony Pawson of Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, he joined OHRI (then known as Loeb Medical Research Institute) in 1993 as a scientist and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa.
Research interests
Dr. Liu’s longstanding research interest is the mechanism of oocyte maturation, using the Xenopus frog as the primary model system and, in recent years, expanding this effort to include the mouse model. His most recent work outlining a possible fertility pill for older women was published in Aging Cell and received considerable media interest, including a featured story in Science Update, produced by AAAS (American Association of the Advancement of Science) on December 13, 2012.
Major awards
- Michel Chrétien Researcher of the Year (2009)
- Premier's Research Excellence Award (PREA) (2000-2005)
- Medical Research Council (now CIHR) Scholarship (1995-2000)
Selected publications
- Shao H, Ma C, Zhang X, Li R, Miller AL, Bement WM, and Liu XJ. Aurora B regulates spindle bipolarity in vertebrate oocytes. Cell Cycle. 11:2672-2680 (2012).
- Tao Y, and Liu XJ. Deficiency of ovarian ornithine decarboxylase contributes to aging-related egg aneuploidy in mice. Aging Cell. 12:42-49 (2013).
- Liu XJ, and Tao Y, Peri-ovulatory putrescine to reduce aneuploid conceptions. Aging. 4 (11) 1-3 (2012).
- Shao H, Li R, Ma C, Chen E, and Liu XJ. Xenopus oocyte meiosis lacks spindle assembly checkpoint control. J. Cell Biol. 201:191-200 (2013).
- Liu D, Shao H, Wang H, and Liu XJ. Meiosis I in Xenopus oocytes is not error-prone despite lacking spindle assembly checkpoint. Cell Cycle 13:1602-6 (2014).