Research Areas: Gene/protein as a drug for prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases

Opportunities for Collaboration: Gene therapy, obesity research, drug delivery and protein drug discovery

Deputy Editor: Molecular Therapy 

Associate Editor: AAPS Journal

Editorial Board Member: Molecular Therapy – Nucleic Acids; Molecular Therapy – Methods & Clinical Development; Pharmaceutical Research

American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy , Member

American Society of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), Member

The Obesity Society, Member

American Heart Association, Member

My laboratory is interested in the use of gene/protein as a drug for prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes, cancer and other diseases. Our emphasis is on identification of genes that code for a therapeutic protein and on illustration of its mechanisms of action. We employ gene cloning, biochemical, cell biological, immunological, and gene delivery/transfer techniques to conduct basic research in cell culture and in animal models.

Jae W. Lee1, Meredith L. Stone, Paige M. Porrett, Stacy K. thomas, Chad A. Komar, Joey H. Li, Devora Delman, Kathleen Graham, Whitney L. Gladney, Xia Hua, Taylor A. Black, Austin L. Chien, Krishna S. Majmundar1, Jeffrey C. Thompson, Stephanie S. Yee, Mark H. O’Hara, Charu Aggarwal, Dong Xin, Abraham Shaked, Mingming Gao, Dexi Liu, Mitesh J. Borad, Ramesh K. Ramanathan, Erica L. Carpenter, Ailing Ji, Maria C. de Beer, Frederick C. de Beer, Nancy R. Webb & Gregory L. Beatty (2019) Nature 567:249-255. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1004-y

Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2019) Controlling Obesity and Metabolic Diseases by Hydrodynamic Delivery of a Fusion Gene of Exendin-4 and α1 Antitrypsin. Sci. Rep. 9:13427 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49757-y.

Chunbo Zhang, Guisheng Zhang and Dexi Liu (2019) Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Reactivate Silenced Transgene In Vivo. Gene Ther. 26:75-85 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41434-018-0053-4

Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2018) Not All Reprogrammed Insulin-Producing Cells Are the Same (Commentary) Mol. Ther. 26:1176-1178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2018.04.008

Mohammad Alsaggar and Dexi Liu (2018) Organ-based Drug Delivery. J. Drug Targeting 26:385-397.  https://doi.org/10.1080/1061186X.2018.1437919

Kohei Ogawa, Kenya Kamimura, Yuji Kobayashi, Hiroyuki Abe, Takeshi Yokoo, Norihiro Sakai, Takuro Nagoya, Akira Sakamaki, Satoshi Abe, Kazunao Hayashi, Satoshi Ikarashi, Junji Kohisa, Masanori Tsuchida, Yutaka Aoyagi, Guisheng Zhang, Dexi Liu, and Shuji Terai (2017) Efficacy and Safety of Pancreas-targeted Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery in Rats. Mol. Ther. – Nucleic Acids DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.08.009.

Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2017) CRISPR/Cas9-based Pten Knock-out and Sleeping Beauty Transposon-mediated Nras Knock-in Induces Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Mice. Cancer Biol. Ther. DOI: 10.1080/15384047.2017.1323597.

Sary Alsanea and Dexi Liu (2017) BITC and S-Carvone Restrain High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Ameliorate Hepatic Steatosis and Insulin Resistance. Pharm. Res. DOI: 10.1007/s11095-017-2230-3.

Yahya Alhamhoom, Guisheng Zhang, Mingming Gao, Houjian Cai and Dexi Liu (2017) In vivo growth and responses to treatment of renal cell carcinoma in different environments. Am. J. Cancer Res. 7(2):301-311.

Sary Alsanea, Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2017) Phloretin prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity and improves metabolic homeostasis. AAPS J. DOI: 10.1208/s12248-017-0053-0

Sary Alsanea, Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2017) Phloretin prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity and improves metabolic homeostasis. AAPS J. DOI: 10.1208/s12248-017-0053-0

Mohammad Alsaggar, Michael Mills and Dexi Liu (2016) Interferon Beta Overexpression Attenuates Adipose Tissue Inflammation and High Fat Diet-induced Obesity and Maintains Glucose Homeostasis. Gene Ther. doi:10.1038/gt.2016.76

Yuji Kobayashi, Kenya Kamimura, Hiroyuki Abe, Takeshi Yokoo, Kohei Ogawa, Yoko Shinagawa, Ryo Goto, Ryosuke Inoue, Masato Ohtsuka, Hiromi Miura, Tsutomu Kanefuji, Takeshi Suda, Masanori Tsuchida, Yutaka Aoyagi, Guisheng Zhang_, Dexi Liu, and Shuji Terai (2016)  Effects of Fibrotic Tissue on Liver-targeted Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery. Mol. Ther. -Nucleic Acids. 5, e359; doi:10.1038/mtna.2016.63

Yongjie Ma, Mingming Gao, and Dexi Liu (2016) Preventing High Fat Diet-induced Obesity and Improving Insulin Sensitivity through Neuregulin 4 Gene Transfer. Sci. Rep. 6, 26242; doi: 10.1038/srep26242.

Yongjie Ma, Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2016) Alternating Diet as a Preventive and Therapeutic Intervention for High Fat Diet-induced Metabolic Disorder. Sci. Rep. 6, 26325; doi: 10.1038/srep26325.

Yongjie Ma, Mingming Gao, and Dexi Liu (2016) N-acetylcysteine Protects Mice from High Fat Diet-induced Metabolic Disorders. Pharm. Res. doi: 10.1007/s11095-016-1941-1.

Mingming Gao, Yongjie Ma, Mohammed Alsaggar and Dexi Liu (2016) Dual Outcomes of Rosiglitazone Treatment on Fatty Liver. AAPS J. doi: 10.1208/s12248-016-9919-9.

Hao Sun and Dexi Liu (2016) IL-15/sIL-15Rα Gene Transfer to Suppress Lewis Lung Cancer Growth in the Lungs, Liver and Kidneys. Cancer Gene Ther. doi:10.1038/cgt.2015.67.

Hao Sun, Yongjie Ma, Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2016) IL-15/sIL-15Rα Gene Transfer Induces Weight Loss and Improves Glucose Homeostasis in Obese Mice. Gene Ther. doi:10.1038/gt.2016.4.

Hiroyuki Abe, Kenya Kamimura, Yuji Kobayashi, Masato Ohtsuka, Hiromi Miura, Riuko Ohashi, Takeshi Yokoo, Tsutomu Kanefuji, Takeshi Suda, Masanori Tsuchida, Yutaka Aoyagi, Guisheng Zhang, Dexi Liu, and Shuji Terai (2016) Effective Prevention of Liver Fibrosis by Liver-targeted Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery of Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 in a Rat Liver Fibrosis Model. Mol. Ther. – Nucleic Acids 5, e276; doi:10.1038/mtna.2015.49

Advances in Genetics (book edited)
Volume 89, Pages 1-262 (2015)
Nonviral Vectors for Gene Therapy Physical Methods and Medical Translation
Edited by Leaf Huang, Dexi Liu and Ernst Wagner
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00652660/89)

Parisa Darkhal, Mingming Gao, Yongjie Ma and Dexi Liu (2015) Blocking High Fat Diet-induced Obesity, Insulin Resistance and Fatty Liver by Overexpression of Il-13 Gene in Mice. Int. J. Obes. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2015.52.

Mohammad Alsaggar, Qian Yao, Houjian Cai and Dexi Liu (2015) Differential Growth and Responsiveness to Cancer Therapy of Tumor Cells in Different Environments. Clin. Exp. Metastasis. doi:10.1007/s10585-015-9761-y

Linna Yan, Kexiu Song, Mingming Gao, Shen Qu and Dexi Liu (2015)Modulation of Cell-mediated Immunity to Suppress High Fat Diet-induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance, Pharm. Res. doi: 10.1007/s11095-015-1797-9

Yongjie Ma, Mingming Gao, Hao Sun, and Dexi Liu (2015) Interleukin-6 Gene Transfer Reverses Body WeightGain and Fatty Liver in Obese Mice. BBA – Mol. Basis Dis. 1852: 1001-1011.

Mingming Gao, Yongjie Ma and Dexi Liu (2015) High-fat Diet-induced Adiposity,Adipose Inflammation, Hepatic Steatosis and Hyperinsulinemia in Outbred CD-1 Mice. PLoS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119784

Mingming Gao, Yongjie Ma, Chunbo Zhang and Dexi Liu (2015) Cold Exposure Improves the Anti-diabetic Effect of T0901317 in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Mice. AAPS J. doi: 10.1208/s12248-015-9746-4.

Takeshi Yokoo, Tsutomu Kanefuji, Takeshi Suda, Kenya Kamimura, Dexi Liu and Shuji Terai (2015) Site-specific Impact of a Regional Hydrodynamic Injection: Computed Tomography Study during Hydrodynamic Injection Targeting the Swine Liver. Pharmaceutics. 7: 334-343.

Mohammad Alsaggar and Dexi Liu (2015) Physical Methods for Gene Transfer. In “Non-Viral Vectors for Gene Therapy: Physical Methods and Medical Translation” L. Huang, D. Liu, and E. Wagner (eds), Advances in Genetics 89: 1–24.

Takeshi Suda and Dexi Liu (2015) Hydrodynamic Delivery, In “Non-viral Vectors for Gene Therapy: Physical Methods and Medical Translation” L. Huang, D. Liu, and E. Wagner (eds), Advances in Genetics, 89: 89–111.

Yahya Alhamhoom, Mohammad Alsaggar and Dexi Liu (2015) Future Perspective: Toward Targeting at the Cellular Level. In Advances and Challenges in the Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics (Volume 2), pp 2-17. doi: 10.4155/fseb2013.14.10

Kenya Kamimura, Takeshi Suda and Dexi Liu (2015) Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery. In Advances and Challenges in the Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics (Volume 2), pp, 42-57. doi: 10.4155/fseb2013.13.103

Mohammad Alsaggar and Dexi Liu (2015) Liver-targeted Gene and Cell Therapy – An Overview. In “Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy through the Liver,” Shuji Terai and Takeshi Suda (eds), Springer Japan KK, Tokyo, Japan, pp 1-11. doi: 10.1007/978-4-431-55666-4_1

Kenya Kamimura, Hiroyuki Abe, Yuji Kobayashi, Takeshi Suda, Yutaka Aoyagi and Dexi Liu (2015) Image-guided Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery to Liver: Toward Clinical Applications. In “Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy through the Liver,” Shuji Terai and Takeshi Suda (eds), Springer Japan KK, Tokyo, Japan, pp 85-92. doi 10.1007/978-4-431-55666-4_8

Mingming Gao, Yonjie Ma, Ran Cui and Dexi Liu (2014) Hydrodynamic Delivery of FGF21 Gene Alleviates Obesity and Fatty Liver in Mice Fed a High Fat Diet. J. Control Release 185: 1-11.

Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2014) Gene Therapy for Obesity: Progress and Prospects, Discov. Med. 17: 319-328.

Mohammad Al Saggar and Dexi Liu (2014) Gene Delivery: An Essential Component for Successful Gene Therapy, In Drug Delivery, Edited by Ashim Mitra, Jones & Bartlett Learning, USA, pp. 381-398.

Ran Cui, Mingming Gao, Shen Qu and Dexi Liu (2014) Overexpression of Superoxide Dismutase 3 Gene Blocks High Fat Diet-induced Obesity, Fatty Liver and Insulin Resistance, Gene Ther. 21: 840-848.

Tsutomu Kanefuji, Takeshi Yokoo, Takeshi Suda, Hiroyuki Abe, Kenya Kamimura, Yutaka Aoyagi and Dexi Liu (2014) Hemodynamics of Hydrodynamic Injection, Mol. Ther. – Meth. & Clinic Develop. doi: 10.1038/mtm.2014.29.

Kenya Kamimura, Hiroyuki Abe, Takeshi Yokoo, Tsutomu Kanefuji, Yuji Kobayashi, Takeshi Suda, Guisheng Zhang, Yutaka Aoyagi and Dexi Liu (2014) Safety Assessment of Liver-targeted Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery in Dogs. PLoS ONE, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107203.

Yongjie Ma, Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2014) Chlorogenic Acid Improves High Fat Diet-induced Hepatic Steatosis and Insulin Resistance. Pharm. Res. 32:1200-1209.

Hao Sun and Dexi Liu (2014) Hydrodynamic Delivery of Interleukin-15 Gene Promotes Resistance to High Fat Diet-induced Obesity, Fatty Liver and Improves Glucose Homeostasis. Gene Ther. 22: 341-347.

Tremblay TP, Xiao X, Aartsma-Rus A, Dexi Liu et al. (2013) Translating the Genomics Revolution: The Need for an International Gene Therapy Consortium for Monogenic Diseases. Mol. Ther. 21: 266-268.

Yokoo T, Kamimura K, Suda T, Kanefuji T, Oda M, Zhang G, Dexi Liu, and Aoyagi Y (2013) Novel Electric Power-driven Hydrodynamic Injection System for Gene Delivery: Safety and Efficacy of Human Factor IX Delivery in Rats. Gene Ther. 20: 816-823.

Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2013) Resveratrol Suppresses T0901317-induced Hepatic Fat Accumulation in Mice. AAPS J. 15:744-752.

Yongjie Ma, Yixian Huang, Linna Yan, Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2013) Synthetic FXR Agonist GW4064 Prevents Diet-induced Hepatic Steatosis and Insulin Resistance. Pharm. Res. 30: 1447-1457.

Yongjie Ma and Dexi Liu (2013) Hydrodynamic Delivery of Adiponectin and Adiponectin Receptor 2Gene Blocks High-fat Diet-induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance. Gene Ther. 20: 846-852.

Mingming Gao and Dexi Liu (2013) The Liver X Receptor Agonist T0901317 Protects Mice from High Fat Diet Induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance. AAPS J. 15: 258-266.

Mingming Gao, Le Bu, Yongjie Ma, and Dexi Liu (2013) Concurrent Activation of Liver X Receptor and Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Alpha Exacerbates Hepatic Steatosis in High Fat Diet-induced Obese Mice. PLoS ONE, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065641.

Takeshi Suda, Kenya Kamimura, Guisheng Zhang and Dexi Liu (2013) Hydrodynamic Pressure-based Nonviral Nucleic Acid Delivery, In Advanced Textbook on Gene Transfer, Gene Therapy and Genetic Pharmacology, Edited by Daniel Scherman, Université René Descartes, pp. 103-121.

Mingming Gao, Yongjie Ma and Dexi Liu (2013) Rutin Suppresses Palmitic Acids-triggered Inflammation in Macrophages and Blocks High Fat Diet-induced Obesity and Fatty Liver in Mice. Pharm. Res. 30: 2940-2950.

Mingming Gao, Chunbo Zhang, Yongjie Ma, Le Bu, Linna Yan and Dexi Liu (2013) Hydrodynamic Delivery of mIL10 Gene Protects Mice from High Fat Diet-induced Obesity and Glucose Intolerance. Mol. Ther. 21: 1852-1861.

Le Bu, Mingming Gao, Shen Qu and Dexi Liu (2013) Intraperitoneal Injection of Clodronate Liposomes Eliminates Visceral Adipose Macrophages and Blocks High-fat Diet-induced Weight Gain and Development of Insulin Resistance. AAPS J. 15: 1001-1011.

Kenya Kamimura, Takeshi Suda, Guisheng Zhang, Yutaka Aoyagi and Dexi Liu (2013) Parameters Affecting Image-guided, Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery to Swine Liver. Mol. Ther. – Nucleic Acids 2,e128; doi: 10.1038/mtna.2013.52

Kenya Kamimura, Takeshi Suda, Yutaka Aoyagi and Dexi Liu (2013) Liver-directed Gene Therapy. JSM Gastroenterol Hepatol. 1(1):1005

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

American Heart Association

The Obesity Society