Julie C. Liu
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
School of Chemical Engineering
Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering
480 Stadium Mall Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2100
Because of the precise structural control of protein-based biomaterials, Prof. Liu is using these materials to facilitate tissue engineering studies to control cell response through the local microenvironment. Tissue engineering aims to replace diseased or damaged tissues or organs by combining biomaterials, cells, and bioactive factors. Adult stem cells are a promising cell source for tissue engineering because of their ease of harvest, their high proliferation capacity, and their ability to differentiate into many different cell types. Many studies have already established the effects of soluble chemical cues on stem cell differentiation in vitro. Because of the precise structural control of protein-based biomaterials, Prof. Liu's research focuses on delineating the material-based cues (biochemical and biophysical) that promote differentiation of a specific cell fate.
Our specific interests include:
Development of Protein-based Biomaterials
The Liu research group has engineered a family of protein-based biomaterials that incorporates mechanical domains, crosslinking sites, and bioactive domains. We have incorporated mechanical domains based on sequences derived from resilin and abductin and have investigated how to tune protein properties for use in diverse tissue engineering applications. Specifically, we demonstrated that cell adhesion and lower critical solution behavior can be manipulated through control of the amino acid sequence.
Material-based Cues for Skeletal Engineering
We are elucidating the chemical and physical cues that promote either bone or cartilage differentiation of adult stem cells. We demonstrated that a soluble peptide based on bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is a useful tool for cartilage engineering. We produced a modular protein that contains this BMP-2 peptide and are currently investigating the effect of these protein-based materials on bone or cartilage differentiation.
Tunable Microenvironments for Endothelial Differentiation
We are characterizing the ability of biochemical cues or physical properties to promote differentiation of adult stem cells into arterial or venous endothelial cells. We have manufactured a protein-based biomaterial containing a VEGF-based peptide. We are currently probing the effects of these material-based cues on endothelial differentiation.
- M. Jane Brennan
- Marcus Deloney
- Sydney Hollingshead
- Claire Kilmer
- Charng-yu Lin
- Renay S.-C. Su
- Reid Bonner
- Isaura Frost
- Emily Gill
- Bridget Kilbride
Awards and Honors
"Incorporating the BMP-2 Peptide in Genetically-engineered Biomaterials Accelerates Osteogenic Differentiation," Y. Kim, J.N. Renner, and J.C. Liu, Biomaterials Science, 1110-1119 (2014)
"Resilin: Protein-based Elastomeric Biomaterials," R.S.-C. Su, Y. Kim, and J.C. Liu, Acta Biomaterialia, 10, 1601-1611 (2014).
"Surface Density of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Modulates Endothelial Proliferation and Differentiation," R.J. Galas and J.C. Liu, Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 115, 111-120 (2014).
"Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Does Not Accelerate Endothelial Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells," R.J. Galas and J.C. Liu, Journal of Cellular Physiology, 229, 90-96 (2014).
"Synthesis and Characterization of Recombinant Abductin-based Proteins," R.S.-C. Su, J.N. Renner, and J.C. Liu, Biomacromolecules, 14, 4301-4308 (2013).
"Investigating the Effect of Peptide Agonists on the Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Using Design of Experiments," J.N. Renner and J.C. Liu, Biotechnology Progress, 29, 1550-1557 (2013).
"Analyzing the Function of Cartilage Replacements: A Laboratory Activity to Teach High School Students Chemical and Tissue Engineering Concepts," J.N. Renner, H.N. Emady, R.J. Galas, R. Zhang, C.D. Baertsch, and J.C. Liu, Chemical Engineering Education, 47, 99-106 (2013)
“Characterization of Resilin-based Materials for Tissue Engineering Applications,” J.N. Renner, K.M. Cherry, R.S.-C. Su, and J.C. Liu, Biomacromolecules, 13, 3678-3685 (2012).
“BMP-derived Peptide Promotes Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells,” J.N. Renner, Y. Kim, and J.C. Liu, Tissue Engineering Part A, 18, 2581-2589 (2012).
"Modular Cloning and Protein Expression of Long, Repetitive Resilin-based Proteins," J.N. Renner, Y. Kim, K.M. Cherry, and J.C. Liu, Protein Expression Purif., 82, 90-96 (2012).