Research Interests:

My earlier work focused on the discovery of kinases involved in cancer biology and in molecular clinical epidemiology. During this period, I discovered and investigated a new class of receptor tyrosine kinases (AXL) involved in invasion and metastases, and determined the importance of HER2 in modulating breast cancer response to specific forms of adjuvant chemotherapy. Since 1998, my scientific research has focused on the functional genomics of human cancers investigating the dynamics of gene regulation on a genome scale that modulates cancer biology. We have explored the expression signatures in breast cancers that define biochemical and genetic perturbations. From this point, we have pursued the transcriptional regulation by estrogen receptor on a genomic scale. Collectively, my work spans cancer biology, genomics, human genetics, and molecular epidemiology.

1983-1987	Postdoctoral Fellow - Dept. of Microbiology, University of California at San Francisco, CA (Dr. J. Michael Bishop)
1982-1985	Hematology Fellowship, University of California San Francisco, Moffitt Hospital
1980-1982	Oncology Fellowship, Stanford University
1979-1980	Residency, Barnes Hospital - Washington University, St. Louis
1978-1979	Internship, Barnes Hospital - Washington University, St. Louis
1973-1978	Stanford University, M.D.
1969-1973	Stanford University, B.S. Chemistry, Psychology

Present	Executive Director, Genome Institute of Singapore
Present	Professor of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Special Advisor to the Vice Chancellor
Present	Executive Director, Singapore Cancer Syndicate
Present	Executive Director, Singapore Tissue Network
2007	Visiting Scientist, RIKEN Institute, Japan
Nov 2006-present	Adjunct Professor of Johns Hopkins, Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine
Present	Adjunct Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Champaign-Urbana.
Present	Professor, Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine (COFM), National University of Singapore
1996-2001	Director, Division of Clinical Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bthesda, MD
1995-1996	Chief, Division of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine
1995-1996	Professor, Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics.
1993-1995	Associate Professor, Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1992-1996	Director, Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Breast Cancer(NIH Designated)
1987-1993	Assistant Professor in Medicine and Oncology, School of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2008	Associate (Foriegn) Member European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
2007	Doctor of Medical Science honoris causa - Awarded by Queen's University Belfast
2005	National Healthcare Group (NHG), Singapore, Distinguished Contributor Award
2003	Public Service Medal (National Day, 2003): for work in controlling SARS in Singapore (given by the Office of the President, Republic of Singapore)
2000	Rosenthal Award, AACR: for the discovery that HER-2 status determines response to adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin.
1999	Elected-Board of Directors, American Association for Cancer Research
1996	1996 Brinker International Award for Breast Cancer Research - Basic Research Award
1995	American Society of Clinical Investigation (Membership)
1991-1996	Leukemia Society Scholar
1990-1994	Jefferson Pilot Award: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Junior Faculty Award for Research Excellence
1990-1993	Komen Foundation Award for Breast Cancer Research (funding fellow salary)
1985-1988	Clinical Investigator Award, National Cancer Institute, K08-CA01036-02, Preceptor: Dr. J. Michael Bishop.
1983-1985	Damon Runyan Cancer Fund Fellowship Preceptor: Dr. J. Michael Bishop (UCSF)
1974	Ford Foundation Fellowship for Intensive Studies in Chinese, Stanford University
1973	Phi Beta Kappa Stanford University
1972	National Science Foundation Fellowship in Chemistry 1972.

2007-2009	President, HUGO (Human Genome Organisation)
2007-2009	Chairman, Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Singapore
2007-present	Keystone Symposia Scientific Advisory Board
2006	Board Member, National Healthcare Group (NHG), Singapore
2006	Deputy Chairman, Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Singapore
2005-2008	Member, NUS High School Board of Governors
2006	Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Biomolecular Frontiers, National University of Singapore (NUS)
2005	Member, Search Committee for Deputy President (Research & Technology, NUS)
2004	FANTOM3 working group member.
2004	University Autonomy, Governance, and Funding Steering Committee (MOE, Singapore, Member)
2003	Bioethics Advisory Committee (Member), Singapore
2002-2003	National Health Group, Strategic Committee for Clinical Research (Singapore)
2002	Biomedical Sciences Executive Committee, A*STAR (Singapore)
2002-2006	General Motors Award, General Assembly (USA)
2002	National University of Singapore: Feasibility study team for the establishment of a multicampus university.
2002	Ministerial committee to revaluate Singapore’s secondary school system (Ministry of Education)
2001	President’s Life Sciences Committee (National University of Singapore)
2001	University Promotion and Tenuring Committee (National University of Singapore)
2001-2003	Genetically Modified Organisms Advisory Council (Singapore Government)
2000-2001	NCI-Ireland-Northern Ireland Cancer Consortium Governing Board (Member)
1999-2000	Chair, General Motors Cancer Research Awards Committee: Mott Award
1999-2001	NIH Committee to establish NIH graduate program
1998-2001	NIH Building 10 Revitalization Committee
1997-1998	NCI Breast Cancer Program Review Group
1997-2001	NIH Clinical Research Revitalization Committee
1997-2001	Co-Chair, NIH Clinical Center Advisory Council
1997	Chairman, NIH Committee on Extramural/Intramural Investigations in the Clinical Center
1997	Molecular Epidemiology Coordinating Group, NCI
1997	SBRS Policy Board, NIH
1996	AACR - Clinical Cancer Research Committee, 1996
1996	NCI - Clinical Trials Working Group, 1996
1996	NCI - Cancer Genetics Working Group, 1996
1996	NCI - Developmental Diagnostics Working Group, 1996
1996-1997	NIH Committee on the Recruitment and Career Development of Clinical Investigators
1996	Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee, NCI
1996	Faculty Search Committee, Division of Molecular Genetics
1996	Executive Committee: Clinical Cancer Program
1996	Advisory Committee: Clinical Cancer Program
1995-1996	National Action Plan on Breast Cancer - Biological Resources Working Group
1994	Faculty Search Committee: Cell Biology Program, Lineberger Cancer Center
1992-1994	American Society for Clinical Oncology: Program Committee
1990-1992	Lineberger Cancer Center, SPA personnel compensation Committee
1992	Faculty Search Committee Program in Molecular Biology
1990	Lineberger Cancer Center Planning Committee 14th Annual Symposium
1989	Lineberger Cancer Center Seminar Committee

15/05/2007-14/05/2010	Pair-end-ditag technologies for the complete annotation of fusion genes by National Cancer Institute (USA) (USD$1,300,000)
09/01/2004 – 06/30/2007	Ditag technologies for complete transcriptome annotation by National Institutes of Health (USD1,050,000)
06/01/2004 – 05/31/2006	Genetic and environmental determinants of postmenopausal breast cancer by Susan G Komen Foundation ($952,057)

1. Jiang X, Tan J, Li J, Kivimäe S, Yang X, Zhuang L, Lee PL, Chan MT, Stanton LW, Liu ET, Cheyette BN, Yu Q. DACT3 is an epigenetic regulator of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in colorectal cancer and is a therapeutic target of histone modifications. Cancer Cell. Jun;13(6):529-41
   


2. Bourque G, Leong B, Vega VB, Chen X, Lee YL, Srinivasan KG, Chew JL, Ruan Y, Wei CL, Ng HH, Liu ET. Evolution of the mammalian transcription factor binding repertoire via transposable elements. Genome Res. Aug 5
   


3. Liu ET. Functional genomics of cancer. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2008 Aug 5.
   


4. Tan J, Yang X, Zhuang L, Jiang X, Chen W, Lee PL, Karuturi RK, Tan PB, Liu ET, Yu Q. Pharmacologic disruption of Polycomb-repressive complex 2-mediated gene repression selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells. Genes Dev. Apr 16
   


5. Chin-Yo Lin, Vinsensius B. Vega, Jane S. Thomsen, Tao Zhang, Say Li Kong, Min Xie, Kuo Ping Chiu, Leonard Lipovich, Daniel H. Barnett, Fabio Stossi, Ailing Yeo, Joshy George, Vladimir A. Kuznetsov, Yew Kok Lee, Tze Howe Charn, Nallasivam Palanisamy, Lance D. Miller, Edwin Cheung, Benita S. Katzenellenbogen, Yijun Ruan, Guillaume Bourque, Chia-Lin Wei, Edison T. Liu. Whole-genome Cartography of Estrogen Receptor α Binding Sites. PLoS Genetics Jun 1;3(6):e87
   


6. Vega VB, Lin CY, Lai KS, Kong SL, Xie M, Su X, Teh HF, Thomsen JS, Yeo AL, Sung WK, Bourque G, Liu ET. Multi-platform genome-wide identification and modeling of functional human estrogen receptor binding sites. Genome Biol. Sep 9;7(9):R82
   


7. Zhao Y, Tan J, Zhuang L, Jiang Xia, Edison Tak-Bun LIU, Qiang YU (In Press) "Inhibitors of histon deacetylases target Rb-E2F1 pathway for apoptosis induction through transcriptional activation of proapoptotic protein Bim" PNAS, November 1, 2005, Vol 102, No. 44, 16090-16095
   


8. Lance D MILLER, Edison Tak-Bun LIU, Klaar S, Hall P, Pawitan Y, Ploner A, Vergara L, Vega VB, George J, Smeds J, Bergh J (2005) "An expression signature for p53 status in human breast cancer predicts mutation status, transcriptional effects and patient survival" Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102(38) 13550-5 Abstract     
   


9. Qiu TH, Chandramouli GV, Hunter KW, Alkharouf NW, Green JE, Edison Tak-Bun LIU (2004) "Global expression profiling identifies signatures of tumor virulence in MMTV-PyMT transgenic mice: correlation to human disease" Cancer Res 64(17) 5973-81
   


10. Yijun RUAN, Chia Lin WEI, Ling Ai Ee, Vinsensius Berlian VEGA, Thoreau Herve, Su Yun Se Thoe, Chia Jer-Ming, Patrick Wei Pern NG, Kuo Ping CHIU, Lim Landri, Zhang Tao, Chan Kwai Peng, Lynette Oon Lin Ean, Ng Mah Lee, Leo Yee Sin, Lisa Fong-Poh NG, Ee Chee REN, Lawrence STANTON, Long M. Philip, Edison Tak-Bun LIU (2003) "Comparative full-length genome sequence analysis of 14 SARS coronavirus isolates and common mutations associated with putative origins of infection" Lancet 361 (9371) 1779-85 Abstract      Supplemental Data File