Shi-He Liu, M.D., M.S.

Assistant Professor of Cell and Cancer Biology

Dr. Shi-He Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell and Cancer Biology. He earned his M.D. degree in 1989 from Shandong Medical College and his M.S. in tumor immunity in 1993 from Peking Union Medical College. With a career dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of cancer, Dr. Liu’s research focuses on innovative approaches to cancer therapy, early detection methods, and gene therapy. He is particularly interested in the bioengineering of exosomes as targeted therapy for cancers, exploring how these nanoscale vesicles can be harnessed for precision medicine.

After completing his medical degree, Dr. Liu gained 15 years of clinical experience in treating hematological malignancies at the Institute of Hematology, Blood Diseases Hospital in the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. During this time, he also conducted cytogenetic and molecular genetic studies on blood disorders.

In 2003, Dr. Liu joined the Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine as a postdoctoral researcher, where he engaged in gene therapy for pancreatic cancer. His work led to the development of multiple gene therapies, RNAi therapies, and small molecule therapies for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

In 2013, Dr. Liu became an Assistant Professor at UCLA, where he focused on repurposing FDA-approved drugs for pancreatic cancer therapy. His efforts resulted in the successful development of three FDA-approved drugs for the effective treatment of pancreatic cancer.

In 2016, Dr. Liu joined the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences as an Assistant Professor. There, he explored novel approaches for the early detection of pancreatic cancer and began engineering exosomes for targeted therapies. His persistence in research was rewarded in 2023 with an NIH-NCI R01 grant and an Ohio Cancer Research grant.

In the classroom, Dr. Liu teaches courses on critical topics such as the cell membrane, genes and genomes, and advanced cancer biology. His teaching is informed by his cutting-edge research, providing students with a deep and practical understanding of these complex subjects.

Selected publications

1. Creeden JF, Sevier JS, Zhang JT, Lapitsky Y, Brunicardi FC, Ge J, Nemunaitis J, Liu JY, Kalinoski A, Rao D, Liu S-H. Smart exosomes enhance PDAC targeted therapy. Journal of Controlled Release 368 413–429, 2024.
2. Liu S-H*, Yu J, Creeden JF, Sutton JM, Markowiak S, Sanchez R, Nemunaitis J, Kalinoski A, Zhang, JT, Damoiseaux R, Erhardt P, Brunicardi FC. Repurposing Metformin, Simvastatin and Digoxin as A Combination for Targeted Therapy for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Lett 2020; 491:97-107 (*Corresponding author)
3. Liu S-H, Hong Y, Markowiak S, Sanchez R, Creeden J, Nemunaitis J, Kalinoski A, Willey J, Erhardt P, Lee J, van Dam M, Brunicardi FC. BIRC5 is a target for molecular imaging and detection of human pancreatic cancer. Cancer Lett 2019; 457:10-19.
4. Liu S-H, Yu J, Sanchez R, et A novel synthetic human insulin super promoter for targeting PDX-1-expressing pancreatic cancer. Cancer Lett 2018;418: 75-83.
5. Liu S-H, Zhou G, Yu J, et Notch1 activation up-regulates pancreatic and duodenal homeobox-1. Genes (Basel) 2013;4:358-74.
6. Liu S-H, Zhou G, Shahi KM, Nemunaitis J, Fisher WE, Brunicardi FC. A Novel PDX-1-Specific, Synthetic Promoter Driving Systemic Suicide Gene Therapy Suppresses Pancreas Cancer (PC) Tumor Volume in Journal of Surgical Research 2013;179:193.
7. Jay CM, Ruoff C, Kumar P, Maass H, Spanhel B , Miller M , Arrington A, Montalvo N , Gresham V, Rao DD, Evans C , Wang Z , Brunicardi FC , Liu S-H , Zhou G , Senzer N, J Nemunaitis J, King L , B Weeks B, Clubb FJ, Fossum TW and Maples PB. Assessment of intravenous pbi-shRNA PDX1 nanoparticle (OFHIRNA-PDX1) in yucatan swine. Cancer Gene Ther 2013;20:683-9.
8. Zhou G, Liu S-H, Shahi KM, et al. Negative regulation of pancreatic and duodenal homeobox-1 by somatostatin receptor subtype Mol Endocrinol 2012;26:1225-34.
9. Wang Y, Zhang Y, Yang J, Ni X, Liu S-H, Hodges SE, Fisher WE, Brunicardi FC, Gibbs G, Gingras MC, Li M. Genomic sequencing of key genes in mouse pancreatic cancer cells. Current molecular medicine 2012;12:331-41.
10. Liu S-H, Rao D, Nemunaitis J, et PDX-1 is a therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer, insulinoma and islet neoplasia using a novel RNA interference platform. PLoS One 2012;7:e40452.
11. Liu S-H, Smyth-Templeton N, Davis AR, et al. Multiple treatment cycles of liposome-encapsulated adenoviral RIP-TK gene therapy effectively ablate human pancreatic cancer cells in SCID mice. Surgery 2011;149:484-95.
12. Liu S-H, Patel S, Gingras MC, et PDX-1: demonstration of oncogenic properties in pancreatic cancer. Cancer 2011;117:723-33
13. Liu S-H, Davis A, Li Z, et Effective ablation of pancreatic cancer cells in SCID mice using systemic adenoviral RIP-TK/GCV gene therapy. J Surg Res 2007;141:45-52
14. Liu S-H, Wang X-P, Brunicardi Enhanced Cytotoxicity of RIPTK Gene Therapy of Pancreatic Cancer via PDX-1 Co-Delivery. Journal of Surgical Research 2007;137:1-9
15. Liu S-H, Bo, LJ, Liu XP, Li C, Q S, Wang JX. IGH gene involvement in two cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia with t(14;14) (q11;q32) identified by sequential R- banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Cancer Genet Cytogenet 2004;152:141-5.