Dr. Patricia Liaw, Associate Professor B.Sc., M. Sc., Ph.D.

pliawthrombosishhscrorg

Resume: P._Liaw_CV_updated_March_2009.doc

Publications: P._Liaw_Publications_2009.doc

Dr. Liaw is an Associate Professor at McMaster University in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hematology. She received her Ph.D. in 1998 at McMaster University in the Department of Medical Sciences (Hemostasis, Thromboembolism, and Atherosclerosis programme) under the supervision of Dr. Jeffrey Weitz. Dr. Liaw then spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Charles Esmon at the Cardiovascular Biology Research Program at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

Dr. Liaw’s overall research interest is to study the mechanistic links between coagulation, inflammation, and apoptosis particularly those associated with (a) the pathophysiology of sepsis (ie. life-threatening infections) and (b) chemotherapy-induced thrombogenesis. Her approach is to integrate basic studies with clinical research projects to gain understanding into why vascular dysfunction occurs.

Her current research focuses on two key areas: (1) Basic and clinical research of activated protein C, the first effective biological therapy for the treatment of sepsis, and (2) basic and translational studies to elucidate why chemotherapeutic drugs induce a hypercoagulable state.

Dr. Liaw’s integrative research approach includes studies at the levels of cell biology, protein biochemistry, molecular biology, and clinical research studies. The techniques utilized in her research include flow cytometry, cytokine and apoptosis assays, surface plasmon resonance (BIACORE), fluorescence spectroscopy, enzyme kinetics, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, tissue culture, protein expression and purification, functional studies of human plasma and blood leukocytes.