Biography

Li Liu, M.S., is a research scientist in the Chemistry Technology program within NCATS’ Division of Preclinical Innovation, where she works on chemical biology efforts and the optimization of small molecules identified from high-throughput screens. She previously worked as a senior associate scientist at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, where she prepared a large number of analogs for evaluation to improve the activity profile and bioavailability in numerous projects.

Liu earned her Master of Science in chemistry at the State University of New York, Binghamton, where she worked with Olivier R. Martin, Ph.D., on the synthesis of novel aza-C-disaccharide as potential glycosidase inhibitors and a-homogalactostatin.

Research Topics

Since joining NCATS, Liu has collaborated on multidisciplinary teams for several projects covering a diverse range of targets. She has worked on novel and well-characterized inhibitors for a variety of targets, including but not limited to:

• Lipid storage (LDSA)
• Galactokinase inhibitors (GALK)
• Ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2)
• Nrf2 inhibitors
• Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1)