Chen Liang

Chen Liang is a Professor and Associate Investigator at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), specifically within the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program. He is based at the Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, where he leads research focused on host-virus interactions and antiviral therapeutics development.

Dr. Liang's research primarily investigates host innate immune responses to viral infections, with particular emphasis on HIV and SARS-CoV-2. His laboratory explores how host cells produce antiviral interferons in response to viral infections and how these highly pathogenic viruses overcome and evade this first line of host defense. His work spans multiple areas including viral pathogenesis mechanisms, molecular mechanisms of viral assembly and production, and development of antiviral therapeutics including small molecules and RNA medicine. Notably, his lab has pioneered the application of CRISPR gene editing technology in curing HIV infection.

Analysis of Dr. Liang's recent publications reveals a consistent research trajectory focused on viral immune evasion strategies, host restriction factors, and antiviral development. His work spans multiple viral systems including HIV, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and other emerging pathogens, with particular emphasis on interferon responses, viral assembly mechanisms, and novel diagnostic approaches. His research integrates molecular virology, immunology, and translational approaches to address fundamental questions in viral pathogenesis and therapeutic development.

Dr. Liang is actively accepting graduate students and maintains a productive research program with numerous publications spanning from 2013 to the present. His laboratory appears to be well-funded based on the volume and diversity of research outputs, with particular emphasis on understanding viral mechanisms of immune evasion and developing novel antiviral strategies targeting HIV and emerging coronaviruses.