Liqing Yu

Dr. Liqing Yu is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, with a secondary appointment in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His research focuses on lipid metabolism and transport mechanisms and their roles in metabolic diseases including obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Yu received his MD from Hubei Medical University at Xianning, China (1985), MS in Pathology from The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China (1988), and PhD in Molecular and Pathological Basis of Atherosclerosis from Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (1995). He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Alberta School of Medicine, Canada (1996-1998) and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas (1998-2000).

Dr. Yu's research centers on identifying molecular mechanisms underlying lipid metabolism and transport and how these influence disease pathogenesis. His laboratory has created several transgenic and knockout mouse models to study NPC1L1 in cholesterol transport and metabolic disease, and intracellular lipid droplet lipolysis in metabolic disorders. He has extensive expertise in molecular biology, genetics, and genetic manipulations of mice. His work bridges basic molecular mechanisms with clinical implications for metabolic disorders.

His publication record demonstrates consistent focus on lipid metabolism, with recent work expanding into environmental factors like PM2.5 exposure and their effects on metabolic health. His research shows strong translational potential with connections to pharmaceutical development and clinical applications.

Dr. Yu has received several prestigious awards:

• Chinese Association of Cell Biology Award, 1988
• Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China Award, 1997
• David L. Williams Memorial Lectureship Award, 2006
• Aspen Lipid Conference, 2006

Dr. Yu has secured substantial research funding, currently serving as PI on multiple NIH R01 grants including 'Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Fatty Liver Disease' (NIDDK) and 'Macrophage Triglyceride Hydrolysis and Atherosclerosis' (AHA). He has also received industry funding from pharmaceutical companies including Merck & Co. and Pfizer. His laboratory maintains active collaborations with researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Georgia State University.

As Director of the Transgenic Mouse Core Facility at Wake Forest University for over 7 years, Dr. Yu has extensive experience in genetic model development. His current laboratory continues to utilize advanced genetic approaches to study lipid metabolism and its role in metabolic diseases, with particular focus on intracellular lipid droplet lipolysis and its implications for NAFLD and related metabolic disorders.