معرفی
Paul M. Lieberman, Ph.D. serves as the Hilary Koprowski, M.D., Endowed Professor and Program Leader of the Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling Program at the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center of The Wistar Institute. He also directs The Wistar Institute Center for Chemical Biology & Translational Medicine, which he founded in 2010. Lieberman joined The Wistar Institute in 1995 as an assistant professor and has established himself as a leading researcher in viral oncology, with continuous publication activity through 2025.
Lieberman earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Cornell University and completed his doctorate in pharmacology/virology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on how cancer-associated viruses, particularly Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV), establish latent infections that can lead to cancer or autoimmune disorders. His laboratory investigates epigenetic controls of viral latency, virus modulation of host chromosomes, chromosome conformation control of viral latency, telomere maintenance in cancer, and drug discovery targeting viral proteins.
Recent publications reveal Lieberman's research trends spanning molecular virology, epigenetics, and translational applications. His work shows strong emphasis on viral persistence mechanisms, the connection between EBV infection and multiple sclerosis, and development of small molecule inhibitors targeting viral proteins like EBNA1. This research bridges fundamental virology with clinical applications for treating virus-associated cancers and autoimmune conditions.
- Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023.
- Multiple sclerosis patient-derived spontaneous B cells have distinct EBV and host gene expression profiles in active disease. Nat Microbiol. 2024.
- Therapeutic approaches to Epstein-Barr virus cancers. Curr Opin Virol. 2022.
Lieberman leads a substantial research team including Research Associate Professor Troy Messick, Senior Staff Scientist Samantha Soldan, multiple staff scientists, postdoctoral fellows, pre-doctoral trainees, and research assistants. His laboratory receives significant funding for viral oncology research and collaborates with structural biologists and medicinal chemists to advance drug discovery. The laboratory actively utilizes The Wistar Institute's Molecular Screening Facility for high-throughput compound screening.
The Lieberman Laboratory maintains strong connections with clinical researchers studying EBV-associated diseases and multiple sclerosis, positioning his work at the intersection of basic science and clinical translation. His research on small molecule inhibitors of EBNA1 represents a promising therapeutic avenue for EBV-associated malignancies.
