Faculty

Kathy Fange Liu, Ph.D

Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Department: Biochemistry and Biophysics

Graduate Group Affiliations

Contact information

Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
347-A Clinical Research Building
415 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6059 USA
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Office: 215-573-6413
Lab: 215-573-6414

Email:
liufg@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Education
B.S. (Cell Biology with Honors)
Capital Normal University, Beijing, P.R. China, 2008.
Ph.D (Biochemistry with Distinction)
Georgia State University, USA, 2013.

Links
Faculty page in Cell And Molecular Biology graduate group
Faculty Page
Kathy Liu Group Twitter
Kathy Liu Group Website
Faculty page in Institute of Regenerative Medicine

Permanent link

> Perelman School of Medicine > Faculty > Details

Description of Research Expertise

Our lab studies how enzymes regulate gene expression differently in normal physiology and cancer biology. We discover unique biochemical mechanisms underlying cancer vulnerabilities. We combine deep mechanistic studies with innovative therapeutic development, from (1) X-Y paired homologous proteins, (2) cancer fusion proteins, (3) ribosome biology, and (4) coregulation of enzyme-mediated modifications across RNA species. We aim to redefine how molecular understanding leads to new cancer treatments by bridging fundamental biochemistry and translational research. Our goal is to forge a direct path from benchside discoveries to impactful clinical applications, fundamentally changing how we approach cancer treatment.

Selected Publications

Mendoza-Figueroa S, Lavorando E, Gonskikh Y, Elashal H, Chen AY, Carone D, Liu, KF*: rRNA 5'ETS processing contributes to nucleolar organization and nuclear architecture. Genes & Dev. in press, July 2026.

Renming Hu, Eric Yin, Yanze Jian, Praneeth Bommisetti1, Maria Saraí Mendoza-Figueroa, Ronen Marmastein, and Kathy Fange Liu*: NAT10-mediated rRNA acetylation networks safeguard ribosome quality and translation. To be submitted 2026.

Renming Hu, Wei Gao, Anneliese Faustino, Hsin Yao Tang, Praneeth Bommisetti, Kathy Fange Liu*: A chaperone-activated helicase function of NAT10 sustains cell proliferation. To be submitted 2026.

Yanze Jian, Praneeth Bommisetti, Anneliese Faustino, Hsin Yao Tang, Zhihao Zhuang, and Kathy Fange Liu: Sex chromosome-encoded USP9X and USP9Y divergently regulate centrosomal integrity. To be submitted 2026.

Patrick Allen, Praneeth Bommisetti, Richard Cooley, Kathy Liu Fange* Ryan Mehl*: Mapping and characterizing host-driven modifications to orthogonal tRNA using Aminoacylation-Gated Extraction. To be submitted 2026.

Hyojeong Hwang, Maria Saraí Mendoza-Figueroa, Ellen Lavorando1,2, Hsin-Yao Tang, and Kathy Fange Liu*: Oncofusion condensates alter epigenetic and translational regulation in cancer development. To be published 2026.

Praneeth Bommisetti, Stephano Iglesias, Junda Huang, Yulia Gonskikh, Barry Cooperman, Ronen Marmorstein, Kathy Fange Liu*: Sequential rRNA methylations create a structural checkpoint that licenses ribosome initiation and elongation-based controls for optimal translation. To be submitted 2026.

Hyojeong Hwang*, Monica Pomaville*, Alexis Chen Boulter*, Jeffrey Schubert, Peter J. Madsen, Mateusz Koptyra, Michael LaRiviere, Aashim Bhatia, Gregory M. Podsakoff, Johannes Van Der Loo, Theodore W Laetsch, Marilyn Li, Jessica B. Foster**, Richard Aplenc**, Kathy Fange Liu**: Personalized antisense oligonucleotide therapy in a patient with refractory NFIA::CBFA2T3 acute myeloid leukemia. To be submitted 2026.

Gonskikh Y, Tirrito C, Bommisetti P, Mendoza M, Stoute J, Kim J, Wang Q, Song Y*, and Liu Kathy Fange*: Spatial regulation of NSUN2-mediated tRNA m5C installation in cognitive function. Nucleic Acids Res. Jan 2025.

Xiaoyu Wei, Nora Sampson, Sarai Maria Figueroa Mendoza, Yulia Gonskikh*, Kathy Fange Liu*: Fault-tolerance study on a positively charged cleft in 18S rRNA methyltransferase DIMT1. Biochemistry Jan 2025.