Dr. Deguang Liang received his bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Sun Yat-sen University, and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He conducted his postdoctoral research with Dr. Xuejun Jiang at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He will join CIMR as assistant investigator in 2024. His previous studies have been published in prestigious journals such as Cell, Molecular Cell, and Cell Research, among others.

Dr. Liang’s lab is dedicated to studying the molecular regulation and biological function of phospholipid (PL) metabolism pathways (e.g., PL de novo synthesis, remodeling, transport, etc.) under different physiological and pathological conditions. PLs are major components of cell membranes, and the dynamic changes in PL composition, on the one hand, regulate the physicochemical properties of cell membranes and influence cellular functions (such as cell migration, phagocytosis, exocytosis, autophagy, mitochondrial aerobic respiration, etc.). On the other hand, they also modulate the sensitivity of cells to ferroptosis (an emerging form of regulated cell death caused by iron-mediated PL peroxidation) and affect the occurrence and progression of related diseases (such as tumors, neurodegenerative diseases, ischemia-reperfusion injury, etc.). Therefore, investigating the intricate feedback regulation of cellular PL metabolism pathways holds significant importance for both basic and translational research.