Researcher biography
Dr Liyu Chen is a research-focused academic with interdisciplinary training in nanoengineering and neuroscience. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR) at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), where she serves as the Blood-Brain barrier (BBB) Theme Leader in Prof. Jürgen Götz's laboratory, driving research aimed at advancing cerebral drug delivery.
Her research focussed on therapeutic ultrasound-mediated BBB opening to enhance drug delivery for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. She also develops contrast-free imaging modalities by integrating protein engineering and modelling, molecular biology, structural biology and nanotechnology approaches.
Journal Articles
Ediriweera, Gayathri R., Sivaram, Amal J., Cowin, Gary, Brown, Mikayla L., McAlary, Luke, Lum, Jeremy S., Fletcher, Nicholas L., Robinson, Liam, Simpson, Joshua D., Chen, Liyu, Wasielewska, Joanna M., Byrne, Ella, Finnie, John W., Manavis, Jim, White, Anthony R., Yerbury, Justin J., Thurecht, Kristofer J. and Vine, Kara L. (2025). Lipid nanoparticles and transcranial focused ultrasound enhance the delivery of SOD1 antisense oligonucleotides to the murine brain for ALS therapy. Journal of Controlled Release, 378, 221-235. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.11.074
Chen, Liyu, Song, Jae, Richter-Stretton, Gina, Lee, Wendy, Padmanabhan, Pranesh and Götz, Jürgen (2024). Multimodal evaluation of blood-brain barrier opening in mice in response to low-intensity ultrasound and a claudin-5 binder. Nanotheranostics, 8 (4), 427-441. doi: 10.7150/ntno.95146
Chen, Liyu, Cruz, Esteban, Oikari, Lotta E., Padmanabhan, Pranesh, Song, Jae and Götz, Jürgen (2022). Opportunities and challenges in delivering biologics for Alzheimer's disease by low-intensity ultrasound. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 189 114517, 1-18. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114517
Wasielewska, Joanna M., Chaves, Juliana C.S., Johnston, Rebecca L., Milton, Laura A., Hernández, Damián, Chen, Liyu, Song, Jae, Lee, Wendy, Leinenga, Gerhard, Nisbet, Rebecca M., Pébay, Alice, Götz, Jürgen, White, Anthony R. and Oikari, Lotta E. (2022). A sporadic Alzheimer’s blood-brain barrier model for developing ultrasound-mediated delivery of Aducanumab and anti-Tau antibodies. Theranostics, 12 (16), 6826-6847. doi: 10.7150/thno.72685
Chen, Liyu, Sutharsan, Ratneswary, Lee, Jonathan L. F., Cruz, Esteban, Asnicar, Blaise, Palliyaguru, Tishila, Wasielewska, Joanna M., Gaudin, Arnaud, Song, Jae, Leinenga, Gerhard and Götz, Jürgen (2022). Claudin-5 binder enhances focused ultrasound-mediated opening in an in vitro blood-brain barrier model. Theranostics, 12 (5), 1952-1970. doi: 10.7150/thno.65539
Ediriweera, Gayathri R., Chen, Liyu, Yerbury, Justin J., Thurecht, Kristofer J. and Vine, Kara L. (2021). Non-viral vector-mediated gene therapy for ALS: challenges and future perspectives. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 18 (6), 2142-2160. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00297
Pandit, Rucha, Chen, Liyu and Götz, Jürgen (2019). The blood-brain barrier: physiology and strategies for drug delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 165-166, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2019.11.009
Chen, Liyu, Glass, Joshua J., De Rose, Robert, Sperling, Claudia, Kent, Stephen J., Houston, Zachary H., Fletcher, Nicholas L., Rolfe, Barbara E. and Thurecht, Kristofer J. (2018). Influence of Charge on Hemocompatibility and Immunoreactivity of Polymeric Nanoparticles. ACS Applied Bio Materials, 1 (3) acsabm.8b00220, 756-767. doi: 10.1021/acsabm.8b00220
Chen, Liyu, Simpson, Joshua D, Fuchs, Adrian V, Rolfe, Barbara E and Thurecht, Kristofer J (2017). Effects of Surface Charge of Hyperbranched Polymers on Cytotoxicity, Dynamic Cellular Uptake and Localization, Hemotoxicity, and Pharmacokinetics in Mice. Molecular pharmaceutics, 14 (12), 4485-4497. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00611
Zhao, Yongmei, Houston, Zachary H., Simpson, Joshua D., Chen, Liyu, Fletcher, Nicholas L., Fuchs, Adrian V., Blakey, Idriss and Thurecht, Kristofer J. (2017). Using peptide aptamer targeted polymers as a model nanomedicine for investigating drug distribution in cancer nanotheranostics. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 14 (10), 3539-3549. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00560
Chen, Liyu, Watson, Clare, Morsch, Marco, Cole, Nicholas J., Chung, Roger S., Saunders, Darren N., Yerbury, Justin J. and Vine, Kara L. (2017). Improving the delivery of SOD1 antisense oligonucleotides to motor neurons using calcium phosphate-lipid nanoparticle. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 11 (AUG) 476, 476. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00476
Glass, Joshua J., Chen, Liyu, Alcantara, Sheilajen, Crampin, Edmund J., Thurecht, Kristofer J., De Rose, Robert and Kent, Stephen J. (2017). Charge has a marked influence on hyperbranched polymer nanoparticle association in whole human blood. ACS Macro Letters, 6 (6), 586-592. doi: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00229
Zhong, Ying, Chen, Liyu, Zhang, Yu, Li, Wenhao, Sun, Xun, Gong, Tao and Zhang, Zhirong (2013). Vesicular phospholipid gels using low concentrations of phospholipids for the sustained release of thymopentin: Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Pharmazie, 68 (10), 811-815. doi: 10.1691/ph.2013.3008
Zhang, Q., Liang, Z., Chen, L. Y., Sun, X., Gong, T. and Zhang, Z. R. (2012). Novel brain targeting prodrugs of naproxen based on dimethylamino group with various linkages. Arzneimittel-Forschung/Drug Research, 62 (6), 261-266. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1306273
Thesis
Chen, Liyu (2016). Physiological response to polymeric materials in nanomedicine. PhD Thesis, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2016.994