College of Engineering and Computing
Faculty and Staff
Chang Liu
Title: | Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering |
Department: | Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering College of Engineering and Computing |
Email: | changliu@cec.sc.edu |
Website: | Research Website |
Phone: | 803-777-3182 |
Office: |
Swearingen 301 Main Street Room 2C07 Columbia, SC 29208 |
Resources: | Google Scholar |

Experience and Education
- Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Univ. of South Carolina, 2018-Present
- Assistant Research Scientist, The Biodesign Inst., Arizona State Univ., 2016-2018
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 2013-2016
- Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, 2013
- B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, China, 2007
Research Overview
Project 1: Point-of-care diagnostics for resource-limited settings.
Nanopores are capable of ultrasensitive quantitation of single proteins/peptides,
and thus permit monitoring of low-abundance circulating biomarkers. The goal of this
project is to develop a portable in vitro diagnostics assay using Nanopore technology for rapid diagnosis and treatment monitoring
of infectious diseases (e.g. Tuberculosis, HIV) in resource-limited and high-burden
areas. For future clinical translation, we are working with clinicians to validate
the assay’s performance on (1) detection of active Tuberculosis; and (2) risk assessment
of HIV maternal-fetal transmission.
Project 2: Translational biomarkers and biosensors to enable personalized medicine.
Most cell types abundantly secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), including tumor cells
that usually show increased EV secretion levels. Similar to cells, EVs are composed
of a lipid bilayer and can contain all the molecular components of a cell, such as
proteins, lipids, RNA and DNA fragments that reflect the phenotypic state of their
cell of origin. These biomolecules are excellent candidates for diagnostic and prognostic
biomarkers. Our work has been focused on isolation of circulating EVs using nanomaterials
and microfluidics based technologies, and identification of novel proteomics/genomics
biomarkers inside them to enable early detection and personalized treatment regimens
for cancer patients.
Project 3: Nanostructure-based tools for fundamental biochemical studies.
Generic biosensing platforms for fundamental biochemical studies can inform medical
and pharmaceutical research. We are developing nanostructure-based localized surface
plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensors to study biomolecule interactions. Nanostructures
covered with lipid bilayers can mimic bacteria/cell membranes, possess similar two-dimensional
fluidity, and be readily engineered to contain specific lipids and proteins. LSPR
signal from such nanostructures can indicate the binding kinetics of biomolecules
and lipid bilayers, with potential applications for drug development and drug-resistance
studies.
Selected Publications
Liu, C., Zhao, Z., Fan, J., Lyon, C.J., Wu, H.J., Nedelkov, D., Zelazny, A.M., Olivier, K.N., Cazares, L.H., Holland, S.M., Graviss, E.A., and Hu, Y., Quantification of circulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen peptides allows rapid diagnosis of active disease and treatment monitoring. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A, 114, 3969–3974 (2017). Highlighted by the New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch.
Liu, C., Lyon, C.J., Bu, Y., Deng, Z., Walters, E., Li, Y., Zhang, L., Hesseling, A.C., Graviss, E.A., and Hu, Y., Clinical evaluation of a blood assay to diagnose paucibacillary tuberculosis via bacterial antigens. Clin. Chem., 64, (2018). Featured as cover.
Liu, C., Alwarappan, S., Badr, H.A., Zhang, R., Liu, H., Zhu, J.J., and Li, C.Z., Live cell integrated surface plasmon resonance biosensing approach to mimic the regulation of angiogenic switch upon anti-cancer drug exposure. Anal. Chem., 86(15), 7305-7310 (2014).
Liu, C., Lei, T., Ino, K., Matsue, T., Tao, N.J., and Li, C.Z., Real-time monitoring biomarker expression of carcinoma cells by surface plasmon resonance biosensors. Chem. Commun., 48, 10389–10391 (2012). Featured as cover.
Liu, C., Balsamo, V., Sun, D., Naja, M., Wang, X., Rosen, B., and Li, C.Z., A 3D localized surface plasmon resonance biosensor for the study of trivalent arsenic binding to the ArsA ATPase. Biosens. Bioelectron., 38, 19-26 (2012).
Teaching
- BMEN 321 – Biomonitoring and Electrophysiology
- BMEN 589 - Biosensing Fundamentals and Applications