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Xiaorong Liu

Xiaorong Liu

Associate Professor of Biology and Psychology, Biology

Bio & Overview

I have been interested in understanding the regulation and misregulation of retinal structures and functions during normal development and in diseased conditions since my PhD study. I started my own laboratory in 2008 as a research assistant professor in Neurobiology and Physiology at Northwestern University, mainly working on visual system development and function. I started my tenure-track position in Ophthalmology in 2011, around which time I expanded my research interests to investigating how visual system degenerates in mouse models of experimental glaucoma. Glaucoma is a major cause of blindness characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and vision loss. Much remains to be investigated how RGCs degenerate and die with glaucoma progression. Our research on RGC normal development and function provides unique and innovative tools to characterize RGC degeneration in glaucoma, which is much needed to advance the field. In my laboratory, we have established mouse models of experimental glaucoma to study RGC death and its underlying molecular mechanisms. We combine mouse genetics, in vivo imaging, molecular biology, and physiology techniques to study the structural and functional development of RGCs as well as how RGCs degenerate in glaucoma. Moreover, we are also interested in developing novel neuroprotection strategies to preserve vision in glaucoma. For more information, please visit my website.

Academic Information

Department
Biology
Academic Title
Assistant Professor

Primary Education

  • PhD, Biology, University of Virginia, 2002

Other Appointments

  • Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
  • Assistant Professor, Psychology

Other Affiliations

  • MSTP
  • BIMS

Research Interests

Developing novel neuroprotection strategies to preserve vision in glaucoma

Research Disciplines

  • Development, Stem Cells & Regeneration
  • Experimental Pathology
  • Neuroimmunology
  • Neuroscience

Research Opportunities

  • Experimental Pathology
  • Molecular and Systems Neuroscience
  • Neuroimmunology
  • Neuroscience

PhD Programs

  • Neuroscience

Selected Publications

2024

Miller, D. A., Grannonico, M., Liu, M., Savier, E., McHaney, K., Erisir, A., . . . Zhang, H. F. (2024). Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography Fibergraphy of the Tree Shrew Retinal Ganglion Cell Axon Bundles.. IEEE transactions on medical imaging, PP. doi:10.1109/tmi.2024.3380530

Grannonico, M., Miller, D. A., Liu, M., Krause, M. A., Savier, E., Erisir, A., . . . Liu, X. (2024). Comparative In Vivo Imaging of Retinal Structures in Tree Shrews, Humans, and Mice. ENEURO, 11(3). doi:10.1523/ENEURO.0373-23.2024

Krause, M. A., Grannonico, M., Tyler, B. P., Miller, D. A., Fan, W., Liu, M., . . . Netland, P. A. (2024). Hyperreflective Dots in Central Fovea Visualized by a Novel Application of Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography. CASE REPORTS IN OPHTHALMOLOGICAL MEDICINE, 2024. doi:10.1155/2024/5823455

2023

Cole, J. D., McDaniel, J. A., Nilak, J., Ban, A., Rodriguez, C., Hameed, Z., . . . Liu, X. (2024). Characterization of neural damage and neuroinflammation in Pax6 small-eye mice. EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH, 238. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2023.109723

Chang, S., Xu, W., Fan, W., McDaniel, J. A., Grannonico, M., Miller, D. A., . . . Liu, X. (2023). Alignment of Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography Fibergrams with Confocal Images of the Same Mouse Retina. JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS, (196). doi:10.3791/65237

2022

Cole, J. D., McHaney, K. M., Rabiee, B., Gao, J., Rodriguez, C., Miller, D. A., . . . Liu, X. (2022). Long-term retinal protection by MEK inhibition in Pax6 haploinsufficiency mice.. Experimental eye research, 218, 109012. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2022.109012

Gao, J., Griner, E. M., Liu, M., Moy, J., Provencio, I., & Liu, X. (2022). Differential effects of experimental glaucoma on intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells in mice. JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY, 530(9), 1494-1506. doi:10.1002/cne.25293

2021

Grannonico, M., Miller, D. A., Liu, M., Norat, P., Deppmann, C. D., Netland, P. A., . . . Liu, X. (2021). Global and Regional Damages in Retinal Ganglion Cell Axon Bundles Monitored Non-Invasively by Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography Fibergraphy. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 41(49), 10179-10193. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0844-21.2021

Beckmann, L., Cai, Z., Cole, J., Miller, D. A., Liu, M., Grannonico, M., . . . Zhang, H. F. (2021). In vivo imaging of the inner retinal layer structure in mice after eye-opening using visible-light optical coherence tomography. EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH, 211. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2021.108756

2020

Rabiee, B., Anwar, K. N., Shen, X., Putra, I., Liu, M., Jung, R., . . . Djalilian, A. R. (2020). Gene dosage manipulation alleviates manifestations of hereditary PAX6 haploinsufficiency in mice. SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, 12(573). doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aaz4894

Liu, X., Feng, L., Shinde, I., Cole, J. D., Troy, J. B., & Saggere, L. (2020). Correlation between retinal ganglion cell loss and nerve crush force-impulse established with instrumented tweezers in mice. NEUROLOGICAL RESEARCH, 42(5), 379-386. doi:10.1080/01616412.2020.1733322

2019

Mathew, B., Ravindran, S., Liu, X., Torres, L., Chennakesavalu, M., Huang, C. -C., . . . Roth, S. (2019). Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles and retinal ischemia-reperfusion. BIOMATERIALS, 197, 146-160. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.01.016

2018

Cang, J., Savier, E., Barchini, J., & Liu, X. (2018). Visual Function, Organization, and Development of the Mouse Superior Colliculus. ANNUAL REVIEW OF VISION SCIENCE, VOL 4, 4, 239-262. doi:10.1146/annurev-vision-091517-034142

2017

Thomson, B. R., Souma, T., Tompson, S. W., Onay, T., Kizhatil, K., Siggs, O. M., . . . Quaggin, S. E. (2017). Angiopoietin-1 is required for Schlemm's canal development in mice and humans. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, 127(12), 4421-4436. doi:10.1172/JCI95545

Zhen, P., Gong, H. -Q., He, S. -G., Troy, J. B., Liu, X., & Liang, P. -J. (2017). Different functional susceptibilities of mouse retinal ganglion cell subtypes to optic nerve crush injury. EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH, 162, 97-103. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2017.06.014

Feng, L., Zhen, P., Chen, H., Liang, P., Troy, J. B., & Liu, X. (2017). Overexpression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Protects Large Retinal Ganglion Cells After Optic Nerve Crush in Mice. ENEURO, 4(1). doi:10.1523/ENEURO.0331-16.2016

2013

Wang, B. -S., Feng, L., Liu, M., Liu, X., & Cang, J. (2013). Environmental Enrichment Rescues Binocular Matching of Orientation Preference in Mice that Have a Precocious Critical Period. NEURON, 80(1), 198-209. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.07.023

Zhao, X., Chen, H., Liu, X., & Cang, J. (2013). Orientation-selective Responses in the Mouse Lateral Geniculate Nucleus. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 33(31), 12751-+. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0095-13.2013

Feng, L., Zhao, Y., Yoshida, M., Chen, H., Yang, J. F., Kim, T. S., . . . Liu, X. (2013). Sustained Ocular Hypertension Induces Dendritic Degeneration of Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells That Depends on Cell Type and Location. INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE, 54(2), 1106-1117. doi:10.1167/iovs.12-10791

2011

Yoshida, M., Feng, L., Grimbert, F., Rangarajan, K. V., Buggele, W., Copenhagen, D. R., . . . Liu, X. (2011). Overexpression of Neurotrophin-3 Stimulates a Second Wave of Dopaminergic Amacrine Cell Genesis after Birth in the Mouse Retina. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 31(35), 12663-12673. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1100-11.2011

Rangarajan, K. V., Lawhn-Heath, C., Feng, L., Kim, T. S., Cang, J., & Liu, X. (2011). Detection of Visual Deficits in Aging DBA/2J Mice by Two Behavioral Assays. CURRENT EYE RESEARCH, 36(5), 481-491. doi:10.3109/02713683.2010.549600

2010

Wang, L., Sarnaik, R., Rangarajan, K., Liu, X., & Cang, J. (2010). Visual Receptive Field Properties of Neurons in the Superficial Superior Colliculus of the Mouse. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 30(49), 16573-16584. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3305-10.2010

Cantrell, D. R., Cang, J., Troy, J. B., & Liu, X. (2010). Non-Centered Spike-Triggered Covariance Analysis Reveals Neurotrophin-3 as a Developmental Regulator of Receptive Field Properties of ON-OFF Retinal Ganglion Cells. PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, 6(10). doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000967