CRISPR-Cas systems are adaptive immunesystemsin bacteria and archaea that provide sequence-specific defense against mobile genetic elements such as phages and plasmids. These systems rely on crRNA-guided Cas nucleases to target and cleave foreign DNA or RNA, enabling precise genome editing and regulation. The discovery of CRISPR-Cas has not only advanced our understanding of prokaryotic immunity but has also spurred transformative biotechnological applications, including genome engineering, antimicrobial development, and diagnostics. Key mechanistic questions remain regarding spacer acquisition, target recognition, and Cas protein diversity across bacterial species. Further research into these areas continues to uncover novel Cas variants, refine editing precision, and expand the potential uses of CRISPR-based technologies.

The ability to edit genes enables us to engineer microbial strains for industrial applications and modify immune cells for cancer therapy, among other critical uses.Our lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying CRISPR-Cas and other gene editing systems in bacteria. Additionally, we explore the applications of these systems in antimicrobial development, microbiome engineering, and high-throughput screening. By elucidating the fundamental principles of the functions of these gene editing tools and optimizingtheirefficiency, we aim to advance both basic science and translational innovations in genetic manipulation.

Includes study and work experience.

Prof. Liao earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology from Iowa State University (2010–2015), where she investigated the molecular mechanisms of bacterial attachment under the guidance of Prof. Laura Jarboe. She then conducted postdoctoral research at North Carolina State University (2016–2018) before joining the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-Based Infection Research (HIRI) in Germany as anresearch scientist(2018–2021) in Prof. Chase Beisel’s lab. Over these years,her research focused onCRISPR arrays, includingexploringthe mechanism of defendingand developingmethods for CRISPR array construction. Her systematic work on CRISPR RNA biogenesis has advanced the understanding of CRISPR-Cas mechanisms and applications, earning recognition in the field. Her research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Nature Microbiology, Nature Communications, Annual Review of Genetics, Molecular Cell, Nucleic Acids Research, and PNAS. In 2022, Dr. Liao was appointed Professor in the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences at the Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology.

Selected publications

1.Liao C, Sharma S, Svensson SL, Kibe A, Weinberg Z, Alkhnbashi SO, Bischler T, Backofen R, Caliskan N, Sharma CM, Beisel CL. (2022) Spacer prioritization in CRISPR-Cas9 immunity is enabled by the leader RNA.Nature Microbiology.doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01074-3

2.Liao C, Beisel CL. (2021) The tracrRNA in CRISPR Biology and Technologies.Annual review of genetics. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genet-071719-022559.

3.Liao C, Ttofali F, Slotkowski RA, Denny SR, Cecil, TD, Leenay, RT, Keung, AJ, Beisel, CL. (2019) Modular one-pot assembly of CRISPR arrays enables library generation and reveals factors influencing crRNA biogenesis.Nature Communications. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10747-3.

4.Liao C, Slotkowski RA, Achmedov T, Beisel CL. (2019) TheFrancisella novicidaCas12a is sensitive to the structure downstream of the terminal repeat in CRISPR arrays.RNA Biology.doi: 10.1080/15476286.2018.1526537.

5. Wu WY, Mohanraju P,Liao C, Adiego-Pérez B, Creutzburg SCA, Makarova KS, Keessen K, Khan TS, Prinsen S, Yan WX, Migur A, Laffeber C, Scott DA, Lebbink JHG, Koonin EV, Beisel CL, Oost JVD. (2022) The miniature CRISPR-Cas12m effector binds DNA to block transcription.Molecular Cell. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.11.003

6.Liao C, Slotkowski RA, Beisel CL.(2019)CRATES: A one-step assembly method for Class 2 CRISPR arrays.Methods in Enzymology. doi: 10.1016/bs.mie.2019.04.011.

7.Prezza G,Liao C, Reichardt S, Beisel CL, Westermann AJ. (2024) CRISPR-based screening of small RNA modulators of bile susceptibility in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2311323121.

Scientific research project (optional)

"Study on the functional mechanisms of multiple iron acquisition systems in pathogen using combinatorial high-throughput screening approaches" (General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China, ¥500,000, 2025-2028, PI)

"Development of in situ genome editing technologies for gut microbiome and their application in Alzheimer's disease intervention" (General Program, Shenzhen Medical Research Fund, ¥2,850,000, 2025-2027, PI)

"Basic and translational research on microbial defense systems" (Excellent Young Scientists Fund [Overseas], National Natural Science Foundation of China, ¥1,000,000-3,000,000, 2024-2026, PI)

"Molecular mechanisms by which a novel RM defense system promotes bacterial gut colonization and pathogenesis" (General Program, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation Natural Science Fund, ¥150,000, 2024-2026, PI)

"Mechanistic study on tissue tropism of pathogenic virulence factors"(General Program, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission Basic Research Fund,¥300,000,2024-2026, PI)

"Sino-German Joint Laboratory for Microbiology and Brain Health"(International Joint Laboratory Program,Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,¥800,000,2024-2025, PI)

Awards (optional)

Other Notable Achievements (optional)