In 2024, Jane Alvarez-Hernandez announced that Zhijie “Jason” Liu, PhD, had received a grant from the American Cancer Society. Dr. Liu, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at UT Health San Antonio, was awarded $960,000 to further his research into the mechanisms of endocrine resistance in breast cancer and the role of estrogen receptor-bound enhancers.
Dr. Liu joined UT Health San Antonio in 2016 with a $2 million CPRIT Scholar award, transferring from the University of California at San Diego’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is also a research member of the Mays Cancer Center, which is home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center – one of only four National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers in Texas.
In 2019, Dr. Liu was awarded Discovery of the Year by the Mays Cancer Center for his research on endocrine resistance and breast cancer. He expressed his excitement about the new research grant and emphasized its potential to address critical challenges in breast cancer growth and progression. The ultimate goal is to develop innovative targeted therapies that could revolutionize treatment regimens and reduce mortality associated with this disease.
Dr. Liu believes that scientific discoveries from this project could have far-reaching implications beyond breast cancer. He hopes that research on enhancer interventions could provide valuable insights into treatment paradigms for other types of cancer as well.
