Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen, PhD

Research Interests

• We investigate differential effects of agonists on phosphorylation, trafficking signaling of the kappa opioid receptor (KOPR) and KOPR-mediated behaviors and relationship between KOR phosphorylation and behaviors. Immunoblotting with phospho-specific KOR antibodies, phosphoproteomic analysis, cellular pharmacology, characterization of wildtype and knockin mouse lines expressing mutant KORs are among the approaches used. This project may lead to development of KOPR agonists with fewer undesirable effects.
• L-THP has been used clinically in China for more than 50 years. It was found to be efficacious in treating heroin addiction in China and is currently in clinical trials in the US for cocaine addiction. We investigate the mechanisms underlying these actions of L-THP using both in vitro and in vivo techniques.

Educational Background

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
• PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
• MS, University of Minnesota (Mayo Clinic), Rochester, MN
• BS, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

Digital Bibliography

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