Dr James K Liu, MD

Dr. James Liu is a neurosurgeon who specializes in the surgical and radiosurgical treatment of brain and spine tumors. Currently, he is an Assistant Member in the Department of Neuro-Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center and an Assistant Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida. He received his undergraduate education from the University of Michigan. He received a medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He obtained his residency training in neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Cancer Stem Cell Biology at the Cleveland Clinic, during which he was awarded the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Tumor Fellowship. He then completed a fellowship in neurosurgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Liu also leads a laboratory research effort focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive the formation of brain tumors. In particular, the Liu Laboratory …focuses on how a subset of the tumor population with tumor-initiating, or stem-like properties, contributes to the proliferation of brain tumors and their resistance to medical therapies. The Laboratory uses peptide screening technology against patient derived brain tumor cells to isolate novel receptors and targets that can be used to further characterize the mechanisms that drive these cells, for the development of future therapeutic strategies. The Laboratory also utilizes peptide screening technology to develop targeting agents that allow tumor detection at a cellular level, for improved visualization as well as earlier diagnosis of primary and metastatic brain tumors.