David R. Liu
About David R. Liu
David R. Liu serves as the Richard Merkin Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where he has held various positions since 2005. He is a co-founder of several biotechnology companies and has made significant contributions to gene editing technologies.
Current Role at Broad Institute
David R. Liu serves as the Richard Merkin Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard since 2017. He is also a Core Institute Member and Vice-Chair of the Faculty, a position he has held since 2016. In addition, he is the Director of the Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science (CBTS) Program, a role he has occupied since 2016. Liu's work at the Broad Institute focuses on advancing transformative technologies in healthcare.
Previous Experience in Biotechnology
Liu co-founded several biotechnology companies, including Beam Therapeutics, Pairwise Plants, and Exo Therapeutics, all of which he was involved with from 2017 to 2020. He also co-founded Editas Medicine in 2013, contributing to the development of innovative gene editing technologies. His experience spans various roles in these organizations, emphasizing his commitment to advancing biotechnology.
Educational Background
David R. Liu earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Harvard College. He furthered his education at the University of California, Berkeley, where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Organic Chemistry. He also studied at the University of California, Riverside. His academic background laid the foundation for his extensive research and contributions to the field of chemical biology.
Research Contributions and Innovations
Liu is recognized for pioneering base editing, a precision gene editing technology, which was a finalist for Science's 2017 Breakthrough of the Year. His laboratory developed prime editing, a technology that is now utilized by thousands of laboratories worldwide. Additionally, his work on phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE) has led to the evolution of novel therapeutic proteins.
Awards and Recognition
David R. Liu has received numerous accolades for his research and teaching. He was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine. He was also recognized as one of Nature's 10 researchers in 2017 and named one of the Top 20 Translational Researchers in the world by Nature Biotechnology in both 2016 and 2020. Liu is a recipient of the 2022 King Faisal Prize in Medicine and has been honored with several teaching awards from Harvard.