His research activities mainly focus on glial-neuronal interactions and their implications in both developmental and clinical disorders. He is especially interested in elucidating the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms for the pathogenesis and management of orofacial pain and other oral sensory disorders, such as dentine hypersensitivity, toothache, TMJD, burning mouth syndrome. His current research investigates the role of intercellular ATP signaling in dentine hypersensitivity and orofacial hyperesthesia. Specifically, his laboratory uses patch clamp, confocal imaging, biochemistry, genomics, and behavior approaches to determine how and why nociceptive signaling is modulated and enhanced in the trigeminal nervous system. Dr. Liu has a strong publication record including research articles in Science, Nature Neuroscience, PNAS, Journal of Neuroscience, and Journal of Dental Research.
