Dr. Liu [Layton Family Fellow] studies lung biology. The lung is innervated by diverse types of sensory neurons, collectively called pulmonary sensory neurons. These neurons detect a variety of physiological stimuli from the lung and inform the central nervous system about the state of the lung. Lung cancer, one of the most common cancers with a high rate of lethality, is associated with symptoms such as chronic cough, shortness of breath, and referred cranial facial pain. Her research will examine how pulmonary sensory neurons recognize and respond to lung tumors, and how this tumor sensing influences tumor biology. She aims to understand which populations of pulmonary sensory neurons mediate lung cancer-associated clinical symptoms, how these neurons alter their behaviors in response to tumor growth, and how activating pulmonary sensory pathways affects cancer progression and metastases.