Judy Lieberman
Harvard University · Molecular and Cellular Biology
Active 1948–2026
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About
Professor Judy Lieberman leads the Lieberman Lab, which focuses on the study of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), crucial cells in immune defense against viral infections and cancer. The lab investigates how CTLs recognize infected or transformed cells and release cytolytic granules containing serine proteases called granzymes that induce programmed cell death or apoptosis. A significant area of research in the lab is the molecular pathways activated by granzymes, particularly Granzyme A, the most abundant CTL protease. Granzyme A induces a novel form of apoptosis independent of the caspase pathway, causing single strand nicks of DNA. The lab has identified new mechanisms of mitochondrial and DNA damage activated by Granzyme A. Additionally, the lab studies the regulation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte function, especially in chronic infections. Another major research focus of the Lieberman Lab is RNA interference (RNAi) and its role in normal cell differentiation and cancer. The lab aims to understand how RNAi can be harnessed to develop drugs for treating or preventing viral infections and cancer. Notably, the group was the first to demonstrate that RNAi could serve as a basis for therapy in an animal model. The lab also actively develops methods for targeting small RNAs into specific cell types in vivo. The Lieberman Lab is part of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and is affiliated with the Harvard Medical School Immunology Program,…
Research topics
- Immunology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Medicine
- Virology
- Biochemistry
- Pharmacology
- Genetics
- Pathology
- Cell biology
Selected publications
Gasdermin E suppresses tumour growth by activating anti-tumour immunity
Nature · 2020 · 1709 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingFDA-approved disulfiram inhibits pyroptosis by blocking gasdermin D pore formation
Nature Immunology · 2020 · 1072 citations
Channelling inflammation: gasdermins in physiology and disease
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery · 2021 · 746 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingFcγR-mediated SARS-CoV-2 infection of monocytes activates inflammation
Nature · 2022 · 573 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingImmunity · 2023-11-01 · 468 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
Recent grants
Decidual NK response to infection
NIH · $4.2M · 2019–2024
NIH · $2.9M · 2006
NIH · $359k · 1995
Frequent coauthors
- 133 shared
Premlata Shankar
Tirunelveli Medical College
- 94 shared
Hao Wu
Harvard University
- 79 shared
Michael M. Lederman
Case Western Reserve University
- 73 shared
Paul R. Skolnik
- 72 shared
Marty S. Springer
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States)
- 72 shared
Derek M. Dykxhoorn
Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation
- 70 shared
Xing Liu
University of Science and Technology of China
- 66 shared
Douglas D. Richman
University of California System
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