Margaret A. Liu

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Margaret A. Liu (born June 11, 1956)[1] is a physician and researcher studying gene expression, immune responses, and vaccines. From 2015 to 2017, Liu served as president of the International Society of Vaccines.[2] She is currently a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a foreign adjunct professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.[2] Since June 7, 2017, she has been a director of Ipsen S.A. in France.[3][4]

She is a founder of the field of

HPV, and HIV. In addition to her work with animal models, she was involved with the first trial of a gene-based influenza vaccine in humans.[6]
In 2002, Discover magazine recognized Liu as one of the 50 most important women in science.[11]

Early life and education

Margaret's parents immigrated to the US from China for graduate school, and her mother moved her and her siblings to Durango, Colorado, after her father's death when Margaret was 4. They were one of the three Chinese families in the town. Growing up, Margaret's family struggled financially due to her father's death and racial prejudice making it hard for her mother to get jobs, despite her extensive education and qualifications. However, Margaret's childhood was a happy one, full of love from her mother and compassion for others. The support of her mother and the fairly diverse demographics of Durango inspired her to take risks in her career and life. She attended Durango High School, and also took advanced classes at Fort Lewis College starting at the age of 13.[12] Even early in her education, she showed promise: her teachers recall that they knew that she was "going places".[13] She graduated as Co-Valedictorian of the Class of 1973. She was a U.S. Presidential Scholar and received a Boettcher Scholarship, which fully funded her college degree.[14] She turned down acceptances to Yale University and Princeton University, in part because of the scholarship providing a full ride to a college in Colorado.[12]

She earned a B.A. in Chemistry, summa cum laude, at

Rotary Foundation to study piano at a conservatory in Paris.[12] She earned a Diplome d'Enseignement in piano from the École Normale de Musique de Paris.[15]

She later obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed her internship and residency training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She also completed a fellowship in endocrinology at Harvard. She became board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology and metabolism.[2] While at Massachusetts General Hospital, she met her future husband, Robert Johnson, whom she married in 1983. She decided to keep her last name for professional reasons and because she thought that her race would surprise people if her name was Margaret Johnson.[12]

Career

Her first position was as an instructor at Harvard, with funding from a 5-year Physician Scientist

NIH grant. During this time she also worked at a visiting scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Herman Eisen
.

In addition to her work at Harvard Medical School, Liu has been a visiting scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, an adjunct professor at the University of California, San Francisco, and a visiting professor at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.[2]

Liu has been the senior director of immunology at

Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania.[16] At Merck, she worked with Maurice Hilleman who was one of her most influential mentors.[12]

She has been a Vice President of vaccine research and gene therapy at

Transgène, an independent director of Ipsen,[19] the president of the International Society for Vaccines from 2015 to 2017,[15] and the Executive Vice-Chair of the International Vaccine Institute. She was a senior advisor of vaccinology at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,[2][20] where she was responsible for "monitoring and enhancing…and in identifying new opportunities for investment" for their billion-dollar vaccine programs and investments.[21] During her time at the Gates Foundation, she worked part time at Transgène, realizing that she enjoyed splitting her time between organizations and jobs.[12] She served as a member of the U.S. National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Council[22] and was a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and a Fellow of the Molecular Medicine Society.[23]

Research

Liu develops novel approaches to vaccines and immune treatments for cancer. She pioneered the development of DNA vaccines, which may offer "the hope of better, more stable vaccines that can be rapidly produced."[11][5] In response to the injection of DNA, the body may produce proteins that provoke an immune response, protecting against the virus.[16][24] Some DNA vaccines are in clinical trials for humans. Others are already licensed for veterinary treatments.[25]

Awards and honors

See also

References

  1. ^ "Margaret LIU - Dirigeant de la société Ipsen". BFMBusiness.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Margaret A. Liu". International Society for Vaccines (ISV). Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Executive Profile* Margaret A. Liu Director, Ipsen S.A." Bloomberg. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Ipsen nominates Dr Margaret Liu and Carol Stuckley for election to its Board as Independent Directors". Talent4Boards. April 25, 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  5. ^
    S2CID 52049152
    .
  6. ^ a b c "Two new honorary doctors at Karolinska Institutet 2017". Karolinska Institutet News. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  7. S2CID 4637418
    .
  8. ^ Griscom, Amanda (September 1, 2002). "Take These Genes and Call Me in the Morning". Wired. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  9. PMID 25474286
    .
  10. S2CID 133604074
    .
  11. ^ a b c Svitil, Kathy (13 November 2002). "The 50 Most Important Women in Science". Discover. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  12. ^
    S2CID 92999808
    .
  13. ^ "Durango native Margaret Liu is 'The Mother of DNA Vaccines'". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  14. ^ Butler, Ann (March 14, 2015). "Durango native Margaret Liu is 'The Mother of DNA Vaccines'". The Washington Times. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  15. ^ a b c "ISV - International Society for Vaccines (Congress, Member, Membership)". www.isv-online.org. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  16. ^ a b Marantz Henig, Robin (March 30, 1993). "New Vaccine Method Using DNA Protects Mice Against a Flu Virus". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  17. ^ Watanabe, Myrna (September 28, 1998). "In Search of an HIV Vaccine: Meet the Researchers 'Standing On Each Others' Shoulders'". The Scientist. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  18. ^ "Chiron Announces Dr. Liu to Head U.S. Vaccines Research". Jon Cohen AIDS Research Collection, University of Michigan. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  19. ^ "Ipsen nominates Dr Margaret Liu and Carol Stuckley for election to its Board as Independent Directors". Talent4Boards. 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  20. ^ Fuller, Jacquelline. "Dr. Margaret Liu to join the Global Health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Dr. Margaret Liu to join the Global Health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  22. ^ "Five Join NIAID Advisory Council". The NIH Record. LIV (4). February 19, 2002. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  23. ^ Chiron (Firm) (2008). Chiron Announces Dr. Liu to Head U.S. Vaccines Research.
  24. S2CID 11685892
    .
  25. S2CID 22546925
    .
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