The Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) has more than 120 members from across the Illinois campus. Given the great variety in backgrounds, research disciplines, and experiences of our members, we offer our Q&A series “Get to Know a Cancer Researcher” to provide readers a connection with the amazing array of individuals who comprise the CCIL’s robust cancer research team. This is the fourth installment.
CCIL Member: Yang Liu
CCIL Research Program: Cancer Technology and Data Science
CCIL Research Theme: Cancer Imaging
Faculty Position: Professor, Bioengineering
What originally drew you to cancer research?
I am always interested in pursuing research that can make a meaningful societal impact. Cancer is one of the most challenging diseases, and it affects almost everyone in some way, whether directly or through family and friends. This broad impact makes it both a scientific challenge and a deeply human problem. Cancer is also a problem that inherently requires a multidisciplinary approach. It is a complex disease, and its clinical management spans a wide spectrum—from early detection and prevention to precision treatment. This broad scope offers tremendous opportunities to develop and apply new technologies to better understand cancer and improve how we detect, monitor, and treat it. What I find particularly exciting is that advances in measurement technologies and data science now allow us to study cancer with unprecedented detail. By developing new imaging and analytical approaches, we can better understand how the molecular states of individual cells evolve and collectively shape the tumor microenvironment. Ultimately, these insights can enable earlier detection and more precise treatment strategies.
What cancer problems are you seeking to address in your lab?
One major challenge in cancer research is that cancer cells are highly adaptive to their environment. During cancer initiation and progression, cells constantly change their functional states in response to both molecular alterations and signals from the tumor microenvironment. But these dynamic changes are often difficult to measure directly in intact tissues.
Our lab is interested in identifying robust and easily detectable structural signatures that reflect these adaptive cellular states. To address this challenge, we develop multiscale imaging technologies and computational analysis methods that allow us to precisely measure cellular structures across many spatial scales, from molecular and subcellular organization within individual cells to the architecture of whole tissues. By connecting these structural signatures to cellular functional states, we aim to better understand how tumors evolve and ultimately enable improved strategies for early detection, risk prediction, and precision treatment.
What keeps you going in your research? How do you recharge?
I have had the opportunity to attend charity events where patients and their families raise funds to support cancer research. Looking at those who are hoping for a cure gives me a strong sense of responsibility and motivation in my work. It is a reminder that behind every research project and every dataset, there are real patients and families waiting for progress. That perspective helps me stay focused on the larger purpose of the work, especially when research becomes challenging or slow.
What are fun or quirky facts about you that others may not know?
I love good food. That is one of my biggest joys outside my work.
Can you tell us a favorite film or book of yours?
I generally like documentary films and non-fiction. I recently watched “The Thinking Game,” a documentary that tells the story of the founding of DeepMind and the vision of its co-founder Demis Hassabis. One of the most inspiring aspects is Demis’ early belief in artificial general intelligence at a time when most people thought it was not possible. He was lucky in many ways, but what really stood out to me was his deep commitment to pursuing something he was passionate about. Success is just a by-product in this journey.
What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, and why?
I started my training as a chemist and was always excited about the practical side of research, which eventually led me to move into bioengineering. Along the way, I was fortunate to work with many talented and passionate researchers who shaped how I think about bioengineering and clinical translation. One accomplishment I am particularly proud of is that, over the years, my lab has been able to push imaging technology into a multiscale platform, not just to visualize what was previously invisible, but to place those measurements within a strong biological context. Seeing these technologies contribute to meaningful biological and clinical questions has been especially rewarding.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received, and how has it shaped your research career?
I have received a lot of great advice over the years, and it has been instrumental to both my career and life. It is very difficult to pick the “best” one. There is one piece of advice that has stayed with me for nearly twenty years. One of my long-time collaborators, one of the most hardworking physician-scientists I know and someone I have tremendous respect for, once told me that no matter how busy you are, family always comes first. At the end of the day, that is all you’ve got. Over the years, I have come to appreciate how true that advice is. As time passes, you realize that the moments you spend with your family are the most meaningful ones. It is something I have always tried to keep in mind, and I deeply value the time I am able to spend with my family.
Stay tuned for more weekly installments in our “Get to Know a Cancer Researcher” series.
Editor’s notes:
Yang Liu can be reached at liuy46@illinois.edu.
This story was written by Jonathan King, CCIL Communications Specialist.