
Sha Liu
Adelaide Medical School
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Irrational (misuse and overuse) use of available antibiotics in human and animals have accelerated the development of drug resistance and diseases once curable with antibiotics are no longer curable. To make it worse, the limited research investment of big pharma companies in the development of new and effective antibiotics has left us with very limited options to treat rapidly evolving drug-resistant infections/bacteria.
As the emergence of resistance is a ‘dynamic’ problem, it cannot be completely controlled by a ‘static’ solution like an antibiotic. One alternative solution was ‘phage’ - a virus that infects and kills specific bacteria in its natural form.
Looking back at history, phage was used to treat bacterial infections before the advent of antibiotics but research on phage lost interest after the discovery of penicillin. The emergence of ‘superbugs’ and the reluctance of pharma companies in developing new drugs for infectious diseases has renewed our interest in phage
This project focuses on the preclinical and clinical development of phage therapy to fight against bacterial infections, especially for those highly resistant strains.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2020 - ongoing Co-founder of Adelaide Phage therapy centre Adelaide Phage therapy centre-Aushealth 2019 - ongoing postdoc University of Adelaide -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2014 - 2017 Flinders Univerisity Austria PhD -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2023 Cherian, L. M., Liu, S., Hon, K., Ramezanpour, M., Hu, H., Javadiyan, S., . . . Vreugde, S. (2023). Hydrocortisone metabolism by Staphylococcus: Effects on anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial action. International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology, 5 pages.
2023 Huang, S., Hon, K., Bennett, C., Hu, H., Menberu, M., Wormald, P. J., . . . Liu, S. (2023). Corrigendum: Corynebacterium accolens inhibits Staphylococcus aureus induced mucosal barrier disruption(Front. Microbiol., (2022), 13, (984741), 10.3389/fmicb.2022.984741). Frontiers in Microbiology, 14, 1279422.
2022 Hon, K., Liu, S., Camens, S., Bouras, G. S., Psaltis, A. J., Wormald, P. -J., & Vreugde, S. (2022). APTC-EC-2A: A Lytic Phage Targeting Multidrug Resistant E. coli Planktonic Cells and Biofilms. Microorganisms, 10(1), 1-18.
Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC22022 Hon, K., Liu, S., Cooksley, C., Vreugde, S., & Psaltis, A. J. (2022). Low pH nasal rinse solution enhances mupirocin antimicrobial efficacy.. Rhinology, 60(3), 218-228.
2022 Liu, S., Hon, K., Bouras, G. S., Psaltis, A. J., Shearwin, K., Wormald, P. -J., & Vreugde, S. (2022). APTC-C-SA01: A Novel Bacteriophage Cocktail Targeting Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA Biofilms. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(11), 1-18.
Scopus4 WoS2 Europe PMC22022 Huang, S., Hon, K., Bennett, C., Hu, H., Menberu, M., Wormald, P. J., . . . Liu, S. (2022). Corynebacterium accolens inhibits Staphylococcus aureus induced mucosal barrier disruption. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, 11 pages.
Scopus3 Europe PMC22022 Hon, K., Liu, S., Cooksley, C., Vreugde, S., & Psaltis, A. J. (2022). Low pH nasal rinse solution enhances mupirocin antimicrobial efficacy. Rhinology, 60(3), 218-228.
2022 Hu, H., Liu, S., Hon, K., Psaltis, A. J., Wormald, P. J., & Vreugde, S. (2022). Staphylococcal protein A modulates inflammation by inducing interferon signaling in human nasal epithelial cells. Inflammation Research, 72(2), 1-12.
Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC12021 Dai, Y., Liu, S., Zhang, Y., Li, X., Zhao, Z., Liu, P., & Du, Y. (2021). A false alarm of COVID-19 pneumonia in lung cancer with anti-PD-1 related pneumonitis: a case report and review of the literature. Journal of Medical Case Reports, 15(1).
2021 Wong, M. L., Arcos-Burgos, M., Liu, S., Licinio, A. W., Yu, C., Chin, E. W. M., . . . Licinio, J. (2021). Rare functional variants associated with antidepressant remission in Mexican-Americans: short title: antidepressant remission and pharmacogenetics in Mexican-Americans. Journal of Affective Disorders, 279, 491-500.
Scopus3 WoS2 Europe PMC12021 Menberu, M. A., Hayes, A. J., Liu, S., Psaltis, A. J., Wormald, P. -J., & Vreugde, S. (2021). Tween 80 and its derivative oleic acid promote the growth of Corynebacterium accolens and inhibit Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol, 11(4), 810-813.
Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC32021 Menberu, M. A., Liu, S., Cooksley, C., Hayes, A. J., Psaltis, A. J., Wormald, P. -J., & Vreugde, S. (2021). Corynebacterium accolens Has Antimicrobial Activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus Pathogens Isolated from the Sinonasal Niche of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients. Pathogens, 10(2), 1-19.
Scopus24 WoS20 Europe PMC132021 Liu, S., Zhao, Y., Hayes, A., Hon, K., Zhang, G., Bennett, C., . . . Vreugde, S. (2021). Overcoming bacteriophage insensitivity in Staphylococcus aureus using clindamycin and azithromycinat sub-inhibitory concentrations. Allergy, 76(11), 3446-3458.
Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC42021 Ramezanpour, M., Ogi, K., Liu, S., Tuli, J. F., Bennett, C., Masanobu, S., . . . Vreugde, S. (2021). Der p 1 disrupts the epithelial barrier and induces IL-6 production in patients with house dust mite allergic rhinitis. Frontiers in Allergy, 2, 1-9.
Scopus7 Europe PMC22021 Sabab, A., Liu, S., Javadiyan, S., McAdam, C. J., Hanton, L. R., Jukes, A., . . . Wormald, P. -J. (2021). The effect of chemical and structural modifiers on the haemostatic process and cytotoxicity of the beta-chitin patch. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1-15.
Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC12021 Camens, S., Hon, K., Liu, S., Bouras, G. S., Psaltis, A. J., Wormald, P., & Vreugde, S. (2021). Preclinical Development of a Bacteriophage Cocktail for Treating Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections. Microorganisms, 9(9), 2001-1-2001-16.
Scopus8 WoS6 Europe PMC72021 Huang, S., Ding, P., Liu, S., Li, C., Zhang, Y., Dong, D., & Zhao, Y. (2021). ISMN-loaded PLGA-PEG nanoparticles conjugated with anti-Staphylococcus aureus α-toxin inhibit Staphylococcus aureus biofilms in chronic rhinosinusitis. Future Medicinal Chemistry, 13(23), 2033-2046.
Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC22021 Ogi, K., Liu, S., Ramezanpour, M., Cooksley, C., Javadiyan, S., Fujieda, S., . . . Psaltis, A. J. (2021). Trimellitic anhydride facilitates transepithelial permeability disrupting tight junctions in sinonasal epithelial cells. Toxicology Letters, 353, 27-33.
Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC22020 Ramezanpour, M., Hu, H., Lau, A., Liu, S., De Silva, A., Bolt, H., . . . Vreugde, S. (2020). Increased serum IgG4 associates with asthma and tissue eosinophilia in chronic rhinosinusitis patients. Pathogens, 9(10), 1-6.
Scopus1 WoS12019 Hu, H., Ramezanpour, M., Hayes, A. J., Liu, S., Psaltis, A. J., Wormald, P., & Vreugde, S. (2019). Sub-Inhibitory Clindamycin and Azithromycin reduce S. aureus Exoprotein Induced Toxicity, Inflammation, Barrier Disruption and Invasion.. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(10), 16 pages.
Scopus14 WoS14 Europe PMC102019 Lin, J., Zhang, Y., Xiong, L., Liu, S., Gong, C., & Dai, J. (2019). High-flow nasal cannula therapy for children with bronchiolitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 104(6), 564-576.
2017 Wong, M., Arcos-Burgos, M., Liu, S., Vélez, J., Yu, C., Baune, B., . . . Licinio, J. (2017). The PHF21B gene is associated with major depression and modulates the stress response. Molecular Psychiatry, 22(7), 1015-1025.
Scopus49 WoS40 Europe PMC23- Wang, W., Liu, S., Deng, L., Ming, J., Yao, S., & Zeng, K. (n.d.). Control of Citrus Post-harvest Green Molds, Blue Molds, and Sour Rot by the Cecropin A-Melittin Hybrid Peptide BP21. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9.
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Conference Items
Year Citation 2017 Licinio, J., Arcos-Burgos, M., Liu, S., Velez, J., Baune, B., Jawahar, C., . . . Wong, M. -L. (2017). Major Depression is Associated With Rare Variants in the PHF21B Gene, a Modulator of the Stress Response in Rodents. Poster session presented at the meeting of NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY. Palm Springs, CA: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP.
1: CIA; Project grant funded by Aushealth; $500K; Co-establish the Adelaide Phage Therapy Centre.
2: CIA; Project grant funded by Aushealth; $300k; Translate the phage therapy from benchside to clinical
3: CIA; 2023 FHMS Building Leaders; $39,083; Project title: Diabetic Foot Ulcer Infection: Time For Smart Phage Cocktail Therapy?
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Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2023 Co-Supervisor Exploring The Efficacy Of Bacteriophage Therapy In Disrupting Poly-Microbial Biofilms In Chronic Rhinosinusitis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Xiaohan Sun -
Other Supervision Activities
Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name 2023 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Investigating phage adherence to mucus in the nasal mucosa to screen for potential phage to develop needle-free nasal vaccines University of Adelaide - Honours Full Time Jia Wen Lim 2023 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Diabetic Foot Ulcer Infection: Time for smart phage cocktail therapy? University of Adelaide - Honours Full Time Connor Jessop 2023 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Safety and efficacy of a personalised phage treatment against phage resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection University of Adelaide - Honours Full Time Kaviya Kalyanasundaram 2022 - ongoing External Supervisor "Mechanism research on the regulatory role of Staphylococcus aureus alpha toxin in lncRNA NEAT1/miR-155 expression-mediated Th2 cell activation in chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps Zhengzhou University - Higher Doctorate Full Time Xinjie Qiao 2022 - ongoing External Supervisor Immunological Aspects of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Department of Rhinology, The ENT Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University - Master - Ge Guo 2022 - ongoing External Supervisor Surgical Treatment for Chronic Sinusitis The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University - Higher Doctorate - Yanping Zhang 2021 - ongoing External Supervisor Pathophysiology of Allergic and Nonallergic Rhinitis Department of Rhinology, The ENT Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University - Master Full Time Yidan Song 2021 - ongoing External Supervisor Bacteriologic Features of Chronic Sinusitis in Children The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University - Higher Doctorate - Lei Lv 2021 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Development of a bacteriophage cocktail for diabetic foot ulcers University of Adelaide - Honours Full Time Shenoi Goonetilleke 2020 - ongoing External Supervisor Mechanism research on the regulation of NF-kB/TGF-β1/Smad pathway by Staphylococcus aureus biofilm alpha toxin affecting the remodeling of the mucosa in chronic sinusitis Zhengzhou University - Higher Doctorate Full Time Chang Li 2020 - ongoing External Supervisor Pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis Department of Rhinology, The ENT Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University - Master Full Time Haojie Hu 2020 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Preclinical development of a P. aeruginosa phage cocktail for use to treat infections with multi-drug resistant bacteria University of Adelaide - Honours Full Time Sophie Camens
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Board Memberships
Date Role Board name Institution name Country 2020 - ongoing Co-Founder Adelaide Phage therapy Center the University of Adelaide and the Central Adelaide Local Health Network Australia -
Committee Memberships
Date Role Committee Institution Country 2023 - ongoing Board Member BHI Policy Committee Basil Hetzel Institute Australia 2020 - ongoing Board Member Antimicrobial stewardship committee Central Adelaide Local Health Network Australia -
Consulting/Advisories
Date Institution Department Organisation Type Country 2021 - ongoing Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Advocacy Australia -
Industry Partnerships
Date Engagement Type Partner Name 2021 - ongoing Consultant Jafral 2020 - ongoing Consultant Aushealth 2019 - ongoing Consultant AmphiPhi
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