Clara Liao, BA
About
Titles
PhD student
Biography
Clara Liao is from Los Angeles, California, and graduated cum laude from Cornell University in 2017 with a major in Biological Sciences and a minor in English. As a postgraduate researcher in Yale's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, she worked on projects investigating the role of long non-coding RNAs in the regulation of cellular pathways of tumor development. Now, as a Ph.D. student in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, her research interests encompass neuropsychiatric disorders and molecular psychiatry. Under the mentorship of Dr. Alex Kwan, she studies the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning the therapeutic actions of the psychedelic drug psilocybin.
Clara has a strong interest in science communication and has worked as a Science Communication GPE Fellow with the Yale Office of Vice Provost for Research, as well as created several animated COVID-19 explainer videos featured on the Yale COVID-19 website.
Outside of the lab, Clara enjoys sampling all the great food New Haven has to offer and skating with the Yale Figure Skating Club.
Education & Training
- BA
- Cornell University, Biological Sciences (2017)
Research
Publications
2021
Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo
Shao LX, Liao C, Gregg I, Davoudian PA, Savalia NK, Delagarza K, Kwan AC. Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo. Neuron 2021, 109: 2535-2544.e4. PMID: 34228959, PMCID: PMC8376772, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.06.008.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFrontal cortexDendritic spinesMouse medial frontal cortexLayer 5 pyramidal neuronsSpine formation ratesApical dendritic spinesMedial frontal cortexUntapped therapeutic potentialPyramidal neuronsSingle doseExcitatory neurotransmissionBehavioral deficitsBeneficial actionsStructural remodelingSynaptic rewiringMammalian brainTherapeutic potentialNeural adaptationUse of psychedelicsSerotonergic psychedelicsSpine sizeTwo-photon microscopyCortexPsilocybinSpineApplying Reinforcement Learning to Rodent Stress Research
Liao C, Kwan AC. Applying Reinforcement Learning to Rodent Stress Research. Chronic Stress 2021, 5: 2470547020984732. PMID: 33598593, PMCID: PMC7863143, DOI: 10.1177/2470547020984732.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2020
p53 Activates the Long Noncoding RNA Pvt1b to Inhibit Myc and Suppress Tumorigenesis
Olivero CE, Martínez-Terroba E, Zimmer J, Liao C, Tesfaye E, Hooshdaran N, Schofield JA, Bendor J, Fang D, Simon MD, Zamudio JR, Dimitrova N. p53 Activates the Long Noncoding RNA Pvt1b to Inhibit Myc and Suppress Tumorigenesis. Molecular Cell 2020, 77: 761-774.e8. PMID: 31973890, PMCID: PMC7184554, DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.12.014.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAnimalsCarcinogenesisCell LineCell ProliferationCells, CulturedChromatinEnhancer Elements, GeneticGene Expression RegulationHumansLung NeoplasmsMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPromoter Regions, GeneticProto-Oncogene MasProto-Oncogene Proteins c-mycRNA, Long NoncodingStress, PhysiologicalTumor Suppressor Protein p53ConceptsMYC transcriptional networkLong noncoding RNA PVT1Cellular proliferationTumor suppressor p53Chromatin organizationTranscriptional networksTarget genesMYC transcriptionTranscriptional activityKb downstreamMYC levelsOncogenic signalingSuppressor p53Suppress tumorigenesisDNA damageRNA PVT1Autochthonous mouse modelMYCTranscriptionP53Anti-proliferative activityTumor progressionTumor growthLung cancerMouse model