Professor Pengtao Liu is the S Y and H Y Cheng Professor in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. He is the founding and managing director of the InnoHK Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology at Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. Professor Liu earned his PhD from Baylor College of Medicine and completed postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute in the United States. 

Prior to joining HKU, he established and led a research laboratory at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, and served as an affiliate faculty member at the Cambridge University Stem Cell Institute. His key contributions include participating in large-scale mouse genetics projects, discovering a novel killer cell that eliminates cancer cells, and developing Expanded Potential Stem Cells (EPSCs). Notably, he established the first stable pluripotent stem cells from pig preimplantation embryos.

In Hong Kong, Professor Liu spearheads major research initiatives at HKU and InnoHK CTSCB, supported by the InnoHK initiative of the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. As a pioneer in stem cell research, his team continues to advance scientific frontiers through innovative discoveries with the potential to revolutionize medicine. Their work helps position Hong Kong as a global hub for stem cell research and cell-based therapies, shaping the future of regenerative medicine and personalised treatments.

• Founding and Managing Director, InnoHK Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology

• Fundamental stem cell biology
• Epigenetic regulation of stem cell development
• Molecular factors for direct cell reprogramming and cell-fate conversion
• Stem cell-based technologies for virus propagation
• Development of antiviral drugs and vaccines using stem cell models
• Cellular models that mimic normal human cell aging for anti-aging research
• Discovery and characterization of novel stem cell sources for regenerative medicine

The Liu lab developed the Expanded Potential Stem Cell (EPSC) technology, which has wide-ranging applications in fundamental biology, regenerative medicine, cell-based therapy, organ transplantation, biotechnology and agriculture. The lab's primary objective is to generate and characterize novel stem cell lines exhibiting totipotency features across multiple mammalian species, and to direct these stem cells to generate functional cell types, such as immune cells, both in vitro and in vivo. This approach is fundamental for advancing our understanding of human development, improving therapeutic strategies, and expanding the therapeutic potential of stem cells. The lab employs advanced molecular and functional methodologies, particularly single-cell multi-omics, to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms governing stem cell biology.

1. De Los Angeles, A., Benvenisty, N., Deng, H., Hanna, J. H., Koplin, J., Li, T., Liu, P., Loh, Y. H., Pei, D., Sugimura, R., Tam, T. T. K. K., Tao, T., Trounson, A., Xu, S., Yu, L., Zambidis, E., Zernicka-Goetz, M., & Lovell-Badge, R. (2025). Human embryo research: how to move towards a 28-day limit. Nature, 643(8070), 31–34. 
2. Dong Han, Wan Xu, Hyun-Woo Jeong, Hongryeol Park, Kathrin Weyer, Yaroslav Tsytsyura, Martin Stehling, Guangming Wu, Guocheng Lan, Kee-Pyo Kim, Henrik Renner, Dong Wook Han, Yicong Chen, Daniela Gerovska, Marcos J. Araúzo-Bravo, Jürgen Klingauf, Jens Christian Schwamborn, Ralf H. Adams, Pentao Liu & Hans R. Schöler. (2025). Multipotent neural stem cells originating from neuroepithelium exist outside the mouse central nervous system. Nature Cell Biology, 27, 605–618 (2025) (co-senior author)
3. Zhang, W., Fu, H., Huang, Y., Zeng, M., Ouyang, X., Wang, X., Ruan, D., Ma, L., Hu, X., Guo, J., Galardi, J. W., Dougan, G., Yeung, W. S. B., Li, L., Liu, J., Feschotte, C., & Liu, P. (2025). METTL3-dependent m6A RNA methylation regulates transposable elements and represses human naïve pluripotency through transposable element-derived enhancers. Nucleic Acids Research, 53(8), gkaf349. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkaf349
4. Degong Ruan, Andy Chun Hang Chen, Timothy Theodore Ka Ki Tam, Wen Huang, Jilong Guo, Shao Xu, Hanzhang Ruan, Sze Wan Fong, Xueyan Liu, Xuefei Gao, William Shu Biu Yeung, Yin Lau Lee & Pentao Liu. (2025). Establishment of human expanded potential stem cell lines via preimplantation embryo cultivation and somatic cell reprogramming. Nature Protocols (2025). doi: 10.1038/s41596-025-01168-2
5. Ruan, D., Xuan, Y., Tam, T. T. K. K., Li, Z., Wang, X., Xu, S., Herrmann, D., Niemann, H., Lai, L., Gao, X., Nowak-Imialek, M., & Liu, P. (2024). An optimized culture system for efficient derivation of porcine expanded potential stem cells from preimplantation embryos and by reprogramming somatic cells. Nature Protocols, 19(6), 1710–1749.
6. Tam, T. T. K. K., Xu, S., Liu, P., & De Los Angeles, A. (2023). Dawn of development: Exploring early human embryogenesis using stem cells. Cell Stem Cell, 30(8), 1006–1007.
7. Chen, A. C. H., Lee, Y. L., Ruan, H., Huang, W., Fong, S. W., Tian, S., Lee, K. C., Wu, G. M., Tan, Y., Wong, T. C. H., Wu, J., Zhang, W., Cao, D., Chow, J. F. C., Liu, P., & Yeung, W. S. B. (2023). Expanded Potential Stem Cells from Human Embryos Have an Open Chromatin Configuration with Enhanced Trophoblast Differentiation Ability. Advanced Science, 10(11), e2204797. (co-senior author)
8. Ruan, D., Ye, Z. W., Yuan, S., Li, Z., Zhang, W., Ong, C. P., Tang, K., Ka Ki Tam, T. T., Guo, J., Xuan, Y., Huang, Y., Zhang, Q., Lee, C. L., Lu, L., Chiu, P. C. N., Yeung, W. S. B., Liu, F., Jin, D. Y., & Liu, P. (2022). Human early syncytiotrophoblasts are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cell Reports Medicine, 3(12), 100849.

9. Gao, X., M. Nowak-Imialek, X. Chen, D. Chen, D. Herrmann, D. Ruan, A.C.H. Chen, M.A. Eckersley-Maslin, S. Ahmad, Y.L. Lee, T. Kobayashi, D. Ryan, J. Zhong, J. Zhu, J. Wu, G. Lan, S. Petkov, J. Yang, L. Antunes, L.S. Campos, B. Fu, S. Wang, Y. Yong, X. Wang, S.-G. Xue, L. Ge, Z. Liu, Y. Huang, T. Nie, P. Li, D. Wu, D. Pei, Y. Zhang, L. Lu, F. Yang, S.J. Kimber, W. Reik, X. Zou, Z. Shang, L. Lai, A. Surani, P.P.L. Tam, A. Ahmed, W.S.B. Yeung, S.A. Teichmann, H. Niemann, and P. Liu. (2019) Establishment of porcine and human expanded potential stem cells. Nature Cell Biology. 21(6): p. 687-699. (co-senior)

10. Yang, J., Ryan, D.J., Wang, W., Tsang, C-H., Lan, G., Masaki, H., Gao, X., Antunes, L., Yu, Y., Zhu, Z., Wang, J., Kolodziejczyk, A.A., Campos, L.S., Wang, W., Yang, F., Zhong, Z., Fu, B., Eckersley-Maslin, M.A., Woods, M., Tanaka, Y., Chen, X., Wilkinson, A.C., Bussell, J., White, J., Ramirez-Solis, R., Reik, W., Göttgens, B., Teichmann, S.A., Tam, P.P.L., Nakauchi, H., Zou, X., Lu, L., and Liu, P. (2017). Establishment in Culture of Mouse Expanded Potential Stem Cells. Nature DOI: 10.1038/nature24052
11. Yu, Y., Tsang, J.C., Wang, C., Clare, S., Wang, J., Chen, X., Brandt, C., Kane, L., Campos, L.S., Lu, L., Belz, G.T., McKenzie, A.N., Teichmann, S.A., Dougan, G., and Liu, P. (2016). Single-cell RNA-seq identifies a PD-1hi ILC progenitor and defines its development pathway. Nature 539, 102-106.
12. Khaled, W.T., Choon Lee, S., Stingl, J., Chen, X., Raza Ali, H., Rueda, O.M., Hadi, F., Wang, J., Yu, Y., Chin, S.F., Stratton, M., Futreal, A., Jenkins, N.A., Aparicio, S., Copeland, N.G., Watson, C.J., Caldas, C., and Liu, P. (2015). BCL11A is a triple-negative breast cancer gene with critical functions in stem and progenitor cells. Nat Commun 6, 5987.
13. Yu, Y., Wang, J., Khaled, W., Burke, S., Li, P., Chen, X., Yang, W., Jenkins, N.A., Copeland, N.G., Zhang, S., and Liu, P. (2012). Bcl11a is essential for lymphoid development and negatively regulates p53. The Journal of Experimental Medicine 209, 2467-2483.
14. Wang, W., Yang, J., Liu, H., Lu, D., Chen, X., Zenonos, Z., Campos, L.S., Rad, R., Guo, G., Zhang, S., Bradley, A., and Liu, P. (2011). Rapid and efficient reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells by retinoic acid receptor gamma and liver receptor homolog 1. PNAS 108, 18283-18288.
15. Li, P., Burke, S., Wang, J., Chen, X., Ortiz, M., Lee, S.C., Lu, D., Campos, L., Goulding, D., Ng, B.L., Dougan, G., Huntly, B., Gottgens, B., Jenkins, N.A., Copeland, N.G., Colucci, F., and Liu, P. (2010). Reprogramming of T cells to natural killer-like cells upon Bcl11b deletion. Science 329, 85-89.
16. Liu, P., Keller, J.R., Ortiz, M., Tessarollo, L., Rachel, R.A., Nakamura, T., Jenkins, N.A., and Copeland, N.G. (2003). Bcl11a is essential for normal lymphoid development. Nat Immunol 4, 525-532.
17. Liu, P., Jenkins, N.A., and Copeland, N.G. (2003). A highly efficient recombineering-based method for generating conditional knockout mutations. Genome Res 13, 476-484.
18. Liu, P., Jenkins, N.A., and Copeland, N.G. (2002). Efficient Cre-loxP-induced mitotic recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells. Nat Genet 30, 66-72.
19. Liu, P., Wakamiya, M., Shea, M.J., Albrecht, U., Behringer, R.R., and Bradley, A. (1999). Requirement for Wnt3 in vertebrate axis formation. Nat Genet 22, 361-365. (co-first author).
20. Ramírez-Solis, R., Liu, P., & Bradley, A. (1995). Chromosome engineering in mice. Nature, 378(6558), 720–724. (co-first author)
21. Pentao, L., Wise, C. A., Chinault, A. C., Patel, P. I., & Lupski, J. R. (1992). Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A duplication appears to arise from recombination at repeat sequences flanking the 1.5 Mb monomer unit. Nature Genetics, 2(4), 292–300.

Please directly email Professor Pengtao Liu (pliu88@hku.hk) for project details and opportunities

• US National Academy of Medicine Health Longevity Catalyst Award (Hong Kong) 2022
• Silver Medal in the 48th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, 2023
• Gold Medal in the 49th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, 2024
• Gold Medal in the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival, 2024
• Silver Medal in the 50th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, 2025