DCP Early Career Scientist Spotlight Research Seminar Series (Upcoming Research Talks)

Our research centers on understanding how intestinal stem cells and their surrounding niche adapt to environmental stressors—such as aging and diet—and how these adaptations influence tissue homeostasis, inflammation, and cancer risk. Our work integrates single-cell omics, in vivo imaging, and functional genomics to uncover how stem cell plasticity and niche interactions are reprogrammed in response to modifiable risk factors, including a Western-style diet. We have demonstrated that Western-style diet reshapes intestinal homeostasis by altering the primary stem cell population, thereby remodeling lineage differentiation and contributing to a pro-tumorigenic state. Building on these findings, our ongoing research aims to deconvolve the mechanisms by which cellular adaptation contributes to pathogenesis, including cancer.
By defining the mechanisms underlying mucosal remodeling and pathogenesis, our goal is to develop preventive strategies that preserve epithelial integrity and reduce the risk of diet- and age-associated diseases.

Kevin Liou is an integrative medicine specialist, licensed acupuncturist, and assistant attending physician at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). He obtained his undergraduate and medical degrees from Brown University. He completed his internal medicine residency at Weill Cornell Medicine, followed by an integrative oncology research fellowship at MSK. He is the principal investigator on several clinical trials investigating acupuncture and music therapy for cancer symptom management. His research has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Gabrielle's Angel Foundation, the Chanel Endowment for Survivorship Research, and MSK's Division of Subspecialty Medicine. He is also the director of MSK's integrative medicine fellowship program.