Justin Liu

All Publications

• Immune-Mediated Recurrent Glioblastoma Growth: Insights from a Novel Murine Model Schonfeld, E., Choi, J., Annagiri, S., Kim, L., Ha, J., Liu, J., Sjoholm, A., Lim, J., Lee, S., Lau, C., Cho, K., Verma, R., Lim, M. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2025: v219

  View details for DOI 10.1093/neuonc/noaf201.0867

  View details for Web of Science ID 001612030100009

• The immunological landscape of traumatic brain injury: insights from pathophysiology to experimental models. Frontiers in neurology Abikenari, M., Ha, J. H., Liu, J., Ren, A., Cho, K. B., Lim, J., Kim, L. H., Medikonda, R., Choi, J., Lim, M. 2025; 16: 1668480

  Abstract

  Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex, heterogeneous neuropathological disease that continues to be among the prominent causes of mortality and disability around the world. Translational success in TBI has been significant, yet therapies are limited as the intersection of the initial mechanical traumas and secondary neuroinflammatory cascades, which predispose to long-term neurological deficits, is poorly understood. The pathogenesis of TBI is not limited to the primary mechanical injury. The secondary damage, including ischemia, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and immune dysfunction, leads to neuronal apoptosis, the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and chronic neuroinflammation. The preclinical controlled cortical impact (CCI) and fluid percussion injury (FPI) TBI models have generated valuable biomechanical data related to TBI-induced immune responses, including microglial priming, astrocyte dysregulation, and peripheral leukocyte recruitment. However, experimental models today are unable to completely replicate the intricate immune cascades in human TBI, particularly delayed and context-specific innate and adaptive immune response activation. Cytokine signaling (IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6), neuroinflammatory amplification through the IL-23/IL-17 pathway, and autoantibody-mediated neurodegeneration are emerging as significant secondary injury mechanisms. Additionally, TBI-induced immunosuppression, which presents as generalized T lymphocyte depletion and aberrant macrophage polarization, enhances the risk of infection and delayed neurological recovery. Emerging immunotherapeutics such as cytokine blockade, complement blockade, and targeted modulation of T lymphocytes have the potential to optimize the post-TBI immune microenvironment for reducing secondary damage. Inclusion of next-generation experimental models combined with secondary injuries, such as hypoxia, polytrauma, and systemic inflammation, is needed to shift towards innovative, biomarker-driven, patient-stratified trials. Thus, integration of immunological phenotyping with translationally relevant models of TBI represents an important cornerstone in the development of targeted therapeutic treatments designed to improve neuroprotection, repair, and long-term functional outcome.

  View details for DOI 10.3389/fneur.2025.1668480

  View details for PubMedID 41050281

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC12488441

• Emerging trends in cell-based therapies: contemporary advances and ethical considerations in translational neurosurgical oncology. Journal of neuro-oncology Abikenari, M., Liu, J., Ha, J. H., Annagiri, S., Himic, V., Medikonda, R., Kim, L., Choi, J., Lim, M. 2025

  Abstract

  Emerging cell-based therapies represent a promising advancement in neurosurgical oncology, offering novel therapeutic possibilities for challenging diagnoses such as high-grade gliomas. Traditional treatment modalities, including surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, offer limited efficacy due to the highly infiltrative nature and genomic heterogeneity of malignant brain tumors. The recent integration of molecular profiling and genotypic characterization into diagnostic and therapeutic frameworks underscores a significant evolution toward personalized medicine. Stem-cell-based approaches, notably neural and mesenchymal stem cells, demonstrate remarkable tropism for pathological tissues, providing innovative strategies for targeted therapeutic delivery and intrinsic anti-tumoral effects. Concurrently, immunotherapeutic advancements, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapies, and tumor vaccination techniques, have significantly altered therapeutic paradigms by leveraging patient-specific immune responses with minimal systemic toxicity. To contextualize such therapeutic innovations, we systematically reviewed and analyzed 28 ongoing glioblastoma clinical trials initiated since 2022 investigating cell-based strategies. This dataset elucidates key patterns in trial design, cellular targets, and combinatorial immunotherapeutic regimens. Despite the immense clinical promise, integrating cell-based and immunological therapeutics necessitates careful ethical deliberation and complex clinical management strategies, particularly when combined with conventional therapies. This review critically evaluates contemporary advancements, highlights emerging clinical trial outcomes, explores the ethical dimensions of novel therapeutics, and underscores the imperative for continued translational research to refine patient-specific therapeutic paradigms in neurosurgical oncology.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11060-025-05170-2

  View details for PubMedID 40696259

  View details for PubMedCentralID 6889232