Research in the Liaw Lab focuses on the biological crosstalk between microbial infection, innate immunity and blood clotting, a process termed “immunothrombosis”. Our approach is to integrate lab-based studies with translational/clinical research project to better understand how immunothrombosis contributes to morbidity and mortality in sepsis, COVID-19 infections and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Our integrative research approach includes studies at the levels of cell biology, biochemistry, animal models and translational studies of patients. We are also engaged in projects to increase biosampling-based translational research capacity in Canada.
Who We Are
Dr. Patricia Liaw is a professor at McMaster University in the Department of Medicine, division of hematology and thromboembolism. She holds the Jack Hirsh & Clive Kearon Endowed Chair in Thrombosis. She is also the chair of the Canadian Critical Care Translational Biology Group (CCCTBG). Dr. Dhruva Dwivedi is a research associate in the Department of Medicine. Our trainees include MSc and PhD students in the Department of Medical Sciences, as well as undergraduate thesis students.
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Current Projects
Our research is funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian Venous Thromboembolism Research Network (CanVECTOR) and the Canadian Network of COVID-19 Clinical Trials Networks. Current research projects include:
Phase 1 clinical trial of intravenous DNaseI in ICU patients with sepsis
Translational studies of heparin in sepsis-associated immunothrombosis
Mechanisms of immunothrombosis in COVID-19 patients
Impact of blood clotting capacity on the host response to infection
Increasing translational research capacity in academic and community sites in Canada
