Fu-Cheng “George” Liang, Ph.D., understands how meaningful research truly can be. With a recent $534,620 award from the National Institutes of Health’s Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) program, he is excited about what the grant will mean for expanding biomedical research capabilities at Midwestern State University. 

But it wasn’t expansion alone that motivated Liang’s research project, “Utilizing Membrane Protein Chaperones as Therapeutics to Prevent and Disrupt Protein Aggregation in Parkinson’s Disease.” His motivation was personal. His grandmother died after suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. 

“Her experience inspired me to better understand the mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases and explore potential approaches to preventing or treating them, particularly given the limited availability of effective disease-modifying therapies,” said Liang, who established the foundation for this project during his postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).   

“During that time, our research revealed that a membrane protein chaperone found in plants could use precise spatial and temporal regulation to prevent protein aggregation during the complex process of membrane protein biogenesis,” he said.

After joining MSU Texas, he became interested in applying this fundamental discovery to a broader biomedical context, particularly diseases associated with protein misfolding and aggregation. The result was the first SuRE award earned by an MSU Texas researcher. 

“This NIH-funded project represents an exciting opportunity to translate our basic scientific understanding of protein chaperone function into potential therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases,” Liang said. 

Robert Brennan, dean of the McCoy College of Science, Mathematics & Engineering, said the college and the Department of Chemistry are “extremely proud” of Liang’s persistence and hard work. 

“Dr. Liang conducts outstanding student-involved research, and this award will help support that work,” Brennan said. 

Isabella Makelaar, a 2024 MSU Texas graduate, and Abigail Matthew, a graduate student in the biology program, also contributed critical preliminary data that strengthened Liang’s NIH proposal and supported its research hypothesis. 

The grant will enhance equipment purchases, allowing MSU Texas students to use research techniques that weren't previously available, Brennan said. 

Liang wants students to see firsthand that learning goes far beyond the classroom or through textbooks. 

“Hands-on research experiences are equally important components of undergraduate education,” Liang said. “Working in a research