Xiao Lab

Welcome to iron and liver research

The Xiao Laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms that regulate liver injury and fibrosis, with a focus on BMP-SMAD signaling, iron homeostasis, and multicellular interactions within the liver. By integrating mouse models, liver organoids, proteomics, and single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, we aim to uncover therapeutic strategies for chronic liver diseases.

 About PI

Dr. Xia Xiao is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. Dr. Xiao received her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Pennsylvania State University. She then completed postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where she studied the molecular regulation of systemic iron homeostasis and the BMP-SMAD signaling pathway. During her postdoctoral training, she made important contributions to understanding how BMP ligands and iron-sensing proteins regulate the hepatic hormone hepcidin, the master regulator of systemic iron metabolism. 

Her current research expands these discoveries to investigate how dysregulated BMP-SMAD signaling and abnormal iron distribution contribute to liver fibrosis. By integrating genetically engineered mouse models, primary liver cell culture, liver organoids, proteomics, single-cell RNA sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics, her laboratory seeks to uncover the mechanisms governing cell-to-cell communication during liver injury and repair.

Dr. Xiao's research has been supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), including a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, as well as pilot funding and fellowships from Cooley's Anemia Foundation, Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard, and Cooperative Centers of Excellence in Hematology at University of Utah. Her work has been published in leading journals in hepatology and hematology and has been recognized with several awards, including the Early Career Investigator Award from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).