My research program is dedicated to understanding the molecular pathways that govern T cell differentiation and function during infection and cancer. I hope to apply this knowledge to the development of more effective vaccines and immunotherapies. My recent work in chronic viral infection and cancer has shown that TCF1 counteracts inflammatory cytokine signaling to drive the differentiation of a stem-like CD8 T cell subset, which is critical to long-term T cell immunity against infection and cancer. We employ cutting-edge Next Generation Sequencing methods (e.g. single-cell RNA-seq), CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing as well as cellular and molecular immunology approaches to identify key regulators of T-cell stemness and exhaustion during infection and cancer. Ongoing projects in the laboratory include: 1) understand the transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of stem-like CD8 T cells; 2) identify novel targets to prevent exhaustion of antitumor T cells in adoptive cell therapy; 3) reinvigorate T-cell immunity during aging.

Click here for a list of Dr. Wu's recent publications.

​Education
​2007-2013 - ​Ph.D. Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Thesis Advisor: Rafi Ahmed

​2003-2007​- ​​B.S. in Biotechnology, Dual B.S. in Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, China

Positions
​2019-present - -​Assistant professor, Dept of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO

​2013-2019 - ​Visiting fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

​2008-2013 - ​Graduate research assistant, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

​2006-2007 - ​Undergraduate researcher, National Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Beijing, China