Jennifer D. Wu
Jennifer D. Wu
Associate Professor

Department of Immunology
Medical University of South Carolina, USA

Education

Peking University, Beijing, China 1984-1988 B. Sc  Cell Biology and Genetics
Peking University, Beijing, China 1988-1991  M. Sc Cell Biology
University of British Columbia,Canada 1996-2000 Ph.D Genetics
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), Seattle, Washington, USA 2000-2002 Post-Doctoral Training Tumor Immunology Program

 

Biography

After receiving Ph. D from the University of British Columbia and post-doc training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Dr. Wu joined the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Washington. In 2011, she accepted the primary appointment at the Medical University of South Carolina and became a member of Hollings Cancer Center Tumor Immunology Program. She is also an affiliated Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington. Dr. Wu’s research focuses on cancer immunology and inflammation. Her work was the first to shown that Solid Tumors shed NKG2D ligand to perturb NK cell homeostatsis and to facilitate tumor metastasis. Her laboratory recently has demonstrated that targeting soluble NKG2D ligand refuels and revamps endogenous innate anti-tumor responses. Dr. Wu has served as the elected Committee Chair of Cancer in Federation of Clinical Immunology Society, editorial board of many scientific Journals.

Research Interest

  • Cancer Immune Evasion and Novel Immunotherapy
  • Inflammation in tumorigenesis and progression

 

Professional Activities:

Faculty Appointments

Years Department Institution Rank
2003-2005        Acting Instructor                     University of Washington (UW) Medicine
2005-2011        Assistant Professor University of Washington Medicine
2011- Associate Professor University of Washington Medicine
2011- Associate Professor Medical University of South Carolina         Immunology

Institutional Administrative Appointments

  • 2011- Graduate Strategic Planning Committee, MUSC, College of Graduate Study
  • 2011-Faculty Search Committee, MUSC, Micro/Immunology
  • 2012 -Faculty Senate, MUSC, Basic Science
  • 2013- IACUC committee, MUSC, Institutional
  • 2014-  Internal Advisory board of ARROW MUSC, College of Medicine
  • (ARROW- NSF Funded Institutional Program for Appointment, Recruitment, and Retention Of Woman Faculty)
  • 2014 Organization Committee of HCC/South Carolina Prostate Cancer Research Retreat,
  • 2015 Organization Committee – SCTR Frontier Immunological Therapeutics
  • 2015Organizing Committee – MUSC/HCC Prostate Cancer Research Retreat for 2016

 

Publications

  1. Shengjun Lu, Jinyu Zhang, Dai Liu, Guangfu Li, Kevin F Staveley-O'Carroll, Zihai Li, and Jennifer Wu. Non-blocking monoclonal antibody targeting soluble MIC revamps endogenous innate and adaptive anti-tumor responses and eliminates primary and metastatic tumors. Clin.Can. Res.,June 23 online; 2015. 
  2. Gang Xiao, Xuanjun Wang, Jun Sheng, Shengjun Lu, Xuezhong Yu and Jennifer D Wu. Soluble NKG2D ligand promotes MDSC expansion and skews macrophage to the alternatively activated phenotype. Journal of Hematology & Oncology, 8:13-23, 2015. PMCID: 25887583.
  3. Jinyu Zhang, Fahmin Basher, and Jennifer Wu.NKG2D Ligands in Tumor Immunity: Two Sides of a Coin (Review). NKG2D Ligands in Tumor Immunity: Two Sides of a Coin. Front Immunol.2015, 6:97-104. PMCID: PMC4349182
  4. Jennifer Wu. NKG2D ligands in cancer immunotherapy: target or not? Austin Journal Of Clinical Immunology 1(1):2-3. 2014.PMCID: PMC4257473
  5. Jennifer Wu and Evan Yu. Insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGF-IR) as a target for prostate cancer therapy. Cancer and Metastasis Review. Jan 12, 2014. PMID 24414227
  6. Cystal Morales, Saleh Rachidi, Fenghong, Shaoli Sun, Xinshou Ouyang, Elizebeth Garrett-Mayer, Jennifer Wu, Bei Liu, and Zihai Li, Immune Chaperone gp96 Drives the Contributions of Macrophages to Inflammatory Colon Tumorigenesis. Cancer Research. Jan 9, 2014. PMID 24322981
  7. Jennifer Wu.IL-15 Agonists: The Cancer Cure Cytokine. J. Genetic and Molecular Medicine. Oct 28;7:85. 2013 24587813
  8. Gang, Liu, Shengjun Lu, Xuanjuan Wang, Stephanie T. Page, Norman M Greenberg, Celestia Higano, Stephen R. Plymate, Shaolin Sun, Zihai Li and Wu, J. Tumor-derived soluble NKG2D ligand perturbs NK homeostasis and accelerates prostate cancer metastasis. J Clin Invest. 2013. 123(10):4410-22.
  9. Stephen J. Florczyk, Gang Liu, Forrest M. Kievit, Jennifer D. Wu, Miqin Zhang. 3D Porous Chitosan-Alginate Scaffolds: New Matrix for Studying Prostate Cancer Cell and Lymphocyte Interaction in vitro. Adv Healthc Mater. 1(5):590-9, 2012.
  10. Rojas, A., Liu, G. Colemen, I., Nelson, P., Fisher, P.B., Plymate, S.R., Zhang, M., and Wu, J.D. IL-6 induces EMT and malignant transformation of benign prostate epithelial cells through autocrine loop and activation of IGF-IR. Oncogene 30:2345-55, 2011.
  11. Page, S.T., Lin, D., Mostaghel, E.A., Brett Marck, B., Wright, J., Wu, J., Amory, J. K., Nelson, P.S., and Matsumoto, A. M. Dihydrotestosterone administration does not increase intraprostatic androgen concentrations or alter prostate androgen receptor action in healthy men: a randomized-controlled trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 96(2):430-7, 2011.
  12. Leung, M., Florczyk, S., Kievit., F., Veiseh, O., Wu, J., Park, J., and Zhang, M. Three-Dimensional Porous Chitosan-Alginate Scaffolds as an in vitro Model for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumor Microenvironment. Pharm Res. 27(9):1939-48., 2010.
  13. Liu G, Atteridge CL, Lundgren AD, Wang X, and Wu JD. The Membrane Type Matrix Metalloproteinase MMP14 Mediates Shedding of MICA independent of ADAMs. J. Immunology. 184 (7): 3346-50, 2010.
  14. Wang X, Lundgren AD, Singh P, Goodlett DR, Plymate SR, Wu JD. An six-amino acid motif in the alpha3 domain of MICA is the cancer therapeutic target to inhibit shedding.Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 87:476-81, 2009.
  15. Sprenger CC, Haugk K, Sun S, Coleman I, Nelson PS, Vessella RL, Ludwig DL, Wu JD, Plymate SR. Transforming growth factor-beta-stimulated clone-22 (TSC-22) is an androgen and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) regulated gene in prostate epithelium. Clin Cancer Res. 15: 7634-7641, 2009.
  16. Wu, JD, DW Lin, ST Page, K L. Atteridge,LD. True, SR. Plymate.  Oxidative DNA Damage in the Prostate May Predispose Men to a Higher Risk of Prostate Cancer. Translational Oncology. 2: 39-45, 2009
  17. Wu, JD, Atteridge K, XJ Wang, Tsukasa Seya and SR. Plymate.Obstructing Shedding of the Immune Stimulatory MICB Prevents Tumor Formation: Implication for Targeted Cancer Therapy Clin. Can. Res.15:632-40, 2009.
  18. Plymate SR, K Haugk, I Coleman, L Woodke, R Vessella, P Nelson, RB Montgomery, DL Ludwig, and JD. Wu.  An antibody targeting the type I insulin-like growth factor receptor enhances the castration-induced response in androgen-dependent prostate cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2007; 13:6429-39.
  19. Wu JD, Haugk K, Woodke L, Nelson P, Coleman I, and Plymate SR. Interaction of IGF Signaling and the Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer Progression. Review. JCB 99:392-401, 2006.
  20. Page ST, SR Plymate, WJ. Bremner, DL Hess, AM Matsumoto, DL Lin, and JD Wu.  Effects of Medical Castration and Testosterone Replacement on CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T cells, CD8+ T-cell IFNg Expression and NK cells: Evidence for Physiological role of Testosterone and/or Its Metabolites in Cellular Immune Function. Am. J. Physiol Endocrinol. Metab 290:E856-E863, 2006.
  21. Wu JD., K Haugk, LM Higgins, R Vessella, RB Montgomery, DL Ludwig, and SR Plymate. The Anti-IGF-IR Antibody A12 Enhances Docetaxel Activity Against Androgen-independent Xenograft Human Prostate Tumors. Clin. Cancer Research 12: 6153-60, 2006.
  22. Wu, JD., Odman, L Higgins, K Haugk, R Vessella, D Ludwig, and SR Plymate. In vivo effect of a human IGF-IR antibody to androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer. Clin. Cancer Res. 11: 3065-73, 2005.
  23. Wu JD. Counteracting MIC/NKG2D immunity by shedding in prostate cancer. Enhancer: Biotherapy of Cancer. 3(2): 18-9, 2005.
  24. Wu JD., L Higgins, A Steinle, D Cosman, K Haugk, SR Plymate. Prevalent expression of immunostimulatory MIC molecule is counteracted by shedding in prostate cancer. J. Clin. Invest. 114: 560-568, 2004.
  25. Wu, J, K Haugk, and SR Plymate. Activation of pro-apoptotic MAPK pathway in the prostate cancer cell line M12 expressing a truncated IGF-IR. Hormone and Metab Res 35: 751-757, 2003.
  26. Wu, J, NJ Chalupny, TJ Manley, SR Riddell, D Cosman and T Spies. Intracellular retention of the MHC class I-related chain B ligand of NKG2D by the human CMV UL16 glycoprotein. J. Immunol. 170: 4196-4200. 2003.
  27. Groh, V, J Wu, C Yee and T Spies. Deficiencies in NKG2D expression and T cell functions caused by tumor-derived soluable MIC ligands. Nature. 419: 734-738, 2002.
  28. Wu, J, V Spies and T Spies. T cell antigen receptor engagement and specificity in the recognition of stress-induced MIC by Human Epithelial gamma-delta T cells. J. Immunol. 169 (3), 1236 –1240, 2002.
  29. Sarker, S, G Iyer, J Wu and NL Glass. Nonself recognition is mediated by HET-C heterocomplex during vegetative incompatibility in Neurospora. EMBO J. 21 (18), 1-10, 2002.
  30. Marek, SM, J Wu, NL Glass, DG Gilchrist and RM Bostock. Nuclear DNA degradation during heterokaryon incompatibility in Neurospora crassa. FGB. 2001.
  31. Wu, J and NL Glass. Identification of specificity determinants and the generation of alleles with novel specificity at the het-c heterokaryon incompatibility locus of Neurospora crassa. Mol. Cell.Biol. 21, 1045-1057, 2001.
  32. Wu, J, SJ Saupe and NL Glass. Evidence for balancing selection operating at the het-c heterokaryon incompatibility locus in a group of filamentous fungi. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 95, 12398-12403, 1998.
  33. Wu, D and ZH Zhai. The intermediate filaments of BHK-21 cells. J. Chinese EM. 9, 1-6, 1990.
  34. Jiao RJ, D Wu, S Cai and ZH Zhai. Immunogold labeling of the intermediate filament - lamina - nuclear matrix system in Hela and BHK-21 cells. J. American EM. Tech. 18, 126-34, 1991.
  35. Wu, D and ZH Zhai. The keratin-like polypeptides and keratin cDNA homology sequences in plant mesophyll cells. Acta. Biol. Exp. Sinica. 24, 215-221, 1991.
  36. Wu, D, WT Xu, RJ Jiao and ZH Zhai. The association of Sindbis virus assembly and its 6K proteinwith intermediate filaments. Acta. Microbiol. Sinica. 30, 417-421, 1990.
  37. Wu, D and ZH Zhai. The intermediate filament - lamina - nuclear matrix system of BHK-21 cells. Acta. Biol. Exp. Sinica. 23, 71-76, 1990.

 

 

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