Laboratory of Jia Qian Wu, Ph.D.

Wu laboratory combines stem cell biology and systems-based approaches involving functional genomics and next-generation sequencing technologies to unravel gene transcription and regulatory mechanisms governing neural differentiation. Our goal is to identify key regulators during this process as therapeutic targets and develop safe treatment for spinal cord injury and neurological diseases. The other area of our research interest lies in the studies of the regulatory networks of hematopoietic precursor cell self-renewal and differentiation using multipotent EML cell as a model system.

Jia Qian Wu, Ph.D.

An assistant professor in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, Dr. Wu earned her doctorate in molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where her research focused on novel mammalian gene discovery and the characterization of transcriptome complexity. Her postdoctoral work at Yale and Stanford University focused on high-throughput analysis of gene expression, transcription factor binding site identification, and regulatory networks of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Dr. Wu’s work has been recognized with prestige honors and awards, including the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00), which she currently holds; the National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows; and the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting Travel Award.

A reviewer for the journals Nucleic Acids Research, Genome Research, and Genome Biology, Dr. Wu has presented invited talks and lectures on stem cell biology, functional genomics, and proteomics at international conferences, the Multiple Sclerosis Research Center of New York, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Jinan University Medical School in Guangzhou, China. She has developed a patent, authored a book, and wrote many articles that have appeared in Genome Biology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Genome Research, BioTechniques, and Nature, among others.

Grant Support

The Staman Ogilvie Fund—Memorial Hermann Foundation
NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00)