Hongju Wu, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Division of Human Gene Therapy
Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Biomedical Research Building II
901 19th Street South, BMR II-552
Birmingham, AL 35294-2172, USA

Email: hongjuwu@uab.edu
Phone: 205-934-9910

Research Interests

1. Cancer Gene Therapy. Gene therapy is increasingly viewed as the fourth therapeutic concept for cancer, in addition to surgery, chemotherapy, and irradiation therapy. Currently, the major limitation for gene therapy of cancer is not the lack of therapeutic genes, but the lack of an efficient gene delivery system. My major focus in cancer gene therapy is to develop adenovirus type 5 (Ad5)-based vectors for gene delivery into ovarian cancer and brain tumors. My projects are aimed to develop Ad5 vectors that can deliver therapeutic genes into cancer cells with high efficiency and high specificity after systemic administration.

2. Gene Therapy for Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). IIDDM is caused by autoimmune destruction of insulin producing ?-cells that locate in pancreatic islets. Islet transplantation is currently the most promising treatment to free IDDM patients from daily insulin injection. A major limitation, however, is the availability of pancreatic islets, which is attributable to insufficient pancreas donors and inefficient recovery of islets from the donor pancreas. In addition, the transplanted islets may be rejected by the host immune system. One of my major interests is to improve the survival of functional islets by genetic modification of the islet cells with cytoprotective or immunomodulatory genes. Our ongoing work is directed to engineer Ad5-based vectors so that they can specifically and effectively deliver the therapeutic genes into islet cells
in vitro and in vivo.


Select List of Publications

  1. Wu, H., Reuver, S. M., Kuhlendahl, S., Chung, W. J. and Garner, C. C. (1998) Subcellular targeting and cytoskeletal attachment of SAP97 to the epithelial lateral membrane. Journal of Cell Science, 111, 2365-2376.

  2. Wu, H., Reissner, C., Kuhlendahl, S., Coblentz, B., Reuver, S. M., Kindler, S., Gundelfinger, E. D. and Garner, C. C. (2000) Intra-molecular interactions regulate SAP97 binding to GKAP. EMBO Journal, 19 (21), 5740-5751.

  3. Mehta, S., Wu, H., Garner, C. C. and Marshall, J. (2001) Molecular mechanisms regulating the differential association of kainate receptor subunits with SAP90/PSD-95 and SAP97. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276(19): 16092-16099.

  4. Seki, T., Dmitriev,I., Suzuki, K., Kashentseva, E., Takayama, K., Wu, H., Uil, T. and Curiel, D. T. (2002) Artificial extension of adenoviral fiber shaft improves the specificity of transgene expression in CAR negative tumors both in vitro and in vivo. Gene Therapy, 9(16): 1101-1108.

  5. Wu, H., Nash, J., Zamorano, P. and Garner, C. C. (2002) Interaction of SAP97 with minus-end directed actin motor myosin VI: implications for AMPA receptor trafficking. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 277(34): 30928-30934.

  6. Wu, H., Seki, T., Dmitriev, I., Uil, T., Kashentseva, E., Han, T., and Curiel, D. T. (2002) Double modification of adenovirus fiber with RGD and polylysine motifs improves CAR-independent gene transfer efficiency. Human Gene Therapy, 13: 1647-1653.

  7. Wu, H., Dmitriev, I., Kashentseva, E., Seki, T., Wang, M., and Curiel, D. T. (2002) Construction and characterization of a novel hexon chimera: adenovirus type 5 encapsided by type 3 hexon. Journal of Virology, 76 (24): 12775-12782.

  8. Wu, H., Han, T., Lam, J. T., Leath, C. A., Dmitriev, I., Kashentseva, E., Barnes, M. N., Alvarez, R. D. and Curiel, D. T. (2004) Preclinical evaluation of a class of infectivity-enhanced adenoviral vectors in ovarian cancer gene therapy. Gene Therapy, 11 (10): 874-878.

  9. Rein, D. T., Breidenbach, M., Wu, H., Han, T., Wang, M., Kirby, T., Dall, P., Alvarez, R. D., Curiel, D. T. (2004) Gene Transfer to cervical tumors with fiber modified adenoviruses. Internation Journal of Cancer, 111 (5): 698-704.

  10. Wu, H., Han, T., Belousova, N., Krasnykh, V., Douglas, J. T., Mahasreshti, P. J., and Curiel, D. T. (2005) Identification of sites in Ad5 hexon that can be used to incorporate foreign peptides. Journal of Virology,79 (6): 3382-3390.

  11. Le, L. P., Rivera, A. A., Glasgow, J. N., Ternovoi, V. V., Wu, H., Wang, M., Smith, B. F., Siegal, G. P., and Curiel, D. T. (2006) Infectivity enhancement for adenoviral transduction of canine osteosarcoma cells. Gene Therapy, 13 (5): 389-399.

  12. Mahasreshti, P. J., Kataram, M., Wu, H., Yalavarthy, L. P., Carey, D., Dent, P., Fisher, P. B., Chada, S., Alvarez, R. D., Haisma, H. J., and Curiel, D. T. (2006) Ovarian cancer targeted adenoviral-mediated mda-7/IL-24 gene therapy. Gynecol. Oncol.,100 (3): 521-532.

  13. Kangasniemi, L., Kiviluoto, T., Kanerva, A., Raki, M., Ranki, T., Sarkioja, M., Wu, H., Marini, F., Alfthan, H., Stenman, U., Curiel, D. T., and Hemminki, A. (2006) Capsid modified adenoviruses for increasing gene transfer and oncolytic potency in clinical patient samples and in novel orthotopic models of disseminated gastric cancer. Clinical Cancer Research,12 (10): 3137-3144.

  14. Matthews, Q. L., Sibley, D. A., Wu, H., Li, J., Stoff-Khalili, M. A., Waehler, R., Mathis, J. M., and Curiel, D. T. (2006) Genetic incorporation of a Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 thymidine kinase and firefly luciferase fusion into the adenovirus protein IX for functional disply on the virion. Molecular Imaging, 5 (4): 510-519.

  15. Tang, Y., Han, T., Everts, M., Zhu, Z. B., Gillespie, G. Y., Curiel, D. T., and Wu, H. (2007) Directing Adenovirus across the blood brain barrier via melanotransferrin (P97) transcytosis pathway in an in vitro model. Gene Therapy, 14 (6): 523-532.

  16. Kolodkin-Gal, D., Zamir, G. Pikarski, E., Pikarski, A., Shimony, N., Wu, H., Haviv, Y. S., and Panet, A. (2007) A novel system to study adenovirus tropism to normal and malignant colon tissues. Virology, 357 (1): 91-101.

  17. Van Houdt, W. J., Wu, H., Glasgow, J. N., Lamfers, M. L., Dirven, C. M., Gillespie, G. Y., Curiel, D. T., and Haviv, Y. S. (2007) Divergence in gene delivery into malignant glioma by infectivity-enhanced adenovirus: in vivo vs. in vitro Models. Neuro-Oncology, 9 (3): 280-290.



Biosketch

Current Positions

2005 - Present Research Assistant Professor, Department of OB/GYN, and Division of Human Gene Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
2003 - 2005 Research Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, and Division of Human Gene Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, ALAL

Academic Degrees

1992 B.S., Wuhan University, P. R. China
1995 M.S., Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2001 Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham