Tony Ye Hu, PhD
Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation
Biography
Dr. Tony Hu is a distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, and Microbiology at Tulane University. He holds the prestigious Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation and is the founding Director of the Center for Intelligent Molecular Diagnostics at Tulane School of Medicine.
Dr. Hu's research is focused on engineered multi-omics, nanomedicine, mechanism-driven biomarker discovery, and assay development. His groundbreaking work employs the unique properties of nanomaterials to improve assay performance and reproducibility, thereby offering a novel approach to clinical microbiology and biomarker discovery. His goal is to develop a full spectrum of diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment evaluation assays, redefining diagnostic criteria for infectious and malignant diseases using molecular tests.
Dr. Hu's contributions to the field are widely recognized, and he was elected as a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in March 2023. He has published over 150 high-impact papers and has filed 2 patent applications involving nanomedicine, 14 of which have been licensed by US-based or international companies.
Dr. Hu's research is supported by leading organizations such as the DOD, NIH, Gates Foundation, and WHO, among others. He has mentored 78 fellows and students from 21 countries, many of whom have gone on to establish independent faculty positions. In addition, Dr. Hu is a co-founder of two biotech startup companies, Intelligenome Inc. in San Jose, CA, and NanoPin Technologies in New Orleans, LA.
Dr. Hu's innovative and pioneering research has resulted in significant advancements in the field of biomarker discovery and nanomedicine. His contributions have not only advanced the scientific community's understanding of infectious and malignant diseases but have also led to the development of novel diagnostic tools and therapies that can benefit patients worldwide.
Contributions
1. Zheng, W., LaCourse, S., Song, B., Singh, D. K., Khanna, M., Olivo, J., Stern, J., Escudero, J., Vergara, C., Zhang, F., Li, S., Wang, S., Cranmer, L. M., Huang, Z., Bojanowsk, C. M., Bao D., Njuguna, I., Xiao, Y., Wamalwa, D. C., Nguyen, D. T., Yang, L., Maleche-Obimbo, E., Nguyen, N., Zhang, L., Phan, H., Fan, J., Ning, B., Li, C., Lyon, C. J., Graviss, E. A., John-Stewart, G., Mitchell, C. D., Ramsay, A. J., Kaushal, D., Liang, R., Perez-Then, E., Hu, T.*. Diagnosis of paediatric tuberculosis by optically detecting two virulence factors on extracellular vesicles in blood samples. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2022. 6, 979-991.
2. Huang, Z., LaCourse, S., Kay, A., Stern, J., Escudero, J., Youngquist, B., Zheng, W., Vambe, D., Dlamini, M., Mtetwa, G., Cranmer, L., Njuguna, I., Wamalwa, D., Maleche-Obimbo, E., Catanzaro, D., Lyon, C., John-Stewart, G., DiNardo, A., Mandalakas, A., Ning, B., Hu,T.*. CRISPR Detection of Circulating Cell-free M. tuberculosis DNA in Adult and Children, Including Children with HIV. The Lancet MIcrobe. 2022, 3(7): E482-492.
3. Zheng, W., Shu, Q., Mao, L., Lyon, C., Li, C., Hu, T.*. Nanopore-based disease diagnosis using pathogen-derived tryptic peptides from serum. Nano Today. 2022. 45:101515.
4. Ning, B., Youngquist, B. M., Li, D. D., Lyon, C. J., Zelazny, A., Maness4, N. J., Tian, D., Hu, T.*. Rapid detection of multiple SARS-CoV- variants of concern by PAM-targeting Mutations. Cell Reports Method. 2022. 2(2):100173.
5. Ning, B., Chandra, S., Rosen, J., Evan, M., Melvin, A., Lane, P., Ivy, T., Brittany, S., Escarra, M., Stacy, D., Zwezdary, K., Lyon, C., Norton, E., Hu, T.*. Evaluation of pathogen specific T-cell activation with a point-of-care on-chip IGRA. ACS Nano. 2023, 17, 2, 1206-1216.
6. Ning, B., Huang, Z., Youngquist, B M., Scott, J. W., Niu, A., Bojanowski, C., M., Zwezdaryk, K. J., Saba, N., S., Fan, J., Yin, X., Cao, J., Lyon, C. J., Li, C., Roy, C. J., Hu, T.*. Liposome-mediated detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-positive extracellular vesicles in plasma. Nature Nanotechnology. 2021. 16, 1039-1044.
7. Ning, B., Yu, T., Zhang, S., Huang, Z., Tian, D., Lin, Z., Niu, A., Golden, N., Hensley, K., Threeton, B., Lyon, C. J., Yin, X., Saba, N., Rappaport, J., Wei, Q., Hu, T.*. A smartphone-read ultrasensitive and quantitative saliva test for COVID-19. Science Advances. 2021. 7(2): eabe3703.
8. Huang, Z., Ning, B., Yang, H., Youngquist, B., Niu, A., Lyon, C., Beddingfield, B., Fears, A., Monk, C., Murrell, A., Bilton, S., Linhuber, J., Norton, E., Dietrich, M., Lai, W., Scott, J., Yin, X., Rappaport, J., Robinson, J., Saba, N., Roy, C., Zwezdaryk, K., Zhao, Z., Hu, T.*. Sensitive tracking of viral RNA in plasma through all stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection. J. Clinical Investigation. 2021, 131(7):e146031.
9. Liu, Y., Fan, J., Xu, T., Ahmadinejad, N., Hess, K., Lin, S., Zhang, J., Liu, X., Liu, X., Ning, B., Liao, Z., Hu, T.*. Extracellular Vesicle Tetraspanin-8 Expression Predicts Distant Metastasis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer after Concurrent Chemoradiation. Science Advances. 2021, 6:11, eaaz6162.
10. Rodrigues, M., Richards, N., Ning, B., Lyon, C., Hu, T.*. Rapid lipid-based normalization of membrane protein expression on extracellular vesicles in complex biological samples. Nano Letters, 2019, 19,11, 7623-7631 (Cover Story).
11. Liu, C., Zhao, Z., Fan, J., Lyon, C. J., Wu, H., Nedelokv, D., Zelazny, A. M., Olivier, K. N., Cazares, L. H., Holland, S. H., Graviss, E. A., Hu, T.*. Quantification of Circulating M. tuberculosis Antigens for Rapid Diagnosis and Real-time Treatment Monitoring. Proc. Natl, Acad. Sci, USA. 2017, 114(15):3969-3974. (Highlighted by New England Journal of Medicine).
12. Liang, K., Liu, G., Fan, J., Sun, D., Bernard, D. W., Li, Y., Yokoi, K., Katz, M. H., Koay, E. J., Zhao, Z., Hu, T.*. Nanoplasmic Quantification of Tumor-derived Extracellular Vesicles in Plasma Microsamples for Diagnosis and Treatment Monitoring. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2017. 1:0021. (Highlighted by Nature Review Gastroenterology and Hepatology).
To view more of Dr. Hu's publications, visit PubMed.
Awards & Accomplishments
2025 Academy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry in a Selected Area of Research
The Academy of Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) has awarded Tulane University research scientist Tony Hu, PhD, the 2025 Academy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry in a Selected Area of Research.
