Education

• BS: Wuhan University, China (1992)
• MS: Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Scienes, China (1995)
• PhD: University of Alabama at Birmingham (2001)
• Postdoctoral Training: University of Alabama at Birmingham (2003)

Biography

Dr. Hongju Wu obtained her BS in Biochemistry from Wuhan University (China) in 1992, a MS in Molecular and Cell Biology from Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Science in 1995, and a Ph.D in Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2001. She continued her postdoc training at UAB in the field of gene therapy, and became a faculty member in 2003. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at Tulane University. Her laboratory explores genetic therapy and islet transplantation strategies for the treatment of diabetes. In addition, she is interested in islet cell biology involving the mechanisms of beta cell regeneration, and GLP-1 regulation of glucagon secretion from alpha cells. 

Publications

1. Fava GE., Dong EW, and Wu H. (2016) Intra-islet glucagon-like peptide 1. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, 30(8):1651-1658. (PMID: 27267264)
2. Zhang Y, Fava GE, Wang H, Mauvais-Jarvis F, Fonseca VA, and Wu H. (2016) Pax4 gene transfer induces α-to-β cell phenotypic conversion and confers therapeutic benefits for diabetes treatment. Molecular Therapy, 24 (2): 251-260.(PMID: 26435408)
3. Zhang Y, Wu M, Htun W, Dong EW, Fonseca VA, and Wu H. (2017) Differential effects of linagliptin on human islets isolated from non-diabetic and diabetic donors. Scientific Reports, 7(1): 7964. (PMID: 28801559)
4. Zhang Y, Fava GE, Wu M, Htun W, Klein T, Fonseca VA, and Wu H. (2017) Effects of linagliptin on pancreatic α cells of type 1 diabetic mice. Journal of the Endocrine Society, 1 (10): 1224-1234. (PMID: 29264448).
5. Dong S, and Wu H (2018) Regenerating β cells of the pancreas – potential developments in diabetes treatment. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 18(2): 175-185. (PMID: 29130349).
6. Kim DS., Song L, Wu H, Wang J, Gou W, Cui W, Kim JS, and Wang H. (2018) Carbon monoxide inhibits islet apoptosis via induction of autophagy. Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, 28(14): 1309-1322. (PMID: 28826228)
7. Dong S, Bluher M, Zhang Y, Wu H, and Alahari SK. (2019) Development of insulin resistance in Nischarin mutant female mice. International Journal of Obesity, 43 (5): 1046-1057. (PMID: 30546133)
8. Zhang Y, Parajuli KR, Fava GE, Gupta R, Xu W, Nguyen LU, Zakaria A, Fonseca VA, Wang H, Mauvais-Jarvis F., Sloop KW, and Wu H (2019) GLP-1 receptor expressed in pancreatic α cells regulates glucagon secretion in a glucose-dependent manner. Diabetes, 68 (1): 34-44. (PMID: 30389749).
9. Parajuli, KR, Zhang Y, Cao, AM, Wang H., Fonseca VA, and Wu H (2020) Pax4 gene delivery improves islet transplantation efficacy by promoting β cell survival and α-to-β cell transdifferentiation. Transplantation, in press.

Full list of publications for Dr. Hongju Wu.