February, 2024
Hongfei Li and Yiming Sun join graduate program!
February, 2024
Congratulations! Dr. Jun Wu receives the 2024 ISSCR Outstanding Young Investigator Award for his Innovative Work on Stem Cell-Based Embryo and Chimera Models!
January, 2024
Chieh-Cheng Yu joins graduate program!
September 2023
Leijie Li joins the Lab.
Leijie Li has worked in the field of bioinformatics for many years and possesses extensive experience in biostatistics. He is proficient in various statistical software applications and skilled in data analysis for a diverse array of sequencing technologies, such as RNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, GWAS, proteomics, epigenetic analysis, and more. This expertise allows him to offer professional guidance on bioinformatics experiments to fellow researchers.
His addition to our group has strengthened the team's exploration in the field of bioinformatics. The team can now establish a comprehensive "wet and dry" experimental cycle. Interesting phenomena are observed during molecular and cellular experiments, followed by the utilization of bioinformatic analysis to investigate potential molecular pathways associated with these phenomena. Finally, we validate these candidate pathways through "wet" experiments.
July, 2023
Congratulations on the publication of Lizhong's work on modeling post-implantation stages of human development in Cell!
We have developed a stem-cell-derived integrated embryo model that recapitulates key post-implantation stages of human development. This model, termed peri-gastruloids, recapitulates crucial events such as the formation of amniotic and yolk sac cavities, the development of bilaminar and trilaminar discs, the specification of primordial germ cells, the formation of the primitive streak, and gastrulation, as well as the initial stages of neurulation and organogenesis. Comparisons through scRNA-seq and anatomical analysis of peri-gastruloids to natural embryos futher verify the similarity between the model and its in vivo counterparts.
This peri-gastruloid platform hold the potential for further exploration beyond gastrulation and may potentially aid in the development of human fetal tissues for use in regenerative medicine.
Congratulations to co-authors: Seiya, James, Saku and Carlos!
April, 2023
Jun Wu was promoted to Associate Professor. Congratulations Dr. Wu!
January, 2023
James Hamilton joins graduate program!
December, 2022
Congratulations on the publication of Lizhong's work in Nature!
The study provides an unprecedented insight into the 3rd-4th week development of cynomolgus monkeys. This research marks the first-ever portrayal of primate early organogenesis at a single-cell resolution!
Understanding human development ofter relies on non-human primate models, yet the availability of in vivo datasets is limited. To address thsi gas, we obtained six Carnegie stage [CS] 8-11 cynomolgus monkey embryos and conducted extensive transcriptome analysess on 56,636 individual cells. Through our meticulous analysis, we uncovered teh transcriptomic characteristics of key peri-gastrulation cell types, shedding light on crucial morphogenetic events such as primitive streak (PS) development, somitogenesis, gut tube formation, neural tube patterning, and neural crest regionalization in primates.
This comprehensive single-cell transcriptome atlas not only fills a significant knowledge gas in non-human primate research but also serves as an invaluable resource for understanding human embryogenesis and developmental disorders. The achievement of this remarkable milestone is the result of an incredible collaborative effort between the Wu lab, as well as the Wang and Guo labs at IOZ.
September, 2022
Bingbing He joins the Lab!
August, 2022
Jia Huang joins the Lab!
July, 2022
Seiya Oura joins the Lab!
February, 2022
Menaka Sanghvi joins graduate program!
February, 2022
Yunfeng Anna Zhao joins the lab!
January, 2022
Lizhong Liu joins the Lab!
January 22, 2022
The annual MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 in China Was announced Online.
Leqien Yu was selected on the MIT Technology Review's list of 35 Innovators Under 35 in China. Congratulations Leqian!
October 2021
A commentary on “New concepts for generating interspecies chimeras using human pluripotent stem cells” by Dr. Wu is published in Protein & Cell.
A commentary titled “New concepts for generating interspecies chimeras using human pluripotent stem cells” by Dr. Wu is published in Protein & Cell.
New concepts for generating interspecies chimeras using human pluripotent stem cellsOctober 2021
Yi Ding joins the lab!
Yi Ding, Ph.D., has joined the Wu Lab as a postdoctoral research fellow. Dr. Ding received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University, mentored by Dr. Tomoya Kitajima in RIKEN. He started from oocytes research to embryo development and now he is interested in generating human embryonic models and interspecies chimeras to study the embryogenesis of mammals and their potential use in regenerative medicine. He speaks Chinese, English, and Japanese.
August 2021
Review article on pluripotent stem cell competition published.
A recent review on pluripotent stem cell competition by Dr. Wu published in Developmental Biology.
Fitness selection in human pluripotent stem cells and interspecies chimerasJune 2021
Review article published in Development.
Our review on interspecies chimeras and blastocyst complementation is published in Development.
The road to generating transplantable organs: from blastocyst complementation to interspecies chimerasMay 2021
Collaboration paper on simplified culture conditions for bovine embryonic stem cells is published in Scientific Reports.
Collaboration paper on simplified culture conditions for bovine embryonic stem cells is published in Scientific Reports.
Simplification of culture conditions and feeder-free expansion of bovine embryonic stem cellsApril 2021
Collaboration paper on ex vivo human-monkey chimeric embryos is published in Cell, and has garnered worldwide attention!
Collaboration paper on ex vivo human-monkey chimeric embryos is published in Cell, and has garnered worldwide attention!
Selected News:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01001-2
https://www.statnews.com/2021/04/15/international-team-creates-first-chimeric-human-monkey-embryos/
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/human-monkey-chimeras-shed-light-on-development-68674
https://time.com/5954818/first-human-monkey-chimera-embryo/
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/why-scientists-have-been-creating-chimeras-in-the-lab-for-decades
March 2021
New paper published in Nature gathered worldwide attention!
New paper publishied in Nature gathered wolrdwide attention!
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03356-y?elqTrackId=4dcbd3c1c0e84edea63a34d86d2ac10b
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00695-8
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/03/17/977573846/scientists-create-living-entities-that-closely-resemble-human-embryos
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/scientists-say-peeked-black-box-early-human-development-rcna437
https://www.statnews.com/2021/03/17/new-models-earliest-stages-embryonic-development/
https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/articles/year-2021/new-structure-that-mimics-blastocysts.html
https://www.science.org/news/2021/03/researchers-re-create-key-human-embryo-stage-lab
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/17/health/mice-artificial-uterus.html
https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/mar/17/scientists-create-living-entities-in-the-lab-that/
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-03-17/pre-embryos-made-in-lab-could-spur-research-ethics-debates
Chinese：
http://www.xinhuanet.com/2021-03/18/c_1127226248.htm
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/360562796
https://www.163.com/dy/article/G5AB5OR20532BT7X.html
http://www.xinhuanet.com/tech/2020-12/03/c_1126816759.htm
http://www.stdaily.com/kjrb/kjrbbm/2021-04/22/content_1119560.shtml
Japanese：
https://www.asahi.com/amp/articles/ASP3L35H4P3KULBJ00W.html
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/20210321-OYT1T50205/amp/
February 2021
Collaboration paper published in Cell Discovery!
Our collaboration paper on scRNA-Seq analysis of pig early embryos and cross-species comparison is published in Cell Discovery!
Cross-species single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals pre-gastrulation developmental differences among pigs, monkeys, and humansJanuary 2021
Our stem cell paper is published in Nature!
Our interspecies pluripotent stem cell competition paper is published in Nature!
Congratulations Canbin, Yingying, Saku and others!
January 2021
Our commentary is published in Cell Stem Cell!
Our commentary titled “Growth Competition in Interspecies Chimeras: A New Paradigm for Blastocyst Complementation” is published in Cell Stem Cell!
Congratulations Emily!
December 2020
Daniel Schmitz awarded CRSM fellowship
Daniel Schmitz has been award a Fellowship by the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science & Medicine. The fellowships are awarded to talented graduate student or postdoctoral trainees whose research focuses on tissue formation in health and disease, tissue repair, or tissue regeneration.
Congratulations, Daniel!
Congratulations Emily!
December 2020
Our stem cell paper is published in Cell Stem Cell!
Our new intermediate/formative-like pluripotent stem cell paper is published in Cell Stem Cell ! Congratulations Leqian, Yulei and others!
Derivation of Intermediate Pluripotent Stem Cells Amenable to Primordial Germ Cell SpecificationNovember 2020
Wu Lab collaboration paper published in Reproduction!
Our collaboration paper on the derivation of sheep embryonic stem cells is published in Reproduction!
Derivation of sheep embryonic stem cells under optimized conditionsOctober 2019
Our collaboration paper is published in Cell!
Our collaboration paper on the generation of mouse blastocyst-like structures using extended pluripotent stem cells is published in Cell!
Generation of Blastocyst-like Structures from Mouse Embryonic and Adult Cell CulturesJuly 2019
Dr. Wu featured in Science magazine
Dr. Wu was featured in a Science magazine article on the future of creating human organs in other species, an approach that could lead to better matches for human recipients.
Embryo experiments take ‘baby steps’ toward growing human organs in livestock, , by Kelly Servick. Science, 26 July 2019 VOL 365:6451. doi:10.1126/science.aay5320.June 2019
Dr. Wu coauthors chapters in Chimera Research
Jun Wu Lab has co-authored three book chapters in Chimera Research: Methods and Protocols (Springer, 2019).
"Highly Efficient Derivation of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Mouse Preimplantation and Postimplantation Embryos in Serum-Free Conditions," by Alejandro De Los Angeles, Daiji Okamura, and Jun Wu..June 2019
Dr. Wu coauthors chapters in Chimera Research
Jun Wu Lab has co-authored three book chapters in Chimera Research: Methods and Protocols (Springer, 2019).
"Pig Chimeric Model with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells," Cuiqing Zhong, Jun Wu, and Juan Carlos Izpisua BelmonteJune 2019
Dr. Wu coauthors chapters in Chimera Research
Jun Wu Lab has co-authored three book chapters in Chimera Research: Methods and Protocols (Springer, 2019).
"Embryonic Chimeras with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells," Alejandro De Los Angeles, Masahiro Sakurai, Jun WuJune 2019
Dr. Wu reports successful generation of pig IPS cells
Dr. Wu has co-authored a study reporting the successful generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from pigs, which shows promise for creating germline-competent pig EPS cells from early embryos.
Generation of pig induced pluripotent stem cells using an extended pluripotent stem cell culture system, Stem Cell Research & Therapy. Vol. 10, Article number 193 (2019).January 2019
Carlos Pinzón joins graduate program
Carlos Pinzón, who joined the lab in 2018 as a research assistant, is now a graduate student in the Genetics, Disease and Development program, where he will focus on develping novel genetic engineering technologies and their applications to improve the lives of all organisms. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the National University of Colombia and his Master of Science degree from Texas A&M. His previous research includes increasing influenza vaccine production by genetically modifying chicken eggs, and producing recombinant vaccines against zoonotic diseases in the milk of genetically modified animals. His Master's work focused on precise and efficient therapeutic genome editing of genetic diseases.
October 2018
Leqian Yu wins CRSM fellowship
Postdoc Leqian Yu, Ph.D., has been award a Trainee Fellowship by the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science & Medicine. The fellowships are awarded to talented graduate student or postdoctoral trainees whose research focuses on tissue formation in health and disease, tissue repair, or tissue regeneration.
Congratulations, Leqian!
August 2018
Yulei Wei joins the lab
Yulei Wei, Ph.D., has joined the Wu Lab as a postdoctoral research fellow. She received her Ph.D. degree from Kyoto University in Japan. She is interested in developing interspecies chimera models to study mechanism(s) of cancer resistance in the naked mole rat and blind mole rat. She speaks Chinese, English, and Japanese.
June 2018
Annesha Dutta joins lab
Annesha Dutta has joined our lab as a student in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. She studies biomedical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas and is interested in stem cells.
May 2018
Yingying Hu joins the lab
Yingying Hu, Ph.D. has joined our lab as a visiting research fellow. Dr. Hu received her Ph.D. from Peking University, China, in 2016. She served as a research scientist in Beijing Genomic Institute. In the Wu Lab, she will focus on translational research of genome editing and mammalian embryonic development.
April 2018
Leqian Yu joins lab
Leqian Yu, Ph.D., has joined the Wu Lab as a postdoctoral research fellow. He received his Ph.D. degree from Kyoto University in Japan. He is interested in human stem cell research and embryonic development. He speaks Chinese, English, and Japanese.
March 2018
Canbin Zheng joins the Wu Lab
We welcome Canbin Zheng, M.D., to our lab. Dr. Zheng received his medical degree from Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) and completed fellowship training at the First Affiliated Hospital of SYSU, where he served as an attending physician of Microsurgery, Orthopedic Trauma, and Hand Surgery.
March 2018
Welcome, Carlos Pinzón!
Carlos Pinzón, D.V.M., M.S., has joined the Wu Lab as a research assistant. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the National University of Colombia and his Master of Science degree from Texas A&M. In the Wu Lab, he will study development of novel genetic engineering technologies and their applications to improve the lives of all organisms.
February 2018
Dr. Wu's work on bovine stem cells receives coverage
A news article in Science discusses Dr. Wu's work on bovine derived embryonic stem cells and how it might help maintain or improve cattle breeds through cloning or gene editing.
"First cow embryonic stem cells could lead to healthier, more productive livestock," Science, Feb 5, 2018.January 2018
Protein & Cell publishes commentary by Dr. Wu
Dr. Wu’s commentary “First stem cell transplantation to regenerate human lung,” has been published online by Protein & Cell.
“First stem cell transplantation to regenerate human lung"January 2018
Ling Zhang joins lab
Welcome our new lab member Ling Zhang, who joins the Wu Lab as the lab manager. Previously, she managed Jenny Hsieh's lab, which recently moved to University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
January 2018
Welcome, Dr. Sakurai!
Welcome our new lab member, Dr. Masahiro Sakurai. Dr. Masahiro Sakurai received his Ph.D. from Tohoku University, Japan, and joins the Wu Lab as an Assistant Instructor. He is interested in mammalian gonadogenesis, early embryogenesis, implantation, and pregnancy.