Meet the Principal Investigator
Tuoqi Wu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Education
2013 Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Advisor: Rafi Ahmed
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Emory University
2007 B.S. in Biotechnology
School of Life Sciences
Dual B.S. in Computer Science
School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science
Peking University
Academic Employment and Positions
2021-present Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
2021-present Member, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX
2019-2021 Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
2019-2021 Member, Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Initiative, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
2019-2021 Member, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO
2013-2019 Postdoctoral fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
2007-2013 Graduate research assistant, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
2006-2007 Undergraduate researcher, National Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Beijing, China
Meet the lab members
Safuwra Wizzard
Ph.D. Candidate
Safuwra graduated from the University of California Merced in 2020 with a BS in Human Biology and a BA in Psychology. Based on her personal and research experiences, she has set her sights on a career in immunology and aspires to independently perform clinically relevant research. When she's not in lab, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, looking after her plants, and traveling.
Kerelos Shehata
Ph.D. Candidate
Kerelos grew up in Boston and received his undergraduate degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Northeastern University. After graduating, he worked at a biotechnology company developing iPSC-derived "off the shelf" CAR-T cell therapies. As a PhD student in the cancer biology graduate program, he is interested in researching novel strategies to enhance immune responses in solid tumors. Outside of the lab, Kerelos enjoys lifting weights, golf, tennis, and catching up with friends and family.
Ying Luo, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ying Luo joined the Wu Lab as a postdoctoral researcher in September 2022. He received his Ph.D. degree in Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in June 2022. His research interest mainly focuses on T cell immunology. In his free time, Ying likes to program and watch videos.
Taidou Hu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Taidou received his Ph.D. from the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China. His research interests mainly focus on the interplay between epigenetic landscape regulation and CD8+ T cell differentiation/exhaustion in human health and disease. In his free time, Taidou enjoys reading and listening.
Xuebing Leng, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Xuebing Leng joined the Wu Lab as a postdoctoral researcher in January 2026. He received his Ph.D. degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Miami in December 2025. His research interests focus on T cell exhaustion and cancer immunotherapy.
Sami Frascoli
Research Assistant
Sami graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a B.S. in Biology and Minor in Music, followed with a subsequent Master’s in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Research done during my Master’s was centered around understanding mammary gland development and how elements of the stromal niche, particularly sympathetic neurons, dictated the morphogenesis of the gland. I am currently undecided on whether I would be interested in pursuing a PhD, but want to spend more time in the lab to understand whether that would be the best path moving forward. In my free time, I love talking about and playing videogames, along with practicing music on my trumpet and piano. I am also currently working on an album with a friend of mine that utilizes my almost two decades of music experience.