Affiliations

Professor, Pediatrics, Urology, Molecular & Medical Pharmacology

Member, CTSI, California NanoSystems Institute, JCCC Cancer Molecular Imaging, JCCC Genitourinary Oncology Program Area, Molecular Pharmacology GPB Home Area, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area

Investigator, Workforce Development

Our laboratory is focused on development of effective gene therapy protocol from the basic molecular and virology research at the bench level to ultimately apply to treat cancer patients. Current ongoing research topics are: 1. Improving tissue- and cancer-specific gene expression at the transcriptional level. We have developed several strategies to augment the activity of tissue-specific promoters, using the prostate-specific PSA promoter as our initial model system. One of the most potent approach termed two-step transcriptional activation (TSTA) displays 1000-fold higher activity than native PSA promoter while retaining androgen regulation and cell-specificity. Besides prostate-specific promoters, cancer-specific promoters, breast-specific promoters and vascular growth factor promoters are being investigated. 2. Transcriptionally-targeted gene therapy. The approaches developed in topic 1 will be utilized in therapeutic strategies. Current cancer-directed therapeutic strategies under investigation include expression of cytotoxic genes (HSV-tk and TRAIL), anti-angiogenic genes (TSP-1 and METH-1), cell-cycle control gene (p27) and oncolytic viruses. 3. Cancer-targeted molecular imaging. Non-invasive imaging techniques such as optical charge coupled device (CCD) imaging, micro-Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and microCT are applied to monitor vector-based gene expression in vivo. These molecular imaging approaches will be coupled to gene therapy developed in topic 2. 4. Cancer metastasis and tumor vasculature. Non-invasive imaging is being applied to facilitate the monitoring of the metastatic process in living animal. Active investigation is underway to delineate the contribution tumor blood and lymphatic vessels to cancer metastasis. The goal is to develop better therapy to manage this advanced stage of cancer through a better understanding of tumor and vascular biology.

Lily Wu is a biomedical research scientist focused on developing cancer-targeted therapy. Dr. Wu has been a faculty member of the Department of Urology since 1998, and she holds joint appointments in the Department of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology and the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Wu earned her B.S. degrees in Biochemistry and Physiology at University of California, Berkeley in 1982. She graduated in 1989 as a member of the inaugural class of Medical Scientist Training Program (M.D., Ph.D program) at UCLA. Her current research topic of gene-based cancer therapy was initiated with the support of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship for Physicians in 1994. Her diverse education training ranges from clinical disciplines of pediatrics and hematology/oncology to molecular and cellular fields such as adenovirus biology, transcription regulation, and gene therapy. Besides her research endeavors, a major part of her effort involves mentoring students at all levels, from undergraduates, graduate, postdoctoral fellows to clinical residents. Her diverse background creates a fertile ground for the interdisciplinary approaches she has taken in her research. Her main goal is to deliver safe, effective, and targeted treatment to cancer patients.

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