Work Email Address:
twu@mednet.ucla.edu
Work Phone Number:
(310) 267-2218
Mailing Address:
10-240 Factor
650 Charles E Young Dr. South
Los Angeles, CA 90095
| Affiliations |
| Associate Professor, Molecular & Medical Pharmacology |
| Member, Immunity, Microbes & Molecular Pathogenesis GPB Home Area, Molecular Pharmacology GPB Home Area |
Our laboratory focuses on the Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus, which is a tumor-associated gammaherpesvirus. Due to the restricted host range of tumor-associated human gammaherpesviruses, the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) has the ability to provide an excellent in vivo model system. Therefore, the lab has also established an efficient genetic mutagenesis system to manipulate the large DNA genome of MHV-68.
Our research program has three main areas of research interests:
1) Identifying critical pathways for viral replication as potential therapeutic targets;
2) Elucidating viral strategies to evade the host immune surveillance;
3) Developing immunological approaches for therapies.
In recent years, we discovered several viral proteins that hijacks cellular pathways to downregulate type I interferon responses. We have been investigating these pathways to gain fundamental knowledge in cell biology. Understanding these cellular pathways may also provide insight to the endogenous mechanisms that regulate type I interferon responses. In addition to mechanistic studies, we also engineered the virus to be safe and immunogenic as vaccines and as virotherapy for cancers.
Ting-Ting Wu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA. Dr. Wu received her undergraduate degree from National Taiwan University, and her Ph.D in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Subsequently, she became a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Ren Sun at UCLA. Dr. Wu's lab focuses on tumor-associated human gammaherpesviruses.