Staff Profile

I obtained a Bachelor degree in Clinical Medicine and a Masters degree in Ophthalmology in China. In 2012, I received my PhD degree in Biology at Durham University, UK. I was employed as a research associate by Durham University between 2012 and 2014 and studied lens regeneration in rodents. In Nov 2014, I moved to King’s College London and worked as a research associate in the lab of Prof. Wuding Zhou and Steven Sacks, where I studied the roles of complement particularly C5a and collectin 11 in immune regulation and disease. In July 2018, I joined Claire Harris’ group and worked on the roles of Factor H related proteins in AMD.

My PhD and first research associate job at Durham University mainly studied the influence of age and growth factors to lens epithelial cells and lens regeneration in rodents.

 

After I moved to King’s College London, I focused on studying: 1) how C5a/C5aR1 signaling mediates the expression of carbohydrate ligands on renal tubules in acute pyelonephritis, 2) how collectin 11 increases acute kidney injury and promotes the development of renal fibrosis, 3) how collectin 11 regulates the phagocytosis and cytokine production of retinal pigment epithelial cells, and 4) the roles of collectin 11 in regulating arthritis.

I have helped to supervise two PhD students, four master students and some undergraduate students.

• Peng Q, Wu W, Wu KY, Cao B, Qiang C, Li K, Sacks SH, Zhou W. The C5a/C5aR1 axis promotes progression of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis in a mouse model of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury. Kidney International 2019, 96(1), 117-128.
• Wu W, Liu C, Farrar CA, Ma L, Dong X, Sacks SH, Li K, Zhou W. Collectin-11 Promotes the Development of Renal Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 2018, 29(1), 168-181.
• Song Y, Wu KY, Wu W, Duan ZY, Gao YF, Zhang LD, Chong T, Garstka MA, Zhou W, Li K. Epithelial C5aR1 signalling enhances uropathogenic E coli adhesion to human renal tubular epithelial cells. Frontiers in Immunology 2018, 9, 949.
• Li K, Wu KY, Wu W, Wang N, Zhang T, Choudhry N, Song Y, Farrar CA, Ma L, Wei LL, Duan ZY, Dong X, Liu EQ, Li ZF, Sacks SH, Zhou W. C5aR1 promotes acute pyelonephritis induced by uropathogenic E. coli. JCI insight 2017, 2(24), e97626.
• Dong X, Wu W, Ma L, Liu C, Bhuckory MB, Wang L, Nandrot EF, Xu H, Li K, Liu Y, Zhou W. Collectin-11 Is an Important Modulator of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Phagocytosis and Cytokine Production. Journal of Innate Immunity 2017, 9(6), 529-545.
• Liu CF, Min XY, Wang N, Wang JX, Ma N, Dong X, Zhang B, Wu W, Li ZF, Zhou W, Li K. Complement Receptor 3 Has Negative Impact on Tumor Surveillance through Suppression of Natural Killer Cell Function. Frontiers in Immunology 2017, 8, 1602.
• Jarrin M, Young L, Wu W, Girkin JM, Quinlan RA. In vivo, Ex Vivo, and In Vitro Approaches to Study Intermediate Filaments in the Eye Lens. Methods in Enzymology 2016, 568, 581-611.
• Farrar CA, Tran D, Li K, Wu W, Peng Q, Schwaeble W, Zhou W, Sacks SH. Collectin-11 detects stress-induced L-fucose pattern to trigger renal epithelial injury. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2016, 126(5), 1911-1925.
• Choudhry N, Li K, Zhang T, Wu KY, Song Y, Farrar CA, Wang N, Liu CF, Peng Q, Wu W, Sacks SH, Zhou W. The complement factor 5a receptor 1 has a pathogenic role in chronic inflammation and renal fibrosis in a murine model of chronic pyelonephritis. Kidney International 2016, 90(3), 540-554.
• Wu JJ, Wu W, Tholozan FM, Saunter CD, Girkin JM, Quinlan RA. A dimensionless ordered pull-through model of the mammalian lens epithelium evidences scaling across species and explains the age-dependent changes in cell density in the human lens. Journal of the Royal Society. Interface 2015, 12(108), 20150391.
• Markiewicz E, Barnard S, Haines J, Coster M, van Geel O, Wu W, Richards S, Ainsbury E, Rothkamm K, Bouffler S, Quinlan RA. Nonlinear ionizing radiation-induced changes in eye lens cell proliferation, cyclin D1 expression and lens shape. Open Biology 2015, 5(4), 150011.
• Wu W, Tholozan FM, Goldberg MW, Bowen L, Wu J, Quinlan RA. A gradient of matrix-bound FGF-2 and perlecan is available to lens epithelial cells. Experimental Eye Research 2014, 120, 10-14.
• Wu W, Lois N, Richards S, Saunter C, Quinlan RA. The mechanism of lens regeneration. In: ARVO Annual Meeting. 2014, Denver, CO, USA: ARVO.
• Wu W, Lois N, Richards S, Saunter C, Fordyce R, Quinlan RA. Mapping and quantifying lens epithelial cell proliferation in a rodent model of lens regeneration. In: ARVO Annual Meeting. 2013.
• Wu W, Bowen L, Quinlan RA. The distribution of FGF-2/perlecan and collagen IV in bovine lens capsule as quantified by immunogold labelling. In: ARVO Annual Meeting. 2010.
• Yang P, Fang W, Wang L, Wen F, Wu W, Kijlstra A. Study of macular function by multifocal electroretinography in patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol 2008, 146(5).
• Wu W, Wen F, Huang S, Luo G, Wu D. Choroidal folds in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. Am J Ophthalmol 2007, 143(5).
• Wu W, Wen F, Huang S, Luo G, Wu D. Indocyanine green angiographic findings of Dalen-Fuchs nodules in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2007, 245(7).