Weibo Luo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Dr. Weibo Luo is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) since December 2014. Dr. Luo received his Ph.D summa cum laude from the University of Magdeburg, Germany in 2007, completed his postdoctoral fellowship and instructorship with 2019 Nobel Laureate Dr. Gregg L. Semenza at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine before joining UTSW.

Dr. Luo studies oxygen homeostasis in tumor growth and metastasis at the molecular and cellular levels, with a particular focus on hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). He utilizes the multidisciplinary approaches to study crosstalk of HIF, epigenetics, and metabolism and their roles in tumor growth and metastasis. His overall goals are to identify the novel hypoxia-specific therapeutic targets and ultimately to translate knowledge to cancer therapy.

• Epigenetics
• Gene regulation
• Hypoxia
• Hypoxia-inducible factor
• Metabolism
• Tumor growth and metastasis

Featured Publications

Methylation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1a by G9a/GLP inhibits HIF-1 transcriptional activity and cell migration.

Bao L, Chen Y, Lai HT, Wu SY, Wang JE, Hatanpaa KJ, Raisanen JM, Fontenot M, Lega B, Chiang CM, Semenza GL, Wang Y, Luo W Nucleic Acids Res. 2018 May

ZMYND8 acetylation mediates HIF-dependent breast cancer progression and metastasis.

Chen Y, Zhang B, Bao L, Jin L, Yang M, Peng Y, Kumar A, Wang JE, Wang C, Zou X, Xing C, Wang Y, Luo W J. Clin. Invest. 2018 Apr

Histone demethylase JMJD2C is a coactivator for hypoxia-inducible factor 1 that is required for breast cancer progression.

Luo W, Chang R, Zhong J, Pandey A, Semenza GL Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2012 Dec 109 49 E3367-76

Pyruvate kinase M2 is a PHD3-stimulated coactivator for hypoxia-inducible factor 1.

Luo W, Hu H, Chang R, Zhong J, Knabel M, O'Meally R, Cole RN, Pandey A, Semenza GL Cell 2011 May 145 5 732-44

Epigenetic regulators: multifunctional proteins modulating hypoxia-inducible factor-a protein stability and activity.

Luo W, Wang Y Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 2017 Oct

HIF repressors under chronic hypoxia.

Luo W, Wang Y Aging (Albany NY) 2016 Mar

PRDX2 and PRDX4 are negative regulators of hypoxia-inducible factors under conditions of prolonged hypoxia.

Luo W, Chen I, Chen Y, Alkam D, Wang Y, Semenza GL Oncotarget 2016 Feb

HIF-1a and TAZ serve as reciprocal co-activators in human breast cancer cells.

Xiang L, Gilkes DM, Hu H, Luo W, Bullen JW, Liang H, Semenza GL Oncotarget 2015 May 6 14 11768-78

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 mediates TAZ expression and nuclear localization to induce the breast cancer stem cell phenotype.

Xiang L, Gilkes DM, Hu H, Takano N, Luo W, Lu H, Bullen JW, Samanta D, Liang H, Semenza GL Oncotarget 2014 Dec 5 24 12509-27

Systemic delivery of microencapsulated 3-bromopyruvate for the therapy of pancreatic cancer.

Chapiro J, Sur S, Savic LJ, Ganapathy-Kanniappan S, Reyes J, Duran R, Thiruganasambandam SC, Moats CR, Lin M, Luo W, Tran PT, Herman JM, Semenza GL, Ewald AJ, Vogelstein B, Geschwind JF Clin. Cancer Res. 2014 Dec 20 24 6406-17

• Mary Kay Foundation Research Award
  (2019)
• Susan G. Komen Career Catalyst Research Award
  (2016)
• Welch Foundation Research Award
  (2016)
• American Cancer Society (ACS-IRG) New Investigator Awards in Cancer Research
  (2015)
• CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
  Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (2014)
• AACR-Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology Scholar-in-Training Award
  American Association for Cancer Research (2013)
• NIH Pathway to Independence Award
  National Cancer Institute (2013)
• Albert L. Lehninger Postdoctoral Research Award
  The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2012)
• FARMS Postdoctoral Fellowship
  Dr. Richard and Mavis Fowler Foundation for Advanced Research in the Medical Sciences, Inc (2011)
• PhD summa cum laude
  University of Magdeburg, Germany (2007)

• American Association for Cancer Research (2011)