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Tuoqi Wu, Ph.D.

Tuoqi Wu, Ph.D.

Titles and Appointments

Investigator-Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute

Assistant Professor

School
Medical School
Department
Immunology | Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Graduate Programs
Cancer Biology, Immunology
  • Biography

    I am intersted in understanding the molecular pathways that govern immune cell differentiation and function in cancer and infection. I hope to apply this knowledge to the development of more effective immunotherapies. My study revealed that transcription factor TCF1 in T follicular helper cells is required for the development of germinal center B cells and long-term humoral immunity (Cell Rep. 2015). I have characterized a novel stem cell-like CD8 T cell population that is required for long-term cellular immunity and the response induced by immunotherapies including immune checkpoint inhibitor (Sci Immunol. 2016). Using cutting-edge single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic methods, I discovered that transcription factor TOX promotes the generation and persistence of exhausted CD8 T cells (Nat Immunol. 2019). I have also found that transcriptional repressor BACH2 protects T-cell stemness and suppresses terminal exhaustion of CD8 T cells through transcriptional and epigenetic programming (Nat Immunol. 2021). In addition, we demonstrated that transcription factors FOXP1 and KLF2 reciprocally regulate the differentiation of stem-like CAR T cells to effector-like CAR T cells and control antitumor immunity (Nat Immunol. 2024). Our more recent study revealed a role of redox sensor KEAP1 promotes response by stem-like T cells and long-term T cell immunity by limiting NRF2-driven hyperactivation (Sci Immunol. 2024).

     

    Education
    2007-2013 - Ph.D., Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Thesis Advisor: Rafi Ahmed

    2003-2007 - B.S. in Biotechnology, Dual B.S. in Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Positions
    2021-present - Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

    2019-2021 - Assistant professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO

    2013-2019 - Visiting fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

    2008-2013 - Graduate research assistant, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

    2006-2007 - Undergraduate researcher, National Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Beijing, China

  • Research Interest
    • cancer immunotherapy
    • immunosenescence, aging
    • T cell exhaustion
    • T cell stemness
  • Publications

    Star Featured Publications

    Featured Featured Featured Featured Featured Featured Featured
    The prostacyclin receptor PTGIR is a NRF2-dependent regulator of CD8+ T cell exhaustion.
    Dahabieh MS, DeCamp LM, Oswald BM, Kitchen-Goosen SM, Fu Z, Vos M, Compton SE, Longo J, Foy NM, Williams KS, Ellis AE, Johnson A, Sodiya I, Vincent M, Lee H, Yao C, Wu T, Sheldon RD, Krawczyk CM, Jones RG, Nat Immunol 2025 Jul 26 7 1139-1151
    Profiling antigen-binding affinity of B cell repertoires in tumors by deep learning predicts immune-checkpoint inhibitor treatment outcomes.
    Song B, Wang K, Na S, Yao J, Fattah FJ, Martin AL, von Itzstein MS, Yang DM, Liu J, Xue Y, Liang C, Guo Y, Raman I, Zhu C, Dowell JE, Homsi J, Rashdan S, Yang S, Gwin ME, Wu T, Hsiehchen D, Gloria-McCutchen Y, Lu CP, Raj P, Bai XC, Wang J, Conejo-Garcia J, Xie Y, Huang J, Gerber DE, Wang T, Nat Cancer 2025 Jun
    Dynamic STING repression orchestrates immune cell development and function.
    Knox K, Jeltema D, Dobbs N, Yang K, Xing C, Song K, Tang Z, Torres-Ramirez G, Wang J, Gao S, Wu T, Yao C, Wang J, Yan N, Sci Immunol 2025 Mar 10 105 eado9933
  • Honors & Awards
    • Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Award
      (2025)
    • The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Lloyd J. Old STAR Program
      (2025)
    • ICIS-Regeneron New Investigator Award
      (2024)
    • ASPIRE Award for Outstanding Early Career Investigators (The American Association of Immunologists, AAI)
      (2023)
    • AAI Early Career Faculty Travel Grant
      (2021)
    • AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty
      (2021-2023)
    • V Scholar Award (The V Foundation For Cancer Research)
      (2020-2022)
    • The 19th Annual Norman P. Salzman Memorial Award in Virology
      (2017)