Dr. Du's research is centered on pathophysiology of hematologic diseases such as bone marrow (BM) failure and leukemia. Dr. Du has a broad background in hematopoiesis, stem cell biology & aging, cellular metabolism and tumor microenvironment, with specific training and expertise in DNA damage response/repair, mouse modeling, metabolite profiling, and in vivo disease modeling. She has been investigating the mechanism of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilization and BM niche engraftment as well as the factors implicated in cell proliferation and apoptosis. She has identified functional interactions between certain factors implicated in cell polarity, adhesion/migration, stem cell metabolism and aging. These studies led to 55 peer-reviewed scientific papers in high-impact scientific journals, including Blood, JCI, Nat Communications, Leukemia and so on. Her current research interests include: 1) Define the molecular and functional collaboration between a major cell signaling (FA) pathway and immunometabolic regulation in HSCs; 2) Target stem cell-niche interaction for improved therapy for patients with bone marrow failure and leukemia; 3) Study a novel interplay between DDR and immune responses in FA leukemogenesis; 4) Study on the systemic immune effects of persistent DNA damage using mouse and human models of DNA repair deficiency and aging; and 5) Mechanistic and functional elucidation of the role of a novel paracrine Wnt5a-Prox1 signaling axis in regulating HSC regeneration under conditions of injury and aging.
- PhD, Tohoku University, School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
- MD, North China University of Science and Technology, China
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC)
- Fanconi Anemia Research Fund (FARF) Fellow
- NIH/NCI T32 Postdoctoral Fellow, EHCB, CCHMC
Education & Training
Wu L, Lin Q, Chatla S, Amarachintha S, Wilson AF, Atale N, Gao ZJ, Joseph J, Wolff EV, Du W. LepR+ niche cell-derived AREG compromises hematopoietic stem cell maintenance under conditions of DNA repair deficiency and aging. Blood. 2023 Nov 2;142(18):1529-1542. PMID: 37584437.
Lin Q, Wu L, Chatla S, Chowdhury FA, Atale N, Joseph J, Du W. Hematopoietic stem cell regeneration through paracrine regulation of the Wnt5a/Prox1 signaling axis. J Clin Invest. 2022 Jun 15;132(12):e155914. PMID: 35703178.
Li X, Chatla S, Wilson AF, Wu L, Atale N, Du W. Persistent DNA damage and oncogenic stress-induced Trem1 promotes leukemia in mice. Haematologica. 2022 Nov 1;107(11):2576-2588. PMID: 35443564.
Wu L, Chatla S, Lin Q, Chowdhury FA, Geldenhuys W, Du W. Quinacrine-CASIN combination overcomes chemoresistance in human acute lymphoid leukemia. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 26;12(1):6936. PMID: 34836965.
Lin Q, Wu L, Ma Z, Chowdhury FA, Mazumder HH, Du W. Persistent DNA damage-induced NLRP12 improves hematopoietic stem cell function. JCI Insight. 2020 May 21;5(10):e133365. PMID: 32434992.
Wu L, Lin Q, Ma Z, Chowdhury FA, Mazumder MHH, Du W. Mesenchymal PGD2 activates an ILC2-Treg axis to promote proliferation of normal and malignant HSPCs. Leukemia. 2020 Nov;34(11):3028-3041. PMID: 32366935.
Du W, Liu W, Mizukawa B, Shang X, Sipple J, Wunderlich M, Geiger H, Davies S, Mulloy J, Pang Q, Zheng Y. A non-myeloablative conditioning approach for long-term engraftment of human and mouse hematopoietic stem cells. Leukemia. 2018 Sep;32(9):2041-2046. PMID: 29959415.
Du W, Amarachintha S, Wilson A, Pang Q. The immune receptor Trem1 cooperates with diminished DNA damage response to induce preleukemic stem cell expansion. Leukemia. 2017 Feb;31(2):423-433. PMID: 27568523.
Li X, Sipple J, Pang Q, Du W. Salidroside stimulates DNA repair enzyme Parp-1 activity in mouse HSC maintenance. Blood. 2012 May 3;119(18):4162-73. PMID: 22427203.
Du W, Rani R, Sipple J, Schick J, Myers KC, Mehta P, Andreassen PR, Davies SM, Pang Q. The FA pathway counteracts oxidative stress through selective protection of antioxidant defense gene promoters. Blood. 2012 May 3;119(18):4142-51. PMID: 22408259.
- NIH T32 Postdoctoral Training Award, 2011-2013
- Health Science Center Faculty Research Award, 2018
- Leukemia Research Foundation (LRF) New Investigator Award, 2018
- Reviewer, NIH study sections & DOD review panels, 2020-Present
- Hillman Senior Fellow for Innovative Cancer Research, 2021-2022
- Children's Leukemia Research Association (CLRA) research award, 2023-2024
- Member, Scientific Committee on Hematopoiesis, ASH, 2025-2028
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) CDP Scholar Award, 2025-2030
- Hillman Career Acceleration Fellow for Innovative Cancer Research, 2025
- Editor, Blood Advances, 2026-2028
