Yongxia Wu

Yongxia Wu, MD, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her research focuses on understanding T-lymphocyte and antigen-presenting cell biology in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect. Key areas include non-coding RNAs (miRNAs) regulating T/B-cell pathogenicity in GVHD and metabolic pathways controlling T-cell effector functions in adoptive cell therapy. She investigates strategies to improve hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation outcomes by attenuating GVHD while preserving GVL activity.

Education:

• PhD in Hematology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (2015)
• MD in Clinical Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China (2010)

Research Highlights:

• Defined miRNA roles in T/B-cell pathogenicity in GVHD
• Discovered PIM-2 kinase's role in suppressing T-cell anti-tumor responses
• Developed therapeutic strategies targeting miRNAs, metabolic pathways, and microbiota to control GVHD
• Explored CAR-T cell modeling in humanized mice

Grants & Collaborations: Ongoing studies on metabolic reprogramming of T-cells and microbiome effects in transplantation immunology.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Yu Lab at MCW, focusing on immune mechanisms in hematologic malignancies and transplantation.