Tina Wu, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Currently researching the microenvironment of breast cancer, in order to develop new strategies of immunotherapy.

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About Tina Wu, Ph.D.

The human breast cancer microenvironment displays features of T helper 2 (Th2) immunity, which promotes tumor development. We showed that breast cancer cell-derived thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), by inducing OX40L expression on DCs, contributes to the Th2 immunity conducive to breast tumor development. In order to reprogram the inflammatory pro-tumor Th2 (iTh2) into anti-tumor Th1 microenvironment, we tested the impact of targeting the innate receptors on DCs to render the resistant to tumor environment. We show that intratumoral delivery of β-glucan, a natural ligand for dectin-1 expressed on DCs, blocks the generation of iTh2 cells leading to decreased IL-13 in the tumor microenvironment and prevents breast cancer development. β-glucan exposed DCs expand CD8+ T cells, which produce higher IFNg, Granzyme A and Granzyme B, accumulate in the tumors leading to enhanced tumor necrosis in vivo. Our data demonstrate that exploiting pattern-recognition receptors on tumor-infiltrating DCs enables cancer rejection. We are further exploring the ATACseq and RNAseq approach to understand the regulation of TSLP production in breast tumor cells and how TSLP alters the infiltrating DCs. It can be novel molecular biology approaches to decode tumor infiltrating DCs and T cells and define potential targets for immunotherapy.

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Search MagazineMarch 19, 2019
Making a difference for rural cancer patients
Dr. Jens Rueter and the Maine Cancer Genomics Initiative are providing advanced genomic tools to oncology practices throughout Maine.
Research HighlightMarch 08, 2019
Long-range connectivity and gene regulation networks
A complicated three-dimensional network involving proteins and specific DNA sequences helps regulate the expression of genes. New work led by JAX’s Chia-Lin Wei shows how one protein, SOX2, plays a significant role in neural stem cells, affecting many aspects of development and function.
Search MagazineMarch 06, 2019
From tragedy, hope and closure
Doctors who treat rare pediatric cancers face an awful truth: many of their patients will die far too young.
- Cancer/Tumors
- Cancer
Press ReleaseMarch 05, 2019
JAX receives grant to learn why flu vaccines are less effective in the elderly
$2.8 million federal grant to The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) to understand the aging-related genomic changes in immune cells that affect responses to flu vaccines.

Research HighlightMarch 12, 2019
A closer look at structural variants in the genome
A recent Cell paper uses long-read DNA sequencing and other advanced genomics tools and methods to shed light on genomic structural variants.
Research HighlightMarch 08, 2019
Breaking up is hard to do
New research shows that proteins work together to enable DNA double-strand breaks during meiosis.
- Reproductive Biology
- Genetics and Genomics
Search MagazineMarch 06, 2019
Finding a better way to fight childhood cancers
Ching Lau is working to find effective therapies and test them against patients’ own tumors in specially made patient derived xenotype (PDX) mice.
Press ReleaseMarch 05, 2019
3D genomics one nucleus at a time
Supported by a recent four-year, $2.3M grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Wei is looking to develop a method for chromatin interaction analysis in single nuclei, with single-molecule resolution.
- Genetic Tools
- Genetics and Genomics