Jun Wu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, has been selected to receive the 2024 Outstanding Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), a global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. He will present his research during the ISSCR 2024 Annual Meeting in Hamburg, Germany, in July.

“Receiving the ISSCR Outstanding Young Investigator Award stands as a validation of the relentless effort and dedication of all our trainees. We are exhilarated and deeply honored to have our contributions acknowledged by our peers,” Dr. Wu said. “This award highlights the remarkable collaborative environment at UT Southwestern and the solid support from the Department of Molecular Biology, which have been essential to our accomplishments.”

The ISSCR Award recognizes the Wu Lab’s work generating novel embryonic and extraembryonic stem cells, studying the mechanisms that limit interspecies chimera formation with human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), and developing human PSC-based embryo models. Dr. Wu has broadened the understanding of pluripotency – the ability of cells to develop into many different types of cells or tissues – by deriving and studying several new types of PSCs with distinct molecular and phenotypic features from different species.

Most recently, his lab has developed strategies to generate stem cell-based embryo models from several species for studying peri-implantation and peri-gastrulation development in vitro.

“The main focus of my lab is on creating new stem cells and using them to build embryo and chimera models. This work helps us understand how life begins and develops,” said Dr. Wu, a New York Stem Cell Foundation – Robertson Stem Cell Investigator. “We’re also exploring how to use these discoveries to create new treatments and therapies with stem cells.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in clinical medicine from Shandong University School of Medicine in China, Dr. Wu completed a Ph.D. in life science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Southern California and the Salk Institute. He joined UTSW in 2018.