Tuoqi Wu, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Immunology and in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, was chosen to receive a 2023 American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Aspire Award, which honors outstanding early-career investigators for research accomplishments and professional promise in the field of immunology.

“I am grateful for the support and encouragement of my mentors, collaborators, and colleagues who have helped me to achieve this honor. Receiving this award is not just a personal achievement, but a testament to the hard work and dedication of my team,” Dr. Wu said.

Dr. Wu’s research focuses on how to improve T cell immunity during cancer and chronic infection.

“Our research has uncovered a highly promising target for immunotherapies: a population of stem cell-like T cells that plays a key role in providing long-term immunity against various diseases,” he said. “By identifying the specific transcription factors responsible for programming these cells, we have made a significant contribution to the field of immunotherapy and advanced our understanding of the mechanisms underlying long-term immunity.”

This finding not only showcases UTSW’s leadership in immunotherapy research but also holds great promise for the development of novel therapies that can transform the way we treat diseases, Dr. Wu added.

The purpose of the AAI Aspire Award, which includes a $2,000 cash prize, is to encourage and foster the development of talented early-career AAI member scientists to continue advancing their research activities and scientific contributions in the field of immunology.

As an award recipient, Dr. Wu will present his research at the AAI’s 106th annual meeting in May in Washington, D.C. His talk will cover how the differentiation of stem-cell like T cells is transcriptionally programmed during chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell cancer immunotherapy.

After earning a dual Bachelor of Science in biotechnology and computer science from Peking University in Beijing and his Ph.D. in immunology from Emory University, Dr. Wu served as a Visiting Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He spent two years as an Assistant Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine before joining UTSW in 2021.

“Throughout my scientific career, I have been using cutting-edge technologies and an interdisciplinary approach to understand how our immune system fights infection and cancer,” Dr. Wu said. “The goal of my research is to apply the knowledge acquired from basic research to the development of more effective immunotherapies. I believe that an in-depth knowledge of the immune system holds the key to conquering cancer and other diseases.”