Research
WU, Ka Kei William
Name : WU, Ka Kei William 胡嘉麒
Title : Professor (Non-clinical)
Home Department :  Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
Email : wukakei@cuhk.edu.hk
Website :
https://www.aic.cuhk.edu.hk/web/?page_id=5567

Biography:

William Wu is a non-clinical Professor in the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and a Principal Investigator of the State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease and LKS Institute of Health Sciences. He studied medical science at HKU (MMedSc (Distinction), 2003; MPhil in Pharmacology, 2005) and CUHK (PhD in Medical Sciences, 2009). He then received post-doctoral training and was later appointed as Research Assistant Professor in the Institute of Digestive Disease, CUHK. He joined his current department in 2014. His major research interests are host-microbe interactions and cancer biology. He has published >370 journal articles and 7 book chapters, with >25,000 citations and an h-index of 73 (Scopus). He was conferred the CUHK Young Researcher Award (2015 and 2021), the Ministry of Education (MoE) Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award (Natural Science) (First-class, 2015 and 2022), and the State Natural Science Award (Second-class, 2016). He was also admitted as a Fellow of four medical Royal Colleges (FRCPath, 2014; FRCP Edin, 2018; FRCPS Glasg, 2019; FRCP Lond, 2023). As Principal Investigator, he has obtained 22 million Hong Kong dollars of external competitive grants.

Specialised Research Area(s):

  • Host-microbe Interactions
  • Cancer Biology

Selected Publications:

1. Zeng J, Xie C, Huang Z, Cho CH, Chan H, Li Q, Ashktorab H, Smoot DT, Wong SH, Yu J, Gong W, Liang C, Xu H, Chen H, Liu X, Wu JCY, Ip M, Gin T, Zhang L, Chan MTV, Hu W, Wu WKK (2024) LOX-1 acts as an N6-methyladenosine-regulated receptor for Helicobacter pylori by binding to the bacterial catalase. Nature Communications 15(1):669.

2. Wu WKK, Yu J (2024) Microbiota-based biomarkers and therapeutics for cancer management. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology 21(2):72-73.

3. Chan H, Li Q, Wang X, Liu Y, Hu W, Zeng J, Xie, C, Kwong NYK, Ho IHT, Liu X, Chen H, Yu J, Ko H, Chan RCY, Ip M, Gin T, Cheng ASL, Zhang L, Chan MTV, Wong SH, Wu WKK (2022) Vitamin D3 and carbamazepine protect against Clostridioides difficile infection in mice by restoring macrophage lysosome acidification. Autophagy 18(9):2050-2067.

4. Sun X, Liu Y, Huang Z, Xu W, Hu W, Yi L, Liu Z, Chan H, Zeng J, Liu X, Chen H, Yu J, Chan FKL, Ng SC, Wong SH, Wang MH, Gin T, Joynt GM, Hui DSC, Zou X, Shu Y, Cheng CHK, Fang S, Luo H, Lu J, Chan MTV, Zhang L, Wu WKK (2022) SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 6 triggers NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis by targeting ATP6AP1. Cell Death and Differentiation 29(6):1240-1254.

5. Wang X, Hu W, Li X, Huang D, Li Q, Chan H, Zeng JD, Xie C, Chen H, Liu X, Gin T, Wang MH, Cheng ASL, Kang W, To KF, Plewczynski D, Zhang Q, Chen X, Chan DCW, Ko H, Wong SH, Yu J, Chan MTV, Zhang L, Wu WKK (2022) Single-hit inactivation drove tumor suppressor genes out of the X chromosome during evolution. Cancer Research 82(8):1482-1491.

6. Huang D, Wang X, Huang Z, Liu Y, Liu X, Gin T, Wong SH, Yu J, Zhang L, Chan MTV, Chen H, Wu WKK (2022) 3'untranslated regions of tumor suppressor genes evolved specific features to favor cancer resistance. Oncogene 41(23):3278-3288.

7.  Li Q, Hu W, Liu WX, Zhao LY, Huang D, Liu XD, Chan H, Zhang Y, Zeng JD, Coker OO, Kang W, Ng SSM, Zhang L, Wong SH, Gin T, Chan MTV, Wu JL, Yu J, Wu WKK (2021) Streptococcus thermophilus inhibits colorectal tumorigenesis through secreting β-galactosidase. Gastroenterology 160(4):1179-1193.

8. Huang D, Wang X, Liu Y, Huang Z, Hu X, Hu W, Li Q, Chan H, Zou Y, Ho IHT, Wang Y, Cheng ASL, Kang W, To KF, Wang MHT, Wong SH, Yu J, Gin T, Zhang Q, Li Z, Shen J, Zhang L, Chan MTV, Liu X, Wu WKK (2021) Multi-omic analysis suggests tumor suppressor genes evolved specific promoter features to optimize cancer resistance. Briefings in Bioinformatics 22(5):bbab040.

9. Ho J, Chan H, Liang Y, Liu X, Zhang L, Li Q, Zhang Y, Zeng J, Ugwu FN, Ho IHT, Hu W, Yau JCW, Wong SH, Wong WT, Ling L, Cho CH, Gallo RL, Gin T, Tse G, Yu J, Chan MTV, Leung CCH, Wu WKK (2020) Cathelicidin preserves intestinal barrier function in polymicrobial sepsis. Critical Care 24(1):47.

10. Wang X, Li X, Zhang L, Wong SH, Wang MHT, Tse G, Dai RZW, Nakatsu G, Coker OO, Chen Z, Ko H, Chan JYK, Liu T, Cheng CHK, Cheng ASL, To KF, Plewczynski D, Sung JJY, Yu J, Gin T, Chan MTV, Wu WKK (2018) Oncogenes expand during evolution to withstand somatic amplification. Annals of Oncology 29(11):2254-2260. 

11. Zhang L, Hu W, Cho CH, Chan FK, Yu J, Ross Fitzgerald J, Cheung CK, Xiao ZG, Shen J, Li LF, Li MX, Wu JC, Ling TK, Chan JY, Ko H, Tse G, Ng SC, Yu S, Wang MH, Gin T, Ashktorab H, Smoot DT, Wong SH, Chan MT, Wu WKK (2018) Reduced lysosomal clearance of autophagosomes promotes survival and colonization of Helicobacter pylori. Journal of Pathology 244(4):432-444.


12. Wu WKK, Li X, Wang X, Dai RZW, Cheng ASL, Wang MHT, Kwong T, Chow TC, Yu J, Chan MTV, Wong SH (2017) Oncogenes without a neighboring tumor-suppressor gene are more prone to amplification. Molecular Biology and Evolution 34(4):903-907.