• Cancer Biology
• Host-Microbe Interactions

• Cancer Biology. William Wu’s work combines modern evolutionary biology concepts with multi-omics to unravel the molecular basis of genomic and transcriptional instability in human cancer. He also strives to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of gastrointestinal cancers and improve their prevention and treatment.
• Host-Microbe Interactions. His team seeks to harness host responses to infection (e.g. autophagic clearance of intracellular microbes, induction of antimicrobial peptides) to enhance antimicrobial therapy. They are also developing probiotics and postbiotics as novel therapeutics.

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 (Ph.D. in Medical Sciences, 2009). He then received post-doctoral training and was later appointed as Research Assistant Professor in the Institute of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He joined his current department in 2014. His major research interests are cancer biology and host-microbe interactions. He has published >400 journal articles and 7 book chapters, with >29,000 citations and an h-index of 79 (Web of Science). As Principal Investigator, he has obtained 22 million Hong Kong dollars of external competitive grants. He was admitted as a Fellow of four medical Royal Colleges (FRCPath, 2014; FRCP Edin, 2018; FRCPS Glasg, 2019; FRCP Lond, 2023).

1. Recognized as one of the best scientists in the discipline of Medicine in China (Ranked 131st nationally in 2025/26), Research.com (2025)
2. Highly Cited Researcher 2024 in the field of Cross-field, Clarivate Analytics (2024)
3. 2022 First-class Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award (Natural Science) (2022年度高等學校科學研究優秀成果獎 (自然科學)一等獎), The Ministry of Education of China (2023)
4. 2021 Young Researcher Award, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2022)
5. Recognized as one of the World’s top 2% scientists (Single-year list: 2020 – 2025; Career-long list: 2021 – 2025), Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators compiled by Stanford University (Since 2020)
6. 2016 Second-class State Natural Science Award (2016年度國家自然科學獎二等獎), The State Council of the People’s Republic of China (2016)
7. 2015 Young Researcher Award, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2016)
8. 2015 First-class Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award (Natural Science) (2015年度高等學校科學研究優秀成果獎 (自然科學)一等獎), The Ministry of Education of China (2015)
9. Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship (2006/07), Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund (2007)
10. Outstanding Research Postgraduate Student Award (2004/05), The University of Hong Kong (2005)

1. Huang D, Zhang X, Wang X, Huang Z, Zeng J, Liu X, Tan L, Zhang L, Guo Z, Gin T, Yu J, Ho KM, Chan MTV, Chen H, Wu WKK. Strand-asymmetric G-runs and G4s downstream of TSS modulate tumor suppressor gene transcription. Oncogene. 2026. doi:10.1038/s41388-026-03761-5
2. Huang Z, Zhang L, Chen H, Liu X, Tan L, Huang D, Liu Y, Wang Y, Zhang X, Cheng ASL, Wang WH, Kang W, To KF, Yu J, Ko H, Yu L, Wong SH, Gin T, Chan MTV, Wang X, Wu WKK. Tumor suppressor genes with segmental duplications are prone to somatic deletions and structural variations. Cancer Research. 2025;85(15):2939-2952. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-24-2225
3. Tan L, Wu WKK. 24-Nor-ursodeoxycholic acid: a novel treatment targeting T-cell-mediated immune dysregulation in primary sclerosing cholangitis and beyond. Gut. 2025;74(12):1939-1940. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2025-334966. (Commentary)
4. Wu WKK, Yu J. Microbiota-based biomarkers and therapeutics for cancer management. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2024;21(2):72-73. doi:10.1038/s41575-023-00879-9. (Year in Review)
5. 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. LOX-1 acts as an N6-methyladenosine-regulated receptor for Helicobacter pylori by binding to the bacterial catalase. Nature Communications. 2024;15(1):669. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-44860-9
6. Wu WKK. Parabacteroides distasonis: an emerging probiotic? Gut. 2023;72(9):1635-1636. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2022-329386. (Commentary)
7. 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, Wang MHT, Wong SH, Yu J, Gin T, Zhang L, Chan MTV, Wu WKK. Single-hit inactivation drove tumor suppressor genes out of the X chromosome during evolution. Cancer Research. 2022;82(8):1482-1491. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-3458
8. 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. SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 6 triggers NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis by targeting ATP6AP1. Cell Death and Differentiation. 2022;29(6):1240-1254. doi:10.1038/s41418-021-00916-7
9. Chan H, Li Q, Wang X, Liu Y, Hu W, Zeng J, Xie C, Kwong TNY, 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. Vitamin D3 and carbamazepine protect against Clostridioides difficile infection in mice by restoring macrophage lysosome acidification. Autophagy. 2022;18(9):2050-2067. doi:10.1080/15548627.2021.2016004
10. Huang D, Wang X, Huang Z, Liu Y, Liu X, Gin T, Wong SH, Yu J, Zhang L, Chan MTV, Chen H, Wu WKK. 3’untranslated regions of tumor suppressor genes evolved specific features to favor cancer resistance. Oncogene. 2022;41(23):3278-3288. doi:10.1038/s41388-022-02343-5
11. 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. Streptococcus thermophilus inhibits colorectal tumorigenesis through secreting β-galactosidase. Gastroenterology. 2021;160(4):1179-1193.e14. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2020.09.003
12. 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 2021;22(5):bbab040. doi:10.1093/bib/bbab040
13. Joynt GM, Wu WKK. Understanding COVID-19: What dose viral RNA load really mean? Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2020;20(6):635-636. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30237-1. (Commentary)
14. 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. Cathelicidin preserves intestinal barrier function in polymicrobial sepsis. Critical Care. 2020;24(1):47. doi:10.1186/s13054-020-2754-5
15. 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. Oncogenes expand during evolution to withstand somatic amplification. Annals of Oncology. 2018;29(11):2254-2260. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdy397
16. 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 MTV, Wu WKK. Reduced lysosomal clearance of autophagosomes promotes survival and colonization of Helicobacter pylori. Journal of Pathology. 2018;244(4):432-444. doi:10.1002/path.5033
17. Wu WKK, Li X, Wang X, Dai RZW, Cheng ASL, Wang MHT, Kwong T, Chow TC, Yu J, Chan MTV, Wong SH. Oncogenes without a neighboring tumor-suppressor gene are more prone to amplification. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 2017;34(4):903-907. doi:10.1093/molbev/msw295
18. Wong XJ, Yu J, Wong SH, Cheng ASL, Chan FKL, Ng SSM, Cho CH, Sung JJY, Wu WKK. A novel crosstalk between two major protein degradation systems: regulation of proteasomal activity by autophagy. Autophagy. 2013;9(10):1500-1508. doi:10.4161/auto.25573
19. Wu WKK, Cho CH, Lee CW, Wu YC, Yu L, Li ZJ, Wong CCM, Li HT, Zhang L, Ren SX, Che CT, Wu K, Fan D, Yu J, Sung JJY. Macroautophagy and ERK phosphorylation counteract the anti-proliferative effect of proteasome inhibitor in gastric cancer cells. Autophagy. 2010;6(2):228-238. doi:10.4161/auto.6.2.11042
20. Wu WKK, Wong HPS, Luo SW, Chan K, Huang FY, Hui MKC, Lam EKY, Ye YN, Yang YH, Cho CH. 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone from cigarette smoke stimulates colon cancer growth via beta-adrenoceptors. Cancer Research. 2005;65(12):5272-5277. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-0205