Zhu B, Yin H, Zhang D, Zhang M, Chao X, Scimeca L, Wu MR. Synthetic biology approaches for improving the specificity and efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41423-024-01153-x.

Wang Y, Buck A, Piel B, Zerefa L, Murugan N, Coherd CD, Miklosi AG, Johal H, Bastos RN, Huang K, Ficial M, Laimon YN, Signoretti S, Zhong Z, Hoang SM, Kastrunes GM, Grimaud M, Fayed A, Yuan HC, Nguyen QD, Thai T, Ivanova EV, Paweletz CP, Wu MR, Choueiri TK, Wee JO, Freeman GJ, Barbie DA, Marasco WA. Affinity fine-tuning anti-CAIX CAR-T cells mitigate on-target off-tumor side effects. Mol Cancer. 2024 Mar 16;23(1):56.

Suh J, Kim H, Min J, Yeon HJ, Hemberg M, Scimeca L, Wu MR, Kang HG, Kim YJ, Kim JH. Decoupling NAD(+) metabolic dependency in chondrosarcoma by targeting the SIRT1-HIF-2alpha axis. Cell Rep Med. 2024;5(1):101342.

Chen WCW, Gaidukov L, Lai Y, Wu MR, Cao J, Gutbrod MJ, Choi GCG, Utomo RP, Chen Y-C, Wroblewska L, Kellis M, Zhang L, Weiss R, Lu TK. A synthetic transcription platform for programmable gene expression in mammalian cells. Nature Communications. 2022;13(1):6167. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33287-9.

Wu MR*, Nissim L*, Stupp D*, Pery E, Binder-Nissim A, Weisinger K, Enghuus C, Palacios SR, Humphrey M, Zhang Z, Novoa EM, Kellis M, Weiss R, Rabkin SD, Tabach Y, and Lu TK. A High-Throughput Screening and Computation Platform for Identifying Synthetic Promoters with Enhanced Cell-State Specificity (SPECS). Nature Communications 10(1): 2880, 2019. * denotes equal contributions.

Wu MR, Jusiak B, and Lu TK. Engineering advanced cancer therapies with synthetic biology. Nature Reviews Cancer 19(4): 187-195, 2019. 

Cao J, Perez-Pinera, Lowenhaupt Ky, Wu MR, Purcell O, Fuente-Nunez C, and Lu TK. Versatile and on-demand biologics co-production in yeast. Nature Communications 9(1):77, 2018.

Lee G, Atia L, Lan B, Sharma Y, Nissim L, Wu MR, Pery E, Lu TK, Park CY, Butler JP, and Fredberg JJ. Contact guidance and collective migration in the advancing epithelial monolayer. Connective Tissue Research 59(4):309-315, 2018.

Wu MR*, Nissim L*, and Lu TK. Principles of Systems Biology, No. 23. Synthetic Gene Circuit for Cancer Immunotherapy: Turning Cancer Cells against Themselves. Cell Systems 5, 428-430, 2017. * denotes equal contributions.

Nissim L*, Wu MR*, Pery E, Binder-Nissim A, Suzuki HI, Stupp D, Wehrspaun C, Tabach Y, Sharp PA, and Lu TK. Synthetic RNA-based immunomodulatory gene circuits for cancer immunotherapy. Cell 171(5):1138-1150.e15, 2017. * denotes equal contributions.​

• Featured in MIT news:  

• Gene circuit switches on inside cancer cells, triggers immune attack.

• Research highlighted in:

• Nature Reviews Cancer: A. Dart, Immunotherapy: Rewiring cancer cells. 17, 706-707, 2017.

• Nature Reviews Drug Discovery: A. Dart, Cancer immunotherapy: Rewiring cancer cells. 16, 828, 2017.

• Cancer Discovery: RNA-Based Genetic Circuits Are a Potential Antitumor Immunotherapy. 7, 1365, 2017.

Sentman ML, Murad JM, Cook WJ, Wu MR, Reder J, Baumeister SH, Dranoff G, Fanger MW, and Sentman CL. Mechanisms of acute toxicity in NKG2D chimeric antigen receptor T cell-treated mice. Journal of Immunology 197: 4674-4685, 2016.

Wu MR, Zhang T, Gacerez AT, Coupet TA, DeMars LR, and Sentman CL. B7H6-specific bispecific T cell engagers lead to tumor elimination and host anti-tumor immunity. Journal of Immunology 194(11): 5305-11, 2015.

Wu MR, Zhang T, Alcon A, and Sentman CL. DNAM-1 based chimeric antigen receptors enhance T cell effector function and exhibit in vivo efficacy against melanoma. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy 64(4): 409-18, 2015.

Wu MR, Zhang T, DeMars LR, and Sentman CL. B7H6-specific chimeric antigen receptors lead to tumor elimination and host immunity. Gene Therapy 22(8): 675-84, 2015.

Johnson ME, Mahoney JM, Taroni J, Sargent JL, Marmarelis E, Wu MR, Varga J, Hinchcliff ME, and Whitfield ML. Experimentally-derived fibroblast gene signatures identify molecular pathways associated with distinct subsets of systemic sclerosis patients in three independent cohorts. PLoS One 10: e0114017, 2015.

Wu MR, Cook WJ, Zhang T, and Sentman CL. Targeting multiple types of tumors using   NKG2D-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. Nanotechnology 25: 475101, 2014.

Spear P, Wu MR, Sentman ML, and Sentman CL. NKG2D ligands as therapeutic targets. Cancer Immunity 13: 8, 2013.

Zhang T, Wu MR, and Sentman CL. An NKp30-based chimeric antigen receptor promotes T cell effector functions and antitumor efficacy in vivo. Journal of Immunology 189: 2290-2299, 2012.

Lee H, Yuan C, Hammet A, Mahajan A, Chen ES, Wu MR, Su MI, Heierhorst J, and Tsai MD. Diphosphothreonine-specific interaction between an SQ/TQ cluster and an FHA domain in the Rad53-Dun1 kinase cascade. Molecular Cell 30: 767-778, 2008.