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Anna Wu

Anna Wu, Ph.D.

Chair and Professor, Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy
Appointments
Co-director, Center for Theranostics; Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
626-256-4673
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Research Teams

Anna M. Wu, Ph.D, is professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy, and co-director, Center for Theranostics within the Diabetes Metabolism Research Institute and professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope in Duarte, California. She also holds the title of research professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, where she previously served as professor and vice chair. While at UCLA, she also held positions as director, Cancer Molecular Imaging Program, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and co-associate director, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging. She is a past chair of the California Breast Cancer Research Council, and fellow and past president of the World Molecular Imaging Society.
 
Dr. Wu is the co-founder and chief scientific advisor to ImaginAb Inc., an LA-based startup company which develops and commercializes engineered antibodies for clinical imaging in cancer and other diseases. Dr. Wu began her independent research career as an assistant research scientist at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope and advanced to the position of professor of molecular biology in 2002. Dr. Wu received her A.B. degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from Yale University in molecular biophysics and biochemistry (MB&B). Postdoctoral studies were conducted at Yale University (MB&B) and at University of California San Francisco in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Locations

Duarte - Main Campus
Duarte - Main Campus

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1500 East Duarte Road

Duarte, CA 91010

626-256-4673 | Learn More
Education

Degrees

  • 1982-1984, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA
  • 1980-1982, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
  • 1975-1979, Ph.D., Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT
  • 1971-1975, A.B., cum laude, Biochemical Sciences, Radcliffe College, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Professional Experience
  • 2018-Present, Professor, Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy, DMRI, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA
  • 2018-Present, Chair, Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy, DMRI, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA
  • 2018-Present, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology (secondary), City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA
  • 2018-Present, Research Professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2012-2018, Vice Chair, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2012-2018, Co-Associate Director, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  • 2009-2018, Member, California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2007-Present, Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor, ImaginAb, Inc., Inglewood, CA
  • 2007-2018, Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2006-2018, Professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2006-2018, Director, Cancer Molecular Imaging Program, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2003-2006, Member, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Co-Director, Tumor Immunology Program, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2004-2009, Vice Chair, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2003-2009, Associate Director, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2002-2006, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2002, Professor of Molecular Biology, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA
Awards
  • 2018, Suffrage Science Award, Medical Research Council, London Institute of Medical Sciences
  • 2014-Present, Fellow of the World Molecular Imaging Society
  • 2009-Present, Board of Distinguished Advisors, The Antibody Society
  • 1997, Teaching Award, Project LEAD, National Breast Cancer Coalition
  • 1982-1984, Leukemia Society of America Special Fellowship
  • 1980-1982, NIH Postdoctoral Trainee
  • 1974, Dreyfus Foundation Summer Fellowship
  • 1970, Brown-Hazen Summer Fellowship
Memberships
  • Academy of Molecular Imaging
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
  • American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
  • Antibody Society
  • Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)
  • Society for Molecular Imaging
  • Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI)
  • World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS)
Publications
Zettlitz, K.A., Tsai, W.-T. K., Knowles, S.M., Salazar, F.B., Kobayashi, N., Reiter, R.E., and Wu, A.M.  (2019) 89Zr-A2cDb immuno-PET of prostate cancer in a human prostate stem cell antigen knock in (hPSCA KI) syngeneic model. Molecular Imaging and Biolog doi: 10.1007/s11307-019-01386-7.
 
Zettlitz, K.A., Waldmann, C.M., Tsai, W.-T.K., Tavaré, R., Collins, J., Murphy, J.M., and Wu, A.M.  (2019). A dual-modality linker enables site-specific conjugation of antibody fragments for 18F-immunoPET and fluorescence imaging.  J. Nucl. Med. 10.2967/jnumed.118.223560. 
 
Kao, R., Truscott, L. Chiou, T.-T., Wu, A.M., De Oliviera, S. (2019) A cetuximab-mediated suicide system in CAR-modified hematopoietic stem cells for cancer therapy. Human Gene Therapy  30:413-428.  doi: 10.1089/hum.2018.180.
 
Zettlitz, K.A., Tavaré, R., Collins, J., Ha, S., Tsai, W.-T. K., Yamada, R.E., van Dam, R.M., Timmerman, J.M. and Wu, A.M. (2019) 18F-labeled anti-CD20 cys-diabody for same-day immunoPET of a disseminated, aggressive B-cell lymphoma in human CD20 transgenic mice. Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imag. 46:489-500.  Doi:  10.1007/s00259-018-4214-x.
 
Zhang, M., Kobayashi, N., Zettlitz, K.A., Kono, E.E., Yamashiro, J.M., Tsai, W.-T. K., Zhang, Z. K., Tran, C.P., Wang, C., Guan, J., Wu, A.M., and Reiter, R.E. (2019) Near-infrared-dye labeled anti-prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) A11 minibody enables real-time fluorescence imaging and targeted surgery in translational mouse models. Clin. Canc. Res. 25:188-200.  Doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-1382.

Tsai, W.-T. K., Zettlitz, K.A., Tavaré, R., Kobayashi, N., Reiter, R.E., and Wu, A.M. (2018)  Dual-modality PET/fluorescence imaging of prostate cancer with anti-PSCA cys-minibody. Theranostics 8:5903-5914. doi: 10.7150/thno.27679
 
Seo, J.W., Tavaré, R., Mahakian, L.M., Silvestrini, M.T., Tam, S., Ingham, E.S., Salazar, F.B., Borowsky, A.D., Wu, A.M., and Ferrara, K.W. (2018) CD8+ T-cell density imaging with 64Cu-labeled cys-diabody informs immunotherapy protocols. Clin Canc. Res. 24:4976-4987.  doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCF-18-0261.
 
Zettlitz, K.A., Tsai, W.-T. K., Knowles, S.M., Kobayashi, N., Donahue, T.R., Reiter, R.E., and Wu, A.M. (2018) Dual modality immunoPET and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging of pancreatic cancer using an anti-prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) cys-diabody. J. Nucl. Med. 59:1398-1405. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.117.207332. 
 
Freise, A.C., Zettlitz, K.A., Salazar, F.B., Tavaré, R., Tsai, W.-T. K., Chatziioannou, A.F., Rozengurt, N., Braun, J., and Wu, A.M. (2018)  ImmunoPET in inflammatory bowel disease: Imaging CD4-positive T cells in a murine model of colitis.  J. Nucl. Med. 59:980-985.   doi: 10.2967/jnumed.117.199075. Featured on cover of issue.

Priceman, S.J., Gerdts, E.A., Tilakawardane, D., Kennewick, K.T., Murad, J.P., Park, A.K., Jeang, B., Yamaguchi, Y., Yang, X., Urak, R., Weng, L., Chang, W.-C., Wright, S., Pal, S., Reiter, R.E., Wu, A.M., Brown, C.E., and Forman, S.J. (2017) Co-stimulatory signaling determines tumor antigen sensitivity and persistence of CAR T cells targeting PSCA+ metastatic prostate cancer. Oncoimmunology 7(2):e1380764. doi:10.1080/2162402X.2017.1380764 
 
Lu, J., Liu, X., Liao, Y.-p., Bergara, F., Sun, B., Jiang, W, Chang, C.H., Jiang, J., Wang, X, Wu, A.M., Meng, H, and Nel, A.E.  (2017) Nano-enabled pancreas cancer immunotherapy using immunogenic cell death and reversing immunosuppression. Nat. Communications 8:1811. Doi:10.1038/s41467-017-01651-9
 
Cahan, B., Leong, L., Wagman, L., Yamauchi, D., Shibata, S., Wilzcynski, S., Williams, L.E., Yazaki, P.J., Colcher, D.M., Frankel, P., Wu, A.M., Raubitschek, A., Shively, J.E.,  and Wong, J.Y.C.  (2017)  Phase I/II trial of anti-carcinoembryonic antigen radioimmunotherapy, gemcitabine and hepatic arterial infusion of FUdR postresection of liver metastasis of colorectal carcinoma. Cancer Biother. & Radiopharm. 32:258-265. 
 
Zettlitz, K.A., Tavaré, R., Knowles, S.M., Steward, Kristopher K., Timmerman, J.M. and Wu, A.M. (2017) ImmunoPET of malignant and normal B cells with obinutuzumab antibody fragments reveals differential CD20 internalization in vivo. Clin. Canc. Res. 23:7242-7252. Doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-0855

Orcutt, K.D., Adams, G.P., Wu, A.M., Silva, M., Harwell, C., Hoppin, J., Matsumura, M., Kotsuma, M., Greenberg, J., Scott, A.M., and Beckman, R.A. (2017) Molecular simulation of receptor occupancy and tumor penetration of an antibody and smaller scaffolds: Application to molecular imaging. Molec. Imag. & Biol. 19:656-664.  doi: 10.1007/s11307-016-1041-y
 
Freise, A.C., Zettlitz, K.A., Salazar, F.B., Tavaré, R., and Wu, A.M. (2017) ImmunoPET imaging of murine CD4+ T cells using anti-CD4 GK1.5 cys-diabody:  Effects of protein dose on T cell function and imaging.  Molec. Imag. & Biol. 19:599-609.

Mayle, K.M., Dern, K.R., Wong, V.K., Chen, K.Y., Sung, S., Ding, K., Rodriguez, A.R., Knowles, S., Taylor, Z., Zhou, Z.H., Grundfest, W.S., Wu, A.M., Deming, T.J., and Kamei, D.T. (2017) Engineering of A11 minibody-conjugated, polypeptide-based gold nanoshells for prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA)-targeted photothermal therapy.  SLAS Technol. 1:26-35. doi:10.1177/:2211068216669710. 
 
Park, S.-M., Lee, J.Y., Hong, S., Lee, S.H., Dimov, I.K., Lee, H., Suh, S., Pan, Q., Li, K., Wu, A.M., Mumanthaler, S., Mallick, P., Lee, L.P. (2016) Dual transcript and protein quantification in a massive single cell array.  Lab Chip 16:3682-3688.  
 
Pandit-Taskar, N., O'Donoghue, J., Ruan, S., Lyashchenko, S., Carrasquillo, J., Heller, G., Martinez, D.F., Cheal, S.J., Lewis, J.S., Fleisher, M., Keppler, J., Reiter, R.E., Wu, A.M., Weber, W., Scher, H.I., Larson, S.M., and Morris, M.J. (2016) First-in-Human imaging with 89Zr-Df-IAB2M anti-PSMA minibody in patients with metastatic prostate cancer: Pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, dosimetry, and lesion uptake. J. Nucl. Med. 57:1858-1864.
 
Tavaré, R., Escuin-Ordinas, H., Mok, S., McCracken, M.N., Zettlitz, K.A., Salazar, F.B., Witte, O.N., Ribas, A., and Wu, A.M. (2016). An effective immuno-PET imaging method to monitor CD8-dependent responses to immunotherapy. Canc. Res. 76:73-82. PMCID: PMC4703530 
 
Sonn, G.A., Behesnilian, A.S., Jiang, Z.K., Zettlitz, K.A., Lepin, E.J., Bentolilla, L.A., Knowles, S.M., Lawrence, D., Wu, A.M., and Reiter, R.E. (2016) Fluorescent image-guided surgery with an anti-Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA) diabody enables targeted resection of mouse prostate cancer xenografts in real-time. Clin. Canc. Res. 22:1403-1412. PMCID: PMC4794340
 
White, J.B., Boucher, D.L., Zettlitz, K.A., Wu, A.M., and Sutcliffe, J.L. (2015) Development and characterization of an v6-specific diabody and a disulfide-stabilized v6-specific cys-diabody. Nucl. Med. Biol. 42:945-957.
 

Li, K., Zettlitz, K.A., Lipianskaya, J., Zhou, Y., Marks, J.D., Mallick, P., Reiter, R.E., and Wu, A.M. (2015). A fully human scFv phage display library for rapid antibody fragment reformatting.  Prot. Eng. Des. Sel.  28:307-316. PMCID: PMC4607741
 
Tavaré, R., McCracken, M.N., Zettlitz, K.A., Salazar, F.B., Olafsen, T., Witte, O.N., and Wu, A.M. (2015). ImmunoPET imaging of murine T cell reconstitution post-adoptive stem cell transplant using anti-CD4 and -CD8 diabodies. J. Nucl. Med. 56:1258-1264. PMCID: PMC4859343
 
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