Anna Wu, Ph.D.

626-256-4673
Anna Wu, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Immunology & Theranostics
Research Area
  • Development and Translation of Radiolabeled Antibodies for Cancer Therapy
  • Molecular Imaging to Monitor Immune Responses
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Pancreatic Cancer
Academic Appointments
  • Co-director, Center for Theranostic Studies
  • Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
Research Teams
Immunology and Theranostics
Anna M. Wu, Ph.D, is professor and chair, Department of Immunology & Theranostics and co-director, Center for Theranostic Studies, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, and professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope in Duarte, California. She also holds the title of research professor in the 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. She is the recipient of the 2018 Suffrage Science Award.
 
Dr. Wu’s research interests include engineered antibodies and proteins for targeting, imaging, and therapeutic applications in cancer and immunology, including the use of SPECT, PET, optical and multimodality approaches. Dr. Wu is the co-founder and chief scientific advisor to ImaginAb Inc., which develops and commercializes engineered antibodies for clinical imaging in cancer and other diseases. 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. Postdoctoral studies were conducted at Yale University and at University of California San Francisco.

Location

Education & Experience

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

  • 2020-present, Professor and Chair, Department of Immunology & Theranostics, Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2018-2020, Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Imaging & Therapy, Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2018-present, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology (secondary), City of Hope, 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

  • 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 (JCCC), David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

  • 2003-2018, Member, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC), David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

  • 2003-2006, Co-Director, Tumor Immunology Program (JCCC), 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

  • 2000-2002, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 1995-2000, Associate Research Scientist, Department of Molecular Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 1984-1995, Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA

Awards & Memberships

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, National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Trainee

  • 1974, Dreyfus Foundation Summer Fellowship

  • 1970, Brown-Hazen Summer Fellowship

Memberships

  • 2013-2014, President, World Molecular Imaging Society

  • 2012-2013, President-elect, World Molecular Imaging Society

  • 2002-2003, Elected Chair, California Breast Cancer Research Council

  • 2000-2003, Member, California Breast Cancer Research Council

  • Academy of Molecular Imaging

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science

  • American Association for Cancer Research

  • American Chemical Society

  • American Society of Clinical Oncology

  • Antibody Society

  • Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer

  • Society for Molecular Imaging

  • Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

  • World Molecular Imaging Society

Publications

  • Tsai W-TK, Zettlitz KA, Dahlbom M, Reiter RE, Wu AM. (2020) [131I]- and [177]Lu-A11-minibody for radioimmunotherapy of PSCA-expressing prostate cancer. Molec. Imag. Biol. ePub DOI:10.1007/s11307-020-01518-4.
  • Bäck T, Jennbacken K, Olafsen T, Hagberg-Thulin M, Lindegren S, Jensen H, Yazaki PJ, Palm S, Albertsson P, Damber JE, Wu AM, Welen K. (2020) Targeted alpha therapy with astatine-211 labeled anti-PSCA A11 minibody shows strong antitumor efficacy in prostate cancer xenografts and bone microtumors. Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Molec. Imag. Res., 10:10. DOI: 10.1186/s13550-020-0600-z
  • Parisi G, Saco J, Salazar FB, Tsoi J, Krystofinski P, Puig-Saus C, Zhang R, Zhou J, Cheung-Lau GC, Garcia AJ, Grasso CS, Tavaré R, Hu-Lieskovan S, Mackey S, Zalevsky J, Bernatchez C, Diab A, Wu AM, Comin-Anduix B, Charych DH, Ribas A. (2020) Persistence of adoptively transferred T cells with a kinetically engineered IL-2 receptor agonist. Nature Communications, 11:660. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12901-3.
  • Akhavan D, Yazaki P, Yamauchi D, Simpson J, Frankel PH, Bading J, Colcher D, Poku K, Chen Y.-J, Lim D, Cristea M, Wu AM, Shively J, Wong JYC. (2020) Phase I study of Yttrium-90 radiolabeled M5A anti-CEA humanized antibody in patients with advanced CEA producing malignancies. Cancer Biother. Radiopharm., 35:10-15. DOI: 10.1089/cbr.2019.2992
  • Pandit-Taskar N, Postow M, Hellman M, Harding JJ, Barker C, O’Donoghue JA, Ziokowska M, Ruan S, Lyashchenko S, Tsai F, Farwell M, Mitchell T, Korn R, Le W, Lewis JS, Weber WA, Behera D, Wilson I, Gordon M, Wu AM, Wolchok JD. (2020) First-in-human imaging with 89Zr-IAB22M2C anti-CD8 minibody in patients with solid malignancies: Preliminary pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and lesion targeting. J. Nucl. Med. 61:512-519. DOI:10.2967/jnumed.119.229781.
  • Zettlitz KA, Tsai W-TK, Knowles SM, Salazar FB, Kobayashi N, Reiter RE, Wu AM. (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 KA, Waldmann CM, Tsai W-TK, Tavaré R, Collins J, Murphy JM, Wu AM. (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 AM, 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 KA, Tavaré R, Collins J, Ha S, Tsai W-TK, Yamada RE, van Dam RM, Timmerman JM, Wu AM. (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 KA, Kono EE, Yamashiro JM, Tsai W-TK, Zhang ZK, Tran CP, Wang C, Guan J, Wu AM, Reiter RE. (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 KA, Tavaré R, Kobayashi N, Reiter RE, Wu AM. (2018)  Dual-modality PET/fluorescence imaging of prostate cancer with anti-PSCA cys-minibody. Theranostics 8:5903-5914. DOI: 10.7150/thno.27679
  • Seo JW, Tavaré R, Mahakian LM, Silvestrini MT, Tam S, Ingham ES, Salazar FB, Borowsky AD, Wu AM, Ferrara KW. (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 KA, Tsai W-TK, Knowles SM, Kobayashi N, Donahue TR, Reiter RE, Wu AM. (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 AC, Zettlitz KA, Salazar FB, Tavaré R, Tsai W-TK, Chatziioannou AF, Rozengurt N, Braun J, Wu AM. (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 SJ, Gerdts EA, Tilakawardane D, Kennewick KT, Murad JP, Park AK, Jeang B, Yamaguchi Y, Yang X, Urak R, Weng L, Chang W-C, Wright S, Pal S, Reiter RE, Wu AM, Brown CE, Forman SJ. (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 CH, Jiang J, Wang X, Wu AM, Meng H, Nel AE. (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 LE, Yazaki PJ, Colcher DM, Frankel P, Wu AM, Raubitschek A, Shively JE,  Wong JYC. (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 KA, Tavaré R, Knowles SM, Steward KK., Timmerman JM, and Wu AM. (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
  • Pandit-Taskar N, O'Donoghue J, Ruan S, Lyashchenko S, Carrasquillo J, Heller G, Martinez DF, Cheal SJ, Lewis JS, Fleisher M, Keppler J, Reiter RE, Wu AM, Weber W, Scher HI, Larson SM, Morris MJ. (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 MN, Zettlitz KA, Salazar FB, Witte ON, Ribas A, Wu, AM. (2016). An effective immuno-PET imaging method to monitor CD8-dependent responses to immunotherapy. Canc. Res. 76:73-82. PMCID: PMC4703530 
  • Sonn GA, Behesnilian AS, Jiang ZK, Zettlitz KA, Lepin EJ, Bentolilla LA, Knowles SM, Lawrence D, Wu AM, Reiter RE. (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
  • Li K, Zettlitz KA, Lipianskaya J, Zhou Y, Marks JD, Mallick P, Reiter RE, Wu AM. (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 MN, Zettlitz KA, Salazar FB, Olafsen T, Witte ON, Wu AM. (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
View a full list of all Anna Wu's publications on National Center for Biotechnology Information and Google Scholar.