Research
WU, Ka Kei William
Name : WU, Ka Kei William 胡嘉麒
Title : Associate Professor (Non-clinical)
Home Department :  Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
Email : wukakei@cuhk.edu.hk
Website : www.cuhk.edu.hk/med/ans/prof_william_wu.htm

Biography:

William Wu received basic medical science education at HKU during his MMedSc and MPhil studies and obtained PhD in Medical Sciences from CUHK in 2009. He received post-doctoral training and was later appointed as Research Assistant Professor in the Institute of Digestive Disease, CUHK. He joined the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care as Assistant Professor (Non-clinical) in 2014 and was promoted to Associate Professor (Non-clinical) in 2018. His research interests include cancer biology and host-microbe interaction. As of Jan 2022, he has published 315 articles in SCI-indexed peer-reviewed journals and 6 book chapters, with 17,938 Scopus citations (h-index 63). He was conferred the Young Researcher Award (2015) by CUHK, the First-class Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award (Natural Science)(2015) by the Ministry of Education, and the Second-class State Natural Science Award (2016). He was also admitted as a Fellow of three Medical Royal Colleges (FRCPath, 2014; FRCP Edin, 2018; FRCPS Glasg, 2019). As Principal Investigator, he has presided over 20 million HK dollars of external funding, including 1 NSFC, 3 Shenzhen STIC Basic Research Programs, 3 RGC-ECS/GRF and 5 HMRF/RFCID.

Specialised Research Area(s):

  • Cancer Biology and Genomics
  • Sepsis and ICU-related Infections
  • Autophagy

Selected Publications:

1. Sun X, Liu Y, Huang Z, Xu W, Hu W, Yi L, Liu Z, Chen 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 doi: 10.1038/s41418-021-00916-7.

2. 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 doi: 10.1080/15548627.2021.2016004.

3.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.

4. 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 doi: 10.1093/bib/bbab040.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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. 

8. 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.

9. Wong XJ, Yu J, Wong, SH, Cheng ASL, Chan FKL, Ng SSM, Cho CH, Sung JJY, Wu WKK (2013) A novel crosstalk between two major protein degradation systems: regulation of proteasomal activity by autophagy. Autophagy 9(10):1500-08. 

10. 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 (2010) Macroautophagy and ERK phosphorylation counteract the anti-proliferative effect of proteasome inhibitor in gastric cancer cells. Autophagy 6(2):228-238. 

11. Wu WKK, Wong HPS, Luo SW, Chan K, Huang FY, Hui MKC, Lam EKY, Shin VY, Ye YN, Yang YH, Cho CH (2005) 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone from cigarette smoke stimulates colon cancer growth via beta-adrenoceptors. Cancer Research 65(12):5272-7.