Damon Runyon Researchers

Dr. Wu focuses on hepatoblastoma, the most common childhood liver malignancy and the cancer with the fastest growing incidence rate in children under the age of five years. Hepatoblastoma is characterized by a low overall mutational burden, but carries activating mutations in the Wnt signaling pathway. Using new techniques to culture cancer cells derived from patients, Dr. Wu aims to understand how abnormal Wnt activation drives cell proliferation and irregular differentiation in hepatoblastoma. The results of these studies may lead to new treatment strategies for liver cancer and other rare tumors.