The Forerunning Biotechnological Innovator Against Cancer

Prof. Wu’s keen interest in biomedicine began since his youth, which has driven him to enroll in the recently established Department of Biology at NCKU. Only in its 3rd year, the Department of Biology was riding on the new wave of Taiwan’s rising biotechnology industry. The faculty and teachers were all outstanding scholars who had returned from overseas with the latest scholarship and internationally vetted curricula. In his senior year, Prof. Wu became a member of the laboratory of his mentor, Prof. Hua-Lin Wu, where he would devote himself to the research of plasmin. In order to obtain specimens, Wu would often leave his house just before sunrise to collect pig blood fresh from the slaughterhouse, which he would bring straight to the laboratory for blood processing, centrifugation, and protein purification. As a student and apprentice researcher whose specimen’s viability is of topmost priority, Wu has worked diligently around the clock from dawn to late nights without complaints. As a result, his quality research outcome was complimented by his mentor, whose praise encouraged him in his academic career: “You will achieve greatness, if you work to your fullest.”

Starting from animal proteins, Prof. Wu’s Master’s Degree brought him to a new field of plant proteins, where he has focused on exploring the anti-cancer properties of Abrin found in rosary peas (Abrus precatorius). Wu has become so deeply captivated by his research, he has even ventured into neglected cemeteries to collect rosary peas as specimens. As he progressed in his academic studies, he has obtained his PhD degree in Pathology and Neuroscience for his Post-doctorate. This passion for knowledge compelled him to study in an array of different academic disciplines, which helped to shape his expansive and broad-reaching vision.

As a developer of innovative medicine, Prof. Wu is an expert in a new generation of a targeted drug delivery system that combines phage display and liposome-based biotechnology. The system utilized phages to find tumor cells through the cells’ unique peptides or antibodies. After locating these tumor cells, the liposome carrying medicine can be guided to infiltrate cancerous cells like a cruise missile with pinpoint accuracy. This will immensely increase efficiency of the drugs with reduced side effects. The results of Prof. Wu’s research have not only been acknowledged as of substantial importance to the world, but have also ensured further progress in the cure of medical issues.

Currently, Prof. Wu has published more than 110 international journal papers in the field of biotechnology. He also holds 72 patents. Among these, 68 patents for 20 technologies have been successfully licensed to biotechnology companies, 7 technologies are undergoing clinical trials or are already on the market, and 7 patents are in the process of pre-clinical trials. These outstanding achievements have earned Prof. Wu the informal title as the “King of Technology Transfer” in Academia Sinica. In 2020, he was also elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (USA). He has also heeded the call from three generations of Academia Sinica Presidents by accepting the critical role as the Director of Biomedical Translation Research Center, Academia Sinica. In the prime of his career, Prof. Wu hopes to create a better research environment for emerging Taiwanese scientists, and lead Taiwan’s biotechnology industry into a new splendid century.