UTICA, N.Y. — The Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) has named Tongbin Wu assistant professor of biomedical research and translational medicine.
In this role, Wu oversees the lab, which is dedicated to heart development and cardiovascular medicine. His lab will research novel therapeutic targets to advance the development of treatments for left ventricular noncompaction, a cardiac muscle disorder where the lower left chamber of the heart does not develop correctly.
Wu’s laboratory will also research dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart-muscle disease that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood.
“My work is dedicated to mapping the intricate web of factors that control the types of proteins that are produced in the heart, which is then used to create targets for therapeutics for when the heart is affected by disease,” Wu said in a release. “I’m excited to join the collaborative environment here at MMRI and to continue my important research.”
Wu received his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at Wuhan University in Wuhan, China, and received postdoctoral training in molecular cardiology at the University of California San Diego. His work has been published in several scientific journals.
The nonprofit MMRI conducts research to understand the causes of cardiovascular, neurocognitive, and autoimmune diseases.