Jun Wu Receives the 2024 ISSCR Outstanding Young Investigator Award for his Innovative Work on Stem Cell-Based Embryo and Chimera Models
Evanston, IL—The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is honoring Jun Wu, PhD with the 2024 ISSCR Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Dr. Wu is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA and a New York Stem Cell Foundation–Robertson Investigator.
The award recognizes the exceptional achievements of an investigator in the early part of his or her independent career in stem cell research. Dr. Wu will present his work during Plenary II, New Technologies to Engineer and Phenotype Stem Cell Systems, on 10 July during the ISSCR 2024 Annual Meeting taking place in Hamburg, Germany. ISSCR 2024 is the world’s leading gathering of the brightest minds in stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
“Dr. Wu is one of the most insightful and innovative independent stem cell scientists today,” ISSCR President Amander Clark, PhD said. “I have no doubt that Jun will continue to make great contributions to the stem cell field long into the future. Congratulations on all of your work and success.”
“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this prestigious award from the ISSCR,” said Dr. Wu. "This recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of my entire team. I owe a great deal to the exceptional collaborative research environment at UT Southwestern and unwavering support from the Department of Molecular Biology.”
Jun Wu is recognized for his innovative work on creating novel embryonic and extraembryonic stem cells, exploring the mechanisms that limit interspecies chimera formation with human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), and developing human PSC-based embryo models. Dr. Wu has broadened the understanding of pluripotency by deriving and studying several new types of PSCs with distinct molecular and phenotypic features from different species. His work also includes the generation of PSC-derived interspecies chimeras and the development of an effective and versatile interspecies blastocyst complementation system for the generation of organs and tissues from one species inside another species. Most recently, Dr. Wu's group has developed strategies to generate stem cell-based embryo models from several species, including humans, for studying peri-implantation and peri-gastrulation development in vitro.
ISSCR 2024, co-sponsored by the City of Hamburg, Life Science Nord, Bayer, and BlueRock Therapeutics, will take place 10-13 July 2024 in Hamburg, Germany.
About the International Society for Stem Cell Research (www.isscr.org)
With nearly 5,000 members from 80 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health. Additional information about stem cell science is available at AboutStemCells.org, an initiative of the Society to inform the public about stem cell research and its potential to improve human health.
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