Dr Wu received his medical training at the Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China in the 1970s and then proceed with his postgraduate training and received a Ph.D. degree in 1991 at the Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School in Virginia, USA. Dr Wu joined the University of Hong Kong in 1996 and has been an Associate Professor with the Department of Anatomy since 1997.

Dr Wu's long-term research goal is to find a cure for paralysis associated with spinal cord injury and other CNS diseases. His research work focus on investigating the mechanism of neuronal degeneration and finding new approaches to prevent neuronal death and promote neuronal survival and regeneration. Areas of his current research include:

• gene expression changes in CNS neurons in response to axonal injury and their relationship with neuronal death and neuronal regeneration;
• effects and mechanisms of peripheral nerve (PN) graft implantation, stem cell transplantation and neurotrophic factor treatment on the survival and regeneration of CNS neurons following axonal injury;
• mechanisms underlying neuronal death and regeneration after spinal cord injury.

Mi S, Hu B, Hahm K, Luo Y, Kam Hui ES, Yuan Q, Wong WM, Wang L, Su H, Chu TH, Guo J, Zhang W, So KF, Pepinsky B, Shao Z, Graff C, Garber E, Jung V, Wu EX, Wu W: LINGO-1 antagonist promotes spinal cord remyelination and axonal integrity in MOG-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Nature Medicine. Oct;13(10):1228-33, 2007. (pdf)

Zhou LH and Wu W: Antisense oligos to neuronal nitric oxide synthase aggravate motoneuron death induced by spinal root avulsion in adult rat. Exp. Neurol. 197:84-92, 2006. (pdf)

Yuan QJ, Scott DE, So KF, Wu W: Developmental changes of nitric oxide synthase expression in the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system. Anat. Record. 288A:36-45, 2006. (pdf)

Yang Y, Xie YY, Chai H, Fan F, Liu SH, Liu H, Bruce I, and Wu W: Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression Patterns in Adult Spinal Motoneurons after Different types of Axonal Injuries. Brain Res. 1075:1-12, 2006. (pdf)

Yuan QJ, Hu B, So KF, Wu W: Age-related reexpression of p75 in axotomized motoneurons. NeuroReport, 17:711-715, 2006. (pdf)

Zhou LH and Wu W.: Survival of injured spinal motoneurons in adult rat upon treatment with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor at 2 weeks but not 4 weeks after root avulsion. J. of Neurotrauma 23:920-927, 2006. (pdf)

Chu TH, and Wu W: Nitric oxide synthase inhibitor attenuates number of regenerating spinal motoneurons in adult rats. NeuroReport, 17:969-973, 2006. (pdf)

Yuan Q, Scott DE, So KF and Wu W: The response of magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamo-neurohyphyseal system to hypophysectomy, nitric oxide synthase expression as well as survival and regeneration in developing versus adult rats. Brain Res. 1113:45-53, 2006. (pdf)

Zeng YS, Nie JH, Zhang W, Chen SJ and Wu W: Morphine acts via µ-opioid receptors to enhance spinal regeneration and synaptic reconstruction of primary afferent fibers injured by sciatic nerve crush. Brain Res. 1130:108-113, 2007. (pdf)