RNA Innovation Seminar: Connie Wu, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Life Sciences Institute; Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan

“Programming and probing the body: from RNA therapeutics to single-molecule detection”
Connie Wu, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor,
Life Sciences Institute,
Assistant Professor,
Biomedical Engineering and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of Michigan, U-M Medical School

In-person: ABC Seminar Rooms, BSRB | Hybrid link

Abstract:
Our lab integrates biomolecular engineering and bioanalytical chemistry approaches to develop next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic platforms. I will first discuss our work in developing multifunctional RNA systems for cancer immunotherapy applications. Leveraging RNA as a programmable scaffold, we engineer RNA nanostructures to activate multiple innate immune pathways and present additional immunomodulators. In parallel, we develop ultrasensitive single-molecule detection platforms for diagnostic applications. While ultrasensitive digital ELISA methods have unlocked a broader spectrum of disease biomarkers, achieving attomolar (10 -18 M) detection limits, the simultaneous detection of many proteins and biomolecule types with high analytical sensitivities and throughput remains a critical challenge in biomarker signature discovery. Our ongoing efforts aim to expand the ultrasensitive single-molecule detection toolkit to enable accurate high-order multiplexing and multiparametric profiling of diverse biomarker types.

Bio:
Connie Wu obtained her B.S. in chemical engineering from Yale University, where she worked with Paul Van Tassel, Ph.D., in designing porous layer-by-layer polymer films for tissue engineering applications. She pursued her Ph.D. in chemical engineering at MIT in the lab of Paula Hammond, Ph.D., where she engineered a highly potent small interfering RNA (siRNA) nanoparticle delivery system via nucleic acid engineering and polymer chemistry approaches.

Following her graduate studies, Wu transitioned to the diagnostics field for her postdoctoral research in the lab of David Walt, Ph.D., at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, where she pioneered ultrasensitive single-molecule detection methods that can measure attomolar protein concentrations with versatile multiplexing capabilities. In parallel, she developed ultrasensitive digital assays for detecting the long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1) retrotransposon-encoded protein ORF1p in blood as a highly specific multi-cancer biomarker.

Wu was the recipient of multiple fellowships during her graduate and postdoctoral training, including a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, MIT Presidential Fellowship and NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship.

As part of the U-M Life Sciences Institute and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Wu’s lab develops technologies for biomarker signature discovery and RNA therapeutic delivery, with applications across cancer and other diseases.

Links:
Connie Wu Lab – Life Sciences Institute
Biomedical Engineering
College of Pharmacy
University of Michigan Medical School

RNA Translated 2025 Feature Article