Wanlu Du

Cell death is a fundamental biological process, in which numerous proteins, molecules, signaling pathways and cellular organelles are involved. The more we understand such process, the better we manipulate it, as we want good cells (neurons) survive while bad cells (cancer cells) die. For instance, we want to block the pathological cell death of neurons that happened in stroke or AD patients' brains, and on the contrary, we want to selectively induce the cell death of cancer cells while sparing normal cells within our body. To achieve these goals, we need a thorough understanding of molecular mechanisms of cell death. We've recently discovered a distinct form of regulated cell death via novel small molecule-mediated lysosomal TRP channel acvitaion, lysosomal Zn2+ release and mitochondrial dysfunction, and we named it as Lysozincrosis. My current research interests focus on, 1) elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying lysozincrosis; 2) development of therapeutic strategies to treat brain diseases, such as brain tumors, via manipulation of lysozincrosis. 

Fields of Study

• Cell death, membrane protein/receptor, lysosome, mitochondria, brain tumors

Areas of Focus

• Cell Biology, Neurobiology