Dr Lindsay Wu

Fields of research: Animal Cell and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Protein Targeting and Signal Transduction, Cell Metabolism

Contact Details

Phone: +61 2 9385 1621
Email: lindsay.wu@unsw.edu.au

Supervision

PHD
Masters
Honours

Tabs

Main

Less than a hundred years ago, we considered ourselves lucky to achieve sixty years of age, and supporting the old age pension for over 65 year olds was not an issue. Now, with Australia and much of the developed world facing an increasingly older population against a shrinking population of working age, declining health during old age is a "make or break" issue for healthcare systems and society at large. Old age increases (sometimes, exponentially so) the risk of health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, bone degeneration, inflammatory disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

While billions are spent researching and treating these diseases as symptoms of ageing, in the Laboratory for Ageing Research we seek to identify the fundamental causes of ageing itself. We view ageing not as a result of a series of damages accumulated during a lifetime, but as a malleable biological program that can be intervened in and reversed. Indeed, experiments from simple organisms tell us that simple tweaks to single genes can greatly extend lifespan. The challenge is now on to translate these findings into mammalian systems, as well as uncover mechanisms that are unique to mammals. Treatments that intervene in this biological program may soon not only delay or even completely prevent diseases of old age, but may extend lifespan altogether. Such a strategy may allow us to stay healthy and productive well into what we today consider to be old age and beyond.

The Laboratory for Ageing Research is currently pursuing a number of ongoing projects in the search for understanding and interventions that may delay ageing. These projects start with the sirtuins, a class of NAD+ dependent deacetylase enzymes implicated in mediating the effects of calorie restriction to extend lifespan. Recently, we have moved beyond these and are in particular excited about the identification of circulating hormones that could control ageing and lifespan. The following projects and more are available for study at both the honours and PhD level...

New treatments to maintain female fertility during biological ageing and following chemotherapy treatment
Role of the pentose phosphate pathway and the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in biological ageing
DNA transposons in genome instability and the regulation of lifespan
New treatments to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy
New treatments to maintain long term health and prevent accelerated biological ageing in cancer survivors
Studies of the metabolism of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)

University role:

Senior Res Fellow (NH&MRC)

Grants:

“Translating new advances in oncofertility”: CIA A/Prof Robert Gilchrist, CIB Dr Lindsay Wu, CIC Prof Johan Smitz, CID Prof Teresa Woodruff, CIE Prof William Ledger, CIF Dr Kirsty Walters. NHMRC Project Grant APP1139763, (2018-2021).

“Preserving ovarian function during chemotherapy and old age”: NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (RD Wright Biomedical Fellowship) APP1127821 (2017-2020)

“Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) raising agents for improving oocyte quality”: Chief Investigator C, NHMRC Development Grant APP1122484 (2017-2019)

“Female reproductive health preservation by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and Sirtuin2 (SIRT2)”: Chief Investigator C, NHMRC Project Grant APP1103689 (2016-2018)

“New drugs to prevent premature ageing and side effects of chemotherapy”: Chief Investigator A, NHMRC Development Grant APP1093643 (2015-2017)

“Calorie restriction mimetics for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma”: Early Career Fellowship, Cancer Institute NSW (2014-2016).

Research

Socio-economic Objective (SEO) tags:

Ageing and Older People

Health Related to Ageing

Neurodegenerative Disorders Related to Ageing

Teaching & Supervision

Supervision keywords:

ageing

diabetes mellitus type ii

obesity

Media

Twitter Account:

https://twitter.com/DrLindsayWu

Publications related to this Person

Book Chapters

Massudi H; Wu LE; Sinclair DA, 2016, 'Sirtuin Activation by Small Molecules', in Houtkooper RH (ed.), SIRTUINS, edn. Proteins and Cell Regulation, SPRINGER, pp. 243 - 266, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0962-8_12

Journal articles

Awan Z; Tay ESE; Eyre NS; Wu LE; Beard MR; Boo I; Drummer HE; George J; Douglas MW, 2016, 'Calsyntenin-1 mediates hepatitis C virus replication', Journal of General Virology, vol. 97, pp. 1877 - 1887, http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.000511

Wu LE; Sinclair DA, 2016, 'Restoring stem cells-all you need is NAD⁺', Cell Research, vol. 26, pp. 971 - 972, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/cr.2016.80

Chowdhury MKH; Wu LE; Coleman JLJ; Smith NJ; Morris MJ; Shepherd PR; Smith GC, 2016, 'Niclosamide blocks glucagon phosphorylation of Ser⁵⁵² on β-catenin in primary rat hepatocytes via PKA signalling', Biochemical Journal, vol. 473, pp. 1247 - 1255, http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20160121

Mohamad M; Mitchell SJ; Wu LE; White MY; Cordwell SJ; Mach J; Solon-Biet SM; Boyer D; Nines D; Das A, 2016, 'Ultrastructure of the liver microcirculation influences hepatic and systemic insulin activity and provides a mechanism for age-related insulin resistance', Aging Cell, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acel.12481

Cagnone GLM; Tsai TS; Makanji Y; Matthews P; Gould J; Bonkowski MS; Elgass KD; Wong ASA; Wu LE; McKenzie M, 2016, 'Restoration of normal embryogenesis by mitochondrial supplementation in pig oocytes exhibiting mitochondrial DNA deficiency', Scientific Reports, vol. 6, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep23229

Wu LE; Levina A; Harris HH; Cai Z; Lai B; Vogt S; James DE; Lay PA, 2016, 'Carcinogenic Chromium(VI) Compounds Formed by Intracellular Oxidation of Chromium(III) Dietary Supplements by Adipocytes', Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol. 55, pp. 1742 - 1745, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201509065

Wu LE; Fazakerley DJ; Cantley J, 2015, 'Circulating AFABP promotes insulin secretion', Obesity, vol. 23, pp. 1525, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/oby.21175

Riepsamen A; Wu L; Lau L; Listijono D; Ledger W; Sinclair D; Homer H, 2015, 'Nicotinamide impairs entry into and exit from meiosis I in mouse oocytes', PLoS ONE, vol. 10, http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0126194

Ma X; Yang P; Kaplan WH; Lee BH; Wu LE; Yang JYH; Yasunaga M; Sato K; Chisholm DJ; James DE, 2014, 'ISL1 regulates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ activation and early adipogenesis via bone morphogenetic protein 4-dependent and -independent mechanisms', Molecular and Cellular Biology, vol. 34, pp. 3607 - 3617, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/MCB.00583-14

Wu LE; Meoli CC; Mangiafico SP; Fazakerley DJ; Cogger VC; Mohamad M; Pant H; Kang MJ; Powter E; Burchfield JG, 2014, 'Systemic VEGF-A neutralization ameliorates diet-induced metabolic dysfunction', Diabetes, vol. 63, pp. 2656 - 2667, http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/db13-1665

North BJ; Rosenberg MA; Jeganathan KB; Hafner AV; Michan S; Dai J; Baker DJ; Cen Y; Wu LE; Sauve AA, 2014, 'SIRT2 induces the checkpoint kinase BubR1 to increase lifespan', EMBO Journal, vol. 33, pp. 1438 - 1453, http://dx.doi.org/10.15252/embj.201386907

Wu LE; Sinclair DA, 2014, 'SIRT2 controls the pentose phosphate switch', EMBO Journal, vol. 33, pp. 1287 - 1288, http://dx.doi.org/10.15252/embj.201488713

Solon-Biet SM; McMahon AC; Ballard JWO; Ruohonen K; Wu LE; Cogger VC; Warren A; Huang X; Pichaud N; Melvin RG, 2014, 'The ratio of macronutrients, not caloric intake, dictates cardiometabolic health, aging, and longevity in ad libitum-fed mice', Cell Metabolism, vol. 19, pp. 418 - 430, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2014.02.009

Wu LE; Samocha-Bonet D; Whitworth PT; Fazakerley DJ; Turner N; Biden TJ; James DE; Cantley J, 2014, 'Identification of fatty acid binding protein 4 as an adipokine that regulates insulin secretion during obesity', Molecular Metabolism, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2014.02.005

Wu LE; Gomes AP; Sinclair DA, 2014, 'Geroncogenesis: Metabolic Changes during Aging as a Driver of Tumorigenesis', Cancer Cell, vol. 25, pp. 12 - 19, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ccr.2013.12.005

Van der Poorten D; Samer CF; Ramezani-Moghadam M; Coulter S; Kacevska M; Schrijnders D; Wu LE; Mcleod D; Bugianesi E; Komuta M, 2013, 'Hepatic fat loss in advanced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: Are alterations in serum adiponectin the cause?', Hepatology, vol. 57, pp. 2180 - 2188, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hep.26072

Carter EA; Rayner BS; McLeod AI; Wu LE; Marshall CP; Levina A; Aitken JB; Witting PK; Lai B; Cai Z, 2010, 'Silicon nitride as a versatile growth substrate for microspectroscopic imaging and mapping of individual cells', Molecular BioSystems, vol. 6, pp. 1316 - 1322, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c001499k

Wu LE; Hocking SL; James DE, 2010, 'Macrophage infiltration and cytokine release in adipose tissue: angiogenesis or inflammation?', Diabetology International, vol. 1, pp. 26 - 34, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13340-010-0003-x

Hocking SL; Wu LE; Guilhaus M; Chisholm DJ; James DE, 2010, 'Intrinsic depot-specific differences in the secretome of adipose tissue, preadipocytes, and adipose tissue-derived microvascular endothelial cells', Diabetes, vol. 59, pp. 3008 - 3016, http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/db10-0483

Crowe S; Wu LE; Economou C; Turpin SM; Matzaris M; Hoehn KL; Hevener AL; James DE; Duh EJ; Watt MJ, 2009, 'Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor Contributes to Insulin Resistance in Obesity', Cell Metabolism, vol. 10, pp. 40 - 47, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2009.06.001

Hoehn KL; Hohnen-Behrens C; Cederberg A; Wu LE; Turner N; Yuasa T; Ebina Y; James DE, 2008, 'IRS1-Independent Defects Define Major Nodes of Insulin Resistance', Cell Metabolism, vol. 7, pp. 421 - 433, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2008.04.005

Vogt S; Lai B; Finney L; Palmer B; Wu LE; Harris H; Paunesku T; de Jonge M; Legnini D; Maser J, 2007, 'Imaging trace elements in cells with x-ray fluorescence microscopy', MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS, vol. 13, pp. 40 - 41, http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1431927607076283

Conference Papers

Wu LE; James DE; Cantley J, 2010, 'Secreted adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (FABP4) forms the molecular basis of the adipo-insular axis', in DIABETOLOGIA, SPRINGER, Stockholm, SWEDEN, pp. S58 - S58, presented at 46th Annual Meeting of the European-Association-for-the- Study-of-Diabetes (EASD), Stockholm, SWEDEN, 20 - 24 September 2010, http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000280689700124&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=891bb5ab6ba270e68a

Conference Abstracts

Homer H; Riepsamen A; Wu LE; Sinclair D, 2015, 'Sirt2-mediated BubR1 regulation promotes oocyte maturation', in HUMAN REPRODUCTION, OXFORD UNIV PRESS, Lisbon, PORTUGAL, Vol. 30, pp. 11 - 11, presented at 31st Annual Meeting of the European-Society-of-Human-Reproduction-and-Embryology (ESHRE), Lisbon, PORTUGAL, 14 - 17 June 2015, http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000359740300024&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=891bb5ab6ba270e68a