PEOPLE · FACULTY

FACULTY

J.H. David Wu
Professor
Ph.D. 1987, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

312 Gavett Hall
(585)275-8499
davidwu@che.rochester.edu

Website

http://www.che.rochester.edu/Projects/davidwu/index.htm

Courses

ChE 113: Chemical Process Analysis
ChE: 469: Biotechnology & Bioengineering

Research Topics: Biochemical Engineering, Fermentation, Biocatalysis, Bone Marrow Tissue Engineering, Molecular Biology

Overview: Breakthroughs in molecular biology and immunology have brought about challenges and opportunities in bioprocessing. We are interested in research areas bridging life science techniques and engineering principles and addressing important biological or biotechnological issues.

Genetic Engineering of Biocatalysts. We are taking the molecular biology approach to study the structure-function relationship of a cellulase complex of a bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum. The genes we cloned have revealed remarkable structure features. One gene coding for an anchorage/scaffolding protein contains nine repeated sequences and a non-repeated sequence (cellulose binding domain). Comparison of the other gene to all the DNA sequences in GeneBank indicated that we had unveiled a new cellulase gene family. It became apparent that the catalytic subunits form an array on the scaffolding protein which brings the enzyme package to the cellulose surface. This elegant and fascinating structure depicts a new mechanistic concept not only for biocatalysis but also for supramolecular organization. Engineering high efficiency cellulase molecules will have a significant impact on reducing environmental pollution and climate change.

Tissue Engineering. Bone marrow remarkably produces hundreds of billions of blood cells each day. The spongy marrow inside the bone with blood stream going through is best modeled as a packed-bed reactor. We have taken an engineering approach to culture murine and human marrow cells using a packed-bed bioreactor with an artificial scaffolding. The marrow cells grow in three-dimension, simulating the marrow structure. Although the traditional flask culture produces only two blood cell types, the bioreactor produces all cell types (granulocytes, erythrocytes, monocytes-macrophages, megakaryocytes, and lymphocytes). The bioreactor provides a novel marrow model and may lead to new approach for bone marrow transplantation, gene therapy, or immunotherapy.

Cell Culture Processes. We are studying the animal cell culture processes for producing recombinant human hormones. We also collaborate with medical scientists to characterize a potent fungal calcium channel opener, a major regulator of cell physiology.