PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Wistar Institute has appointed Vincent Wu, Ph.D., as a Caspar Wistar Fellow within its Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, bringing on a rising HIV researcher whose hybrid expertise in molecular biology and computational analysis positions him to tackle some of the field’s most complex scientific problems.
Wu, who began studying HIV-2 as an undergraduate, joins Wistar with a decade of experience examining how HIV replicates, hides, and persists inside the body. His postdoctoral work in the University of Pennsylvania laboratory of Dr. Michael Betts focused on single-cell profiling methods, which allow researchers to identify the traits and behavior of individual cells involved in HIV infection. Wu pairs that hands-on bench science with computational tools that interpret vast datasets.
He describes the divide between molecular biologists and bioinformaticians as a challenge he hopes to bridge. From his perspective, laboratory and computational research often operate in different scientific languages.
He envisions his lab as a place where those languages converge, creating what he calls a “Rosetta Stone” for modern HIV research.
A central question driving his work is the nature of the HIV reservoir—the collection of cells where the virus hides despite treatment. Wu notes that the reservoir is neither uniform nor easily identifiable, making it a barrier to curing HIV. His research applies single-cell profiling to distinguish meaningful signals from background noise, potentially clarifying how the reservoir changes over time and in response to interventions.
Wu also plans to explore collaborations on “shock and kill” approaches, strategies aimed at reactivating dormant HIV so immune-based therapies can eliminate it. He points to early work using mRNA-LNP–delivered latency-reversing agents as a promising area for development, particularly when paired with Wistar programs involving CAR-T cells and broadly neutralizing antibodies.
Wistar leaders say Wu’s skillset reflects where immunology and virology research are rapidly heading.
David Weiner, Ph.D., executive vice president and director of the Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, said Wu’s integration of single-cell biology and computational analysis places him “at the cutting-edge of where the field is evolving.” He added that Wu’s tools are drawing significant interest across Wistar’s centers focused on advanced therapeutics, HIV cure research, and viral diseases.
As part of the Caspar Wistar Fellows Program, Wu will receive institutional support to expand his laboratory and build a long-term research portfolio aimed at accelerating innovative biomedical discoveries.
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