March 2025 – Welcome, Mengyao! 🎉
Exciting news—Mengyao is joining our lab for her rotation! As a Biomedical Informatics & Data Science student, she brings strong analytical and data-driven insights to our research.
Spoiler alert: She’ll be exploring new directions in the lab, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll discover together. Looking forward to an inspiring and productive rotation—welcome aboard, Mengyao! 🚀👏
Hello Spring! 🌸🎉
On February 28th, we hosted a “Hello Spring” TGIF to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of spring! After enduring weeks of freezing temperatures and snow-covered grounds in January and February, we’re finally seeing signs of warmth and renewal. The snow is melting, birds are chirping, flowers are starting to bloom—spring is just around the corner!
It was a wonderful way to welcome the new season together. Cheers to longer days, brighter skies, and more sunshine ahead! 🌞🌿✨







Feb 2025- Wu Lab Awarded Hope Center Pilot Grant to Study Sleep and the Brain-Gut Axis 🧠🦠💤
We are excited to announce that the Wu Lab has been awarded a two-year pilot grant from the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders for our project, “Sleep Regulation of the Brain-Gut Axis Throughout Lifespan.” This collaborative effort with Dr. Yao Chen’s lab in the Neuroscience Department aims to explore the critical connection between sleep, the gut microbiome, and brain health.
Our project will investigate how sleep loss impacts the microbiome, the brain, and their communication at two crucial life stages: adolescence and old age. By uncovering these mechanisms, we hope to develop new strategies to protect brain and gut health throughout life.
We are grateful for the Hope Center’s support and look forward to advancing our understanding of the brain-gut connection in the context of sleep. Stay tuned for updates as our research progresses! 🚀
🚀 Jan 2025– Welcome, Xinyi Liu! 🎉
Kicking off 2025 with great news—Xinyi Liu is joining our lab for her rotation! As a first-year Immunology Ph.D. student, she brings fresh ideas, curiosity, and enthusiasm to our research.
We’re thrilled to have her on board and can’t wait to see the impact she’ll make. Here’s to an exciting and productive rotation—welcome, Xinyi! 🎊👏
✨🎄 Dec 2024 – Happy Holidays! 🎅❄️
We’re embracing the festive spirit with joyful decorations, delicious food, and lively holiday parties. Wishing everyone a season filled with warmth, laughter, and cheer! 🎄🎉🎁✨





Oct 2024-Happy Halloween from the Wu Lab—guess our costume! 🕵️🎃
First-ever group Halloween costume from the Wu Lab! 🎃🔍 Can you guess who we are? Here’s a hint: the clue is in the clue! 🕵️ Big thanks to Sarah for the last-minute inspiration—it all came together, and we’re ready to solve some mysteries!

Oct 2024- 🎉 Welcome to the Lab, Sarah Bengtson & Diego Orellana! 🎉
We are excited to welcome Sarah Bengtson and Diego Orellana, both first-year MMMP Ph.D. students, as they begin their lab rotations with us! We can’t wait to see the fresh perspectives and enthusiasm they’ll bring to our research.
Here’s to a productive and inspiring rotation—welcome aboard, Sarah and Diego!
Sep 2024 –🎉 Congratulations to Iris on Passing Her Qualifying Exam! 🎉
We are thrilled to announce that Iris Chen has successfully passed her Qualifying Exam and is now officially a Ph.D. candidate! This is a significant milestone in her academic journey, and we couldn’t be prouder of her hard work and dedication.


August 2024 – 🌟 Exciting News! Our Lab Receives the NIAID New Innovators DP2 Award! 🌟
We are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded the prestigious NIAID New Innovators DP2 grant! This five-year funding will empower us to break new ground in harnessing the microbiota-stromal cell axis, aiming to pioneer advancements in microbiota-targeted medicine.
A huge thank you to our incredible team and supporters—here’s to driving impactful science forward!
August 2024 – Fun
Celebrating Our Lab’s 1st Birthday! 🎉
What a fantastic milestone! To celebrate our lab’s first birthday and express our gratitude for everyone’s hard work, we kicked off a new tradition with an unforgettable outing! We enjoyed a fun-filled day of mini golf, refreshing shave ice, and delicious sushi. 🏌️♂️🍧🍣✨






June 2024 – Fun
We’re thrilled to announce our successful move to the 10th floor of MPRB! To celebrate this exciting new chapter, we enjoyed delicious donuts and the best ice cream in the world—Ted Drewes—with the TGIF community. 🍩🍨






March 2024 – Fun
First TGIF Hosted on International Women’s Day! 🧁✨
We kicked off our first TGIF with a special celebration on International Women’s Day! Adorable cupcakes, great company, and inspiring conversations made it a memorable Friday.





December 2023 – Fun
Micro Department Holiday Party! 🎉 So Much Chocolate! 🍫
Our micro department holiday party was a blast! Laughter, great company, and a mountain of chocolate treats made it an unforgettable celebration. Cheers to a wonderful season and more memories in the new year!

