Wu Lab

an image of regenerated axons under a microscope The research of Wei Wu, PhD focuses on developing breakthrough therapies for spinal cord injury, using the latest advancements in technology to address neural repair and functional integration. The significance and potential impact of this transformative research have been recognized through the support of National Institutes of Health grants totaling $6.9 million.

Neural Repair: By generating new neurons in the adult spinal cord through the conversion of scar-forming glial cells and promoting the regrowth of spared neural circuits using polypharmacology, neurotrophic factors, and intraspinal neuromodulation, Dr. Wu aims to restore the integrity and function of damaged neural networks.

Functional Integration: Employing strategies such as exercise and AI-based spinal/brain machine interfaces, Dr. Wu works to "teach" newly formed neural circuits to make functional connections, enhancing recovery outcomes.

Dr. Wu's contributions to the scientific community are highlighted by numerous publications in esteemed journals such as Cell Stem Cell, Cell Metabolism, Nature Communications, JCI Insights and Biomaterials. His findings have been widely covered by various media outlets on topics including spinal cord reprogramming, neuromodulation in the cortex, neurotrophic factors, mitochondria transportation, polypharmacology, and nonlinear optical imaging, featured in platforms like NIH, EurekAlert, ScienceDaily, News Medical Life Sciences, the IU School of Medicine newsroom, and many more.

Awards

NINDS, NIH R01NS131489 (04/01/2024 - 03/31/2029)
Role: PI
Total amount awarded: $2,173,148

NINDS, NIH R01 NS111776 (08/01/2020 - 06/30/2025)
Role: Contact PI
Total amount awarded: $2,624,184

NINDS, NIH R01 NS103481(09/30/2017 – 08/31/2024)
Role: Contact PI
Total amount awarded: $1,936,957

ISCBIRG ISDH58180
Role: PI
Total amount awarded: $160,000

research team

Justin Vernam

Research Technician

Lee DH, Cao D, Moon Y, Chen C, Liu NK, Xu XM, Wu W. (2025). Enhancing Motor Functional Recovery in Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury: A Comparative Study of Voluntary Wheel Running vs. Forced Treadmill Exercise (2024). Neural Regeneration Research, 20(3): 836-844. PMID: 38886956

Qu WR., Wu X, Wu W, Wang Y, Sun Y, Deng LX, Walker M, Chen C, Dai HQ, Han Q, Ding Y, Xia YZ, George S, Rui L, Liu LK, Xu XM. (2025). "Chondroitinase ABC combined with Schwann cell transplantation enhances restoration of neural connection and functional recovery following acute and chronic spinal cord injury." Neural Regen Res 20(5): 1467-1482.

Tai, W., Du, XL, Chen C, Xu XM, Zhang CL., Wu W. (2024) “NG2 glia reprogramming induces robust axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury”. iScience.27(2): 108895. PMID: 38318363

Wu, X., et al. (2023). "CD1d-dependent neuroinflammation impairs tissue repair and functional recovery following a spinal cord injury." bioRxiv. PMID: 37905092
Liu NK, Deng LX, Wang M, Lu QB, Wang C, Wu X, Wu W, Wang Y, Qu WR, Han Q, Xia YZ, Ravenscraft B, Li JL, You SW, Wipf Peter, Han XL, Xu XM. (2022) Restoring mitochondrial cardiolipin homeostasis reduces cell death and promotes recovery after spinal cord injury. Cell Death Dis 13(12): 1058. PMID: 36539405

Wu W*#, Nguyen T, Ordaz JD, Zhang Y, Liu NK, Hu X, Liu YX, Ping XJ, Han Q, Wu XB, Qu WR, Gao SJ, Shields CB, Jin XM, Xu XM. Transhemispheric cortex remodeling promotes forelimb recovery after spinal cord injury. JCI Insight. 2022;7(12). *First author & #Co-responding author. PMID: 35552276

Mah KM*, Wu W*, Al-Ali H, Sun Y, Han Q, Ding Y, Munoz M, Xu XM, Lemmon VP, Bixby LB. Compounds co-targeting kinases in axon regulatory pathways promote regeneration and behavioral recovery after spinal cord injury in mice. Exp Neurol. 2022;355:114117. PMID: 35588791*Co-first author
Liu NK, Deng LX, Lu QB, Wu XB, Wu W, Wang Y, Qu WR, Han Q, Xia YZ, Wipf, P, Han XL, Xu XM. Role of Cardiolipin Alteration in the Pathogenesis of Spinal Cord Injury. J Neurotraum. 2022;39(11-12):A19-A20. PMID: 36539405

Tai W*, Wu W*, Wang LL*, Ni H, Chen C, Yang J, Zang T, Zou YH, Xu XM, Zhang CL. In vivo reprogramming of NG2 glia enables adult neurogenesis and functional recovery following spinal cord injury. Cell stem cell. 2021;28(5):923-37 e4. PMID: 33675690 *Co-first author.

Han Q, Xie Y, Ordaz JD, Huh AJ, Huang N, Wu W, Liu NK, Chamberlain KA, Sheng ZH, Xu XM. Restoring Cellular Energetics Promotes Axonal Regeneration and Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury. Cell Metab. 2020;31(3):623-41 e8. PMID: 32130884

Qian J, Wu W, Xiong W, Chai Z, Xu XM, Jin X. Longitudinal Optogenetic Motor Mapping Revealed Structural and Functional Impairments and Enhanced Corticorubral Projection after Contusive Spinal Cord Injury in Mice. J Neurotrauma. 2019;36(3):485-99. PMID: 29848155

Han Q, Ordaz JD, Liu NK, Richardson Z, Wu W, Xia Y, Qu WR, Wang Y, Dai HQ, Zhang YP, Shields CB, Smith G, Xu XM. Descending motor circuitry required for NT-3 mediated locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury in mice. Nature communications. 2019;10(1):5815. PMID: 31862889

Wang Y, Wu W, Wu X, Sun Y, Zhang YP, Deng LX, Walker MJ, Qu WR, Chen C, Liu NK, Han Q, Dai HQ, Shields L, Shields CB, Sengelaub D, Jones KJ, Smith GM, Xu XM. Remodeling of lumbar motor circuitry remote to a thoracic spinal cord injury promotes locomotor recovery. Elife. 2018;7. PMID: 30207538

Wu X, Walker CL, Lu Q, Wu W, Eddelman DB, Parish JM, et al. RhoA/Rho Kinase Mediates Neuronal Death Through Regulating cPLA(2) Activation. Mol Neurobiol. 2017;54(9):6885-95. PMID: 27771900

Wu W, Xiong W, Zhang P, Chen L, Fang J, Shields C, Xu XM, Jin XM. Increased threshold of short-latency motor evoked potentials in transgenic mice expressing Channelrhodopsin-2. PLoS One. 2017;12(5):e0178803. PMID: 28562670

Ordaz JD, Wu W, Xu XM. Optogenetics and its application in neural degeneration and regeneration. Neural Regen Res. 2017;12(8):1197-209. PMID: 28966628
Al-Ali H, Ding Y, Slepak T, Wu W, Sun Y, Martinez Y, Xu XM, Lemmon VP, Bixby JL. The mTOR Substrate S6 Kinase 1 (S6K1) Is a Negative Regulator of Axon Regeneration and a Potential Drug Target for Central Nervous System Injury. J Neurosci. 2017;37(30):7079-95. PMID: 28626016

Wu W, Wang P, Cheng JX, Xu XM. Assessment of white matter loss using bond-selective photoacoustic imaging in a rat model of contusive spinal cord injury. J Neurotrauma. 2014;31(24):1998-2002. PMID: 24850066

Wu W, Lee SY, Wu X, Tyler JY, Wang H, Ouyang Z, Park Kinam, Xu XM, Chen JX. Neuroprotective ferulic acid (FA)-glycol chitosan (GC) nanoparticles for functional restoration of traumatically injured spinal cord. Biomaterials. 2014;35(7):2355-64. PMID: 24332460

Wu W, Wu W*, Zou J, Shi F, Yang S, Liu Y, Lu PH, Ma ZW, Zhu H, Xu XM. Axonal and glial responses to a mid-thoracic spinal cord hemisection in the Macaca fascicularis monkey. J Neurotrauma. 2013;30(10):826-39. *Co-first author. PMID: 23421822

Slipchenko MN, Oglesbee RA, Zhang D, Wu W, Cheng JX. Heterodyne detected nonlinear optical imaging in a lock-in free manner. Journal of biophotonics. 2012;5(10):801-7. PMID: 22389310

Zou J, Wang YX, Mu HJ, Xiang J, Wu W, Zhang B, Ping X. Down-regulation of glutamine synthetase enhances migration of rat astrocytes after in vitro injury. Neurochem Int. 2011;58(3):404-13. PMID: 21193003

Huff TB, Shi Y, Sun W, Wu W, Shi R, Cheng JX. Real-time CARS imaging reveals a calpain-dependent pathway for paranodal myelin retraction during high-frequency stimulation. PLoS One. 2011;6(3):e17176. PMID: 21390223

Wu Lab

Awards

Justin Vernam

Publications

Media Reports

“Transhemispheric Remodeling the Motor Cortex Promotes Forelimb Recovery after Mouse Spinal Cord Injury”, authored by Wei Wu et al.

“In vivo reprogramming of NG2 glia enables adult neurogenesis and functional recovery following spinal cord injury”, authored by Wenjiao Tai, Wei Wu et al.

“Descending motor circuitry required for NT-3 mediated locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury in mice”, authored by Qi Han., Josue D. Ordaz, Nai-Kui Liu, Zoe Richardson, Wei Wu et al.

“Restoring Cellular Energetics Promotes Axonal Regeneration and Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury”, authored by Qi Han, Yudxiang Xie, Josue D. Ordaz, Andrew J. Huh, Ning Huang, Wei Wu et al.

“mTOR substrate S6 Kinase 1 (S6K1) is a negative regulator of axon regeneration and a potential drug target for CNS injury”, authored by Hassan AI-Ali, Ying Ding, Tatiana Slepak, Wei Wu, et al.

"Heterodyne detected nonlinear optical imaging in a lock-in free manner.", authored by Slipchenko, M. N., R. A. Oglesbee, Zhang, D, Wei Wu., et al.