The nearly two meters of DNA must be folded to fit into a ten micrometer large nucleus of a mammalian cell and still remain accessible for the complex molecular machineries of gene transcription, DNA replication and DNA repair. Exploring three-dimensional chromatin structure is therefore pivotal to understand the mechanisms governing genome organisation. Fluorescence microscopy has in recent years advanced into super-resolution imaging where improved resolution bridge the gap between electron microscopy and light microscopy. At this resolution a detailed exploration of structures within a cell can be made.

Prof. Wu has pioneered the technology for imaging of chromatin by developing oligonucleotide paints for Fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) which allows for super-resolution studies of specific gene loci as small as tens of kilobases. She has recently further developed dual-Oligopaints to visualize 3D folding and organisation of individual chromosomes. Prof. Wu has long been interested in ultra conserved elements (UCE) between distantly related mammals. She has proposed a model where UCEs are important for genome integrity and her team have shown a relationship between UCEs and copy number variants in diseases such as cancer. She is also part of the Consortium for Space Genetics where she addresses the impact of ionizing radiation on DNA damage and chromatin structure.

Prof. Ting Wu had her training at Harvard Medical School in genetics. Wu started her independent career as assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in 1993 and became a full professor 2007. Ting Wu is a pioneer in biomedical research receiving the prestigious National Institutes of Health Director’s Pioneer Award in 2012 and she has also several awards for teaching.