David Mu, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology

Leroy T. Canoles Jr. Cancer Research Center

Harry T. Lester Hall 420
651 Colley Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia 23501
Office: (757) 446-0373
Lab: (757) 446-0527
Email: MuD@evms.com
Mu CV

 Teaching:

• Biomedical Sciences Program

Education

• Ph.D. – University of California at Berkeley
  Adviser: Dr. Judith P. Klinman
• Postdoctoral Fellow – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Adviser: Dr. Aziz Sancar

Professional Positions

2012-Present

• Associate Professor
  Eastern Virginia Medical School
  Department of Microbiology & Molecular Cell Biology

2008 - 2012

• Associate Professor
  Penn State University College of Medicine
  Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

2004 - 2008

• Research Investigator
  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

1998 - 2004

• Scientist
  The Cancer Genomics Division, Tularik Inc.

Lab Members

	Shao-Chiang Michael Lai, Ph.D., Postdoc Ph.D., SUNY Downstate Medical Center Brooklyn, NY Phone: (757) 446-0527 Email: lais@evms.edu
‌	Kaitlin Helsley, B.S., Research Technician B.S., College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA Phone: (757) 446-0527 Email: helslekr@evms.edu
	Lauren Wood, Ph.D., Postdoc Ph.D., SUNY Upstate Medical University Syracuse, NY Phone: (757) 446-0527 Email: woodlw@evms.edu

 ‌

Research Interests

Keywords:  MicroRNA biology, Cancer Research, Lung cancer and biology, Cancer genomics, Molecular study of oncogene mechanism, Oncogenic signaling, Cancer cell metabolism, and Finding new uses of old drugs.

 I. MicroRNAs and mechanism of lung cancer genes

Oncogenes activated via gene amplification have a proven track record of being amenable to invention of new anti-cancer therapies. We and others discovered a recurrent amplified region in lung cancer genomes. This amplicon contains the TTF-1 gene (thyroid transcription factor 1 or known as NKX2-1) which is essential for lung development and morphogenesis. We are interested in mapping the interconnection between TTF-1 and microRNAs to afford novel entry points to investigate TTF-1-linked lung biology. Using a variety of experimental approaches, our laboratory is the first to discover the two types of TTF-1-linked microRNAs – an upstream microRNA that directly regulates TTF-1 expression and downstream microRNAs that are regulated by TTF-1. Currently, we are investigating the biology of these interactions between microRNAs and a lung cancer/development gene.

II. New uses of old drugs

In order to minimize the exorbitant costs and risks of de novo drug discovery and development, our strategy is to use off-patent marketed small molecule drugs as the starting point of drug discovery efforts, i.e. repurposing/repositioning an old drug for a new use. Medications that have come off patent are affordable for patients and have well documented biological, toxicological, and pharmacokinetic studies associated with them. Consequently, functional screening of such “old drugs” may readily yield chemicals for immediate clinical trials. Furthermore, “off-label” prescribing allows physicians to innovate with treatments based on emerging research data. Towards this end, we are conducting a multitude of cell-based screens to uncover new utilities of “old drugs” in fighting cancers. This line of research entails a highly translational goal in sight.  Although cancer is the focal point of our work, our approach is in principle transplantable and could be used to discover novel therapeutic strategies to treat other diseases. There are approximately 9990 drugs known to clinical medicine. Each drug should be considered an information-rich entity that merits exploration especially as treatment of orphan diseases.

Original Research Articles (peer-reviewed)

Review Articles and Book Chapters

 Patent Applications

 Patents Granted