Dr. Lu has been interested in neuroscience and cancer biology to uncover the mechanisms and pathways underlying neurological disorders and cancer. His current research focuses on 1) how distinct glial cell types such as myelinating oligodendrocytes and their progenitor cells contribute to neurological diseases, and 2) how dysregulated developmental programs and tumor microenvironment cross-communications contribute to brain tumorigenesis, recurrence and metastasis.

During his postdoctoral work at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School, Dr. Lu discovered a pair of bHLH transcription factors, Olig1 and Olig2, which are critical for oligodendrocyte lineage development and myelination. These findings have set a key milestone in understanding the molecular mechanisms of gliogenesis and brain tumorigenesis. Dr. Lu’s work as an independent investigator, starting at UT Southwestern and then at Cincinnati Children’s, has used a combination of state-of-the-art molecular genetic approaches and adopted novel concepts to address the mechanisms underlying neurological diseases including demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis and autism spectrum disorders as well as brain tumorigenesis. My lab has a strong translational theme with two major directions: 1) development of novel therapeutics for promoting myelin repair to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis; 2) development of targeted therapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy to treat brain tumors such as medulloblastoma and malignant gliomas, including glioblastoma and diffuse midline gliomas (DMG/DIPG). Our research goals include dissecting the etiological mechanisms of these neurological diseases and cancers to develop effective therapies by promoting functional regeneration while blocking brain tumorigenesis and recurrence. Dr Lu is the recipient of several awards, including Javits Neuroscience Award from the NIH-National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Harry Weaver Neuroscience Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Best Research Award at the Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center.