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Dr. Bu is a molecular and cell biologist and an acknowledged leader in the field of the LDL receptor family. In the early 90s his research led to the identification of LRP as the endocytic receptor for tissue-type plasminogen activator an enzyme that is clinically used to dissolve blood clots during myocardial infarction and stroke. Dr. Bu also studied the mechanisms underlying the biogenesis and intracellular trafficking of lipoprotein receptors. In the mid-90s he helped to define the receptor-associated protein (RAP) as a specialized molecular chaperone and antagonist for LRP. His laboratory has also delineated the molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions between RAP and LRP. Dr. Bu's current research includes defining the roles of LRP and apolipoprotein E in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in breast cancer development and the function of Wnt signaling and a novel chaperone Mesd in bone-density maintenance and osteoporosis.
Dr. Bu obtained his undergraduate degree from the Beijing Normal University in China. He then studied biochemistry and molecular biology in the Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech where he received his Ph.D. Dr. Bu moved to the Washington University School of Medicine for a postdoctoral training in cell biology where he later became a member of the faculty. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology. Among the numerous awards that he has received Dr. Bu has been a Faculty Scholar of the Alzheimer's Association and an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Neurodegeneration. | 