Dr Hua Wang

Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow

Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Personal statement

Pigments of Life Research Laboratory We are an interdisciplinary research lab specialising in mycobacterial diseases, such as tuberculosis and leprosy, and emerging non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. One of our objectives is to unravel the molecular mechanism by which mycobacterial pathogens utilise the 'Pigments of Life' during infection. The ‘Pigments of Life’ are tetrapyrrole molecules shaped as rings or horseshoes that hold in their centre a metal ion. These pigments not only add colour to our surroundings but also play indispensable roles in vital functions across all living organisms. Examples include chlorophyll, the green pigment pivotal for photosynthesis in plants, haem, the red pigment crucial for oxygen transport in animals, and vitamin B12, a red-orange pigment essential for various biological processes across all domains of life. In parallel, we are dedicated to pioneering infection models and developing therapeutic strategies (antibiotics and vaccines) for mycobacterial diseases. Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to the understanding of bacterial biology, gain new perspectives, and achieve scientific breakthroughs to improve human health. Our ongoing projects include: - Characterisation of the mycobacterial haem metabolic pathway. - Synthesis and evaluation of anti-mycobacterial drug candidates. - Development of novel vaccines targeting mycobacterial diseases. Lab website: www.pigmentsoflife.com

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

2022 Converge Challenge - IBioIC Award: Recipient; 11/2022

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Publications

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Publications

Metabolomic profiling reveals bacterial metabolic adaptation strategies and new metabolites: Wang Hua, de Carvalho Luiz Pedro S; Current Opinion in Chemical Biology Vol 74 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.102287
Leprosy Vaccines : Developments for Prevention and Treatment: Wang Hua; Vaccines for Neglected Pathogens Strategies, Achievements and Challenges: Focus on Leprosy, Leishmaniasis, Melioidosis and Tuberculosis (2023) (2023); https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24355-4_4
An essential bifunctional enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis for itaconate dissimilation and leucine catabolism: Wang Hua, Fedorov Alexander A, Fedorov Elena V, Hunt Debbie M, Rodgers Angela, Douglas Holly L, Garza-Garcia Acely, Bonanno Jeffrey B, Almo Steven C, de Carvalho Luiz Pedro Sório; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Vol 116, pp. 15907-15913 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1906606116
Structures of DPAGT1 Explain Glycosylation Disease Mechanisms and Advance TB Antibiotic Design: Dong Yin Yao, Wang Hua, Pike Ashley CW, Cochrane Stephen A, Hamedzadeh Sadra, Wyszyński Filip J, Bushell Simon R, Royer Sylvain F, Widdick David A, Sajid Andaleeb, Boshoff Helena I, Park Yumi, Lucas Ricardo, Liu Wei Wei, Lee Seung Seo, Machida Takuya, Minall Leanne, Mehmood Shahid, Belaya Katsiaryna, Liu Wei Wei, Chu Amy, Shrestha Leela, Mukhopadhyay Shubhashish MM, Strain-Damerell Claire, Chalk Rod, Burgess-Brown Nicola A, Bibb Mervyn J, Barry Clifton E, Robinson Carol V, Beeson David, Davis Benjamin G, Carpenter Elisabeth P; Cell Vol 175, pp. 1045-1058.e16 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.037
Analysis of the tunicamycin biosynthetic gene cluster of streptomyces chartreusis reveals new insights into tunicamycin production and immunity: Widdick David, Royer Sylvain F, Wang Hua, Vior Natalia M, Gomez-Escribano Juan Pablo, Davis Benjamin G, Bibb Mervyn J; Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Vol 62 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.00130-18
Biosynthesis of the tunicamycin antibiotics proceeds via unique exo-glycal intermediates: Wyszynski Filip J, Lee Seung Seo, Yabe Tomoaki, Wang Hua, Gomez-Escribano Juan Pablo, Bibb Mervyn J, Lee Soo Jae, Davies Gideon J, Davis Benjamin G; Nature Chemistry Vol 4, pp. 539-546 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1351