RESEARCH INTERESTS:

• Biomedical imaging
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) physics and engineering
• Deep Learning
• Brain imaging
• Neuroscience

BIOGRAPHY:

Prof. Ed X. Wu is Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering and holds Lam Woo Professorship in Biomedical Engineering. He joined the University of Hong Kong Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2003. Before joining HKU, Prof. Wu was an Associate Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University in New York where he led the NMR Microimaging Laboratory. From 1990 to 1998, Prof. Wu was the lead technical member in development of the world first 3D positron emission tomography (PET) system and an ultrahigh field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system at Columbia University. At present, Prof. Wu is the founding Director of the interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, and Research Director of 3T MRI Unit at HKU. He served as the Program Director of Medical Engineering Program from 2009 to 2013 and Associate Dean (Research) of HKU Faculty of Engineering from 2013 to 2016. His current research encompasses (1) MRI physics, data acquisition and image reconstruction algorithms through intelligent computing, and MRI system engineering for accessible healthcare; and (2) study of large-scale brain circuits and functions through high-field functional MRI, NMR diffusion and spectroscopy, optogenetic modulation, electrophysiology, behavioural assessment, and modelling.

Prof. Wu presently is the Asia-Pacific Editor of NMR in Biomedicine (since 2010) and an editorial board member of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (since 2015). He has served in numerous technical and scientific committees in professional societies, funding agencies and international conferences. Prof. Wu is an elected Fellow of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) in 2013, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in 2014, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in 2011, and Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences (HKAES) in 2018. He is the recipient of 2009 Outstanding Researcher Award from HKU, 2012 Croucher Senior Research Fellowship from Croucher Foundation, and 2018 Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize.

He is an Honorary Professor at Departments of Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, and School of Biomedical Sciences at HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

• Y Zhao, Y Ding, V Lau, C. Man, S Su, L Xiao, ATL Leong, EX Wu: “Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging at 0.05 Tesla.” Science 384:eadm7168 (free access link), 2024. Science Commentary
• C Man, V Lau, S Su, Y Zhao, L Xiao, Y Ding, GKK Leung, ATL Leong, EX Wu: “Deep learning enabled fast 3D brain MRI at 0.055 tesla.” Science Advances 9(38):eadi9327, 2023. Nature Commentary
• WT Kimberly, AJ Sorby-Adams, AG Webb, EX Wu, R Beekman, R Bowry, SJ Schiff, A de Havenon, FX Shen, G Sze, P Schaefer, JE Iglesias, MS Rosen, KN Sheth: “Brain imaging with portable low-field MRI.” Nature Reviews Bioengineering 1(9):617-630, 2023. Cover Article and Commentary
• X Wang, ATL Leong, SZK Tan, EC Wong, Y Liu, LW Lim, EX Wu: “Functional MRI reveals brain-wide actions on thalamically-initiated oscillatory activities on associate memory consolidation.” Nature Communications 14:2195, 2023.
• J Liu, JW Mo, X Wang, Z An, S Zhang, CY Zhang, P Yi, ATL Leong, J Ren, LY Chen, R Mo, Y Xie, Q Feng, W Chen, TM Gao, EX Wu, Y Feng, X Cao (co-corresponding authors): “Astrocyte dysfunction drives abnormal resting-state functional connectivity in depression.” Science Advances 8:eabo2098, 2022.
• Y Liu, AT Leong, Y Zhao, L Xiao, H Mak, A Tsang, GK Leung, EX Wu: “A low-cost and shielding-free ultra-low-field brain MRI scanner.” Nature Communications 12:1-14, 2021. Nature Briefing
• AT Leong, Y Gu, YS Chan, H Zheng, CM Dong, RW Chan, X Wang, Y Liu, LH Tan, EX Wu: “Optogenetic fMRI interrogation of brain-wide vestibular pathways.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116:E10122-E10129, 2019.
• RW Chan, ATL Leong, LC Ho, PP Gao, EC Wong, CM Dong, X Wang, J He, YS Chan, LW Lim, EX Wu: “Low-frequency hippocampal-cortical activity drives brain-wide resting-state functional MRI connectivity.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)114:E6972-E6981, 2017.
• ATL Leong, RW Chan, PP Gao, YS Chan, KK Tsia, WH Yung, EX Wu: “Long-range projections coordinate distributed brainwide neural activity with a specific spatiotemporal profile.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)113:E8306-E8315, 2016.
• MM Cheung, C Lau, IY Zhou, KC Chan, JW Zhang, SJ Fan, EX Wu: “High fidelity tonotopic mapping using swept source functional magnetic resonance imaging,” NeuroImage61:978-986, 2012.
• ES Hui, MM Cheung, L Qi, EX Wu: “Toward better MR characterization of neural tissues using directional diffusion kurtosis analysis,” NeuroImage42:122-134, 2008.
• EX Wu, G Johnson, SK Hilal and ZH Cho: “A new spatial localization technique using pulsed quadratic gradient,” Magnetic Resonance in Medicine33:242-245, 1994.
• EX Wu, RB Buxton: “Effect of diffusion on the steady-state magnetization with pulsed field gradients,” Journal of Magnetic Resonance90:243-253, 1990.

More recent publications at lab website…