Alan Ming-ta Wu

Alan Ming-ta Wu (; 1938/1939 – 1981) was a Taiwanese molecular biologist and immunologist who developed techniques to grow hematopoietic stem cells in cell culture.

Early life and education Wu was born in Tainan, Taiwan, and graduated from in Tainan. He attended medical school at National Taiwan University, earning his M.D., then served for two years as a medical officer in the Republic of China Army.

Research Wu conducted research for his PhD in medical biophysics with Till & McCulloch at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto. Wu's PhD work demonstrated the relation between bone marrow and T cells. He was the first to grow stem cells (then called colony forming cells) in cell culture. This allowed Wu to transplant a single cell that generated the entire hematopoietic system in a mouse.

In 1971, Wu obtained a position as Senior Scientist at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. Wu applied this knowledge to probe the effects of drugs on mouse tumours induced by oncogenic viruses. He became director of molecular biology at cancer research firm Litton Bionetics Inc.

Wu returned to Toronto in 1976 to take up a position as an Associate Professor of Anatomy.

The Institute of Medical Sciences at University of Toronto presents their annual Alan Wu Poster Prize to the most outstanding poster presentations at IMS Scientific Day. This award in honour of Wu notes that "He was well recognized for his research excellence, his passion for science and his strong belief in the value of translational medicine."

Personal details Wu married Gillian Edwards, a fellow graduate student. They have two sons, Tim Wu and David Wu.

Wu was active in the Taiwan independence movement.

Wu was an avid runner, completing ten marathons in the five years before his death.

Wu died from a brain tumour in 1981.