Dr. Wu is investigating the mechanism of dendritic cell (DC) missing-self recognition and migration. DCs recognize and present antigens to lymphocytes, a process that is essential for shaping host immune responses against infection and cancer. How DCs recognize altered self cells (such as cancer cells and pathogen-infected cells) remains poorly understood. These studies should significantly enhance our understanding of DC biology and eventually contribute to the development of new strategies to harness DC function for immunotherapy against cancer.