Tony Hu

Biography

Dr. Tony Hu is the Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation and a Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, and Microbiology at Tulane University. He is also the founding Director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics at Tulane School of Medicine.

Dr. Hu received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009.  Dr. Hu’s research focuses on the development of nanomaterial platforms and proteomic approaches that are designed to enrich biomarker capture from microbial pathogens, or enhance biomarker signal, to improve the detection sensitivity, specificity, or quantitation of pathogen-derived soluble or extracellular vesicle (EV)-associated factors in complex biological samples. His research differs from conventional biomarker discovery and detection research for clinical microbiology in that it employs the special properties of nanomaterials to improve assay performance and reproducibility. This can have a profound impact on the ability to detect and quantitate target low abundance biomarkers in complex mixtures, allowing for the analysis of biomarkers that would otherwise be undetectable. Dr. Hu has made significant contributions to microbial diagnostics for critical global health initiatives, including a serum/plasma assay for all forms of tuberculosis and a mass spectrometry-based approach to differentiate closely related mycobacterium and Ebolavirus species.

His work has resulted in publications of over 110 high-impact papers and 15 patent applications involving nanomedicine in 10 years since becoming a faculty member in 2011. Seven of those patents have been licensed by US-based companies. He is also a co-founder of two biotech startup companies, Ares Diagnosis Inc. in San Jose, CA and NanoPin Technologies in New Orleans, LA.