Hui Wang, PhD
Assistant Professor Research

Department of Pathology

Phone: (409) 747-0090
Email: huwang1@utmb.edu

  • My research examines how environmental pollutants, particularly trichloroethylene (TCE) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), drive immune dysregulation and contribute to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Using the MRL+/+ mouse model, I have shown that TCE exposure impairs Kupffer cell function, activates inflammasome pathways, disrupts autophagy, and promotes systemic inflammation through gut microbiome dysbiosis. I also study the immunotoxic effects of PFAS, including their ability to weaken virus-specific T cell responses and exacerbate viral infections.
  • INSTITUTION AND LOCATION DEGREE FIELD OF STUDY COMPLETION
    University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, United States Postdoc Integrative Biology and
    Pharmacology     		05/2016
    University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States Postdoc Microbiology and
    Immunology     		12/2013
    University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States Doctor of
    Philosophy (PHD)     		Animal Science 12/2012
    Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Master of Science
    (MS)     		Pathogenic Biology 07/2009
    Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China Bachelor of
    Science (BS)     		Biotechnology 07/2006
  • President’s Early Investigator Award, UTMB 2025 - 2026
    AAI Early Career Faculty Travel Grant, AAI 2025
    AAI Early Career Faculty Travel Grant, AAI 2024
    Institute for Human Infections and Immunity (IHII) data acquisition grant, UTMB 2023-2024
    Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health Pilot Award, Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health 2023-2024
    IHII pilot award, UTMB 2022
    Autoimmune Liver Diseases Pilot Research Award, AASLD 2021-2022

  • Society of Toxicology (SOT)

    American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD)

    American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
    • Wang H, Liang Y, Sun J, Linares J, Russell W, Khan MF. Perfluorooctanoic acid disrupts splenic immunity and antiviral responses in the LCMV model: Insights from single-cell transcriptomics. Environ Pollut. 2026 Jan 1;388:127367. PMID: 41224070.
    • Wang H, Liang Y, Boor PJ, Khanipov K, Zhang Y, Yu X, Ambati CSR, Putluri N, Khan MF. Protective Role of Dietary Short-Chain Fatty Acid Propionate against Autoimmune Responses and Pathology of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in MRLlpr Mice. J Nutr. 2025 Jul 2; PMCID: PMC12797317.
    • Wang H, Hosakote YM, Boor PJ, Yang J, Zhang Y, Yu X, Gonzales C, Levine CB, McLellan S, Cloutier N, Xie X, Shi PY, Ren P, Hu H, Sun K, Soong L, Sun J, Liang Y. The alarmin IL-33 exacerbates pulmonary inflammation and immune dysfunction in SARS-CoV-2 infection. iScience. 2024 Jun 21;27(6):110117. PMCID: PMC11214397.
    • Liang Y, Wang H, Sun K, Sun J, Soong L. Lack of the IFN-γ signal leads to lethal Orientia tsutsugamushi infection in mice with skin eschar lesions. PLoS Pathog. 2024 May;20(5):e1012020. PMCID: PMC11125519.
    • Wang H, Banerjee N, Wang G, Firoze Khan M. Autophagy dysregulation in trichloroethene-mediated inflammation and autoimmune response. Toxicology. 2023 Mar 15;487:153468. PMCID: PMC9998359.
    • Wang X, Wang H, Yi P, Baker C, Casey G, Xie X, Luo H, Cai J, Fan X, Soong L, Hu H, Shi PY, Liang Y, Sun J. Metformin restrains ZIKV replication and alleviates virus-induced inflammatory responses in microglia. Int Immunopharmacol. 2023 Aug;121:110512. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110512. Epub 2023 Jun 19. PMID: 37343373.

    Complete List of Published Work: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/hui.wang.32/bibliography/public/