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Wenfang Wang, Ph.D., C(ASCP)cm

WenFang Wang portrait
Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
wwang2@kumc.edu

Professional Background

WenFang Wang, Ph.D., C(ASCP)cm, earned her first academic degree from Wuhan University in Wuhan, China. After completing her bachelor's degree in virology, she proceeded to earn a master's in biochemistry from the Shanghai 2nd Medical University. Following research activities at both the Shanghai 2nd Medical School and the Chinese Academy of Science, Wang enrolled at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, to earn her doctorate in microbiology.

She performed her post-doctoral work in developmental biology at Harvard Medical School. After serving as an instructor there, Wang joined the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the KU Medical Center in 2005. In fall 2012, she joined the faculty in the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences where she serves as instructor of clinical chemistry.

Wang holds a Certification in Chemistry from the American Society of Clinical Pathology.


Research

Overview

Wang currently works on fatty acid metabolism in energy homeostasis. Her research team is particularly interested in a gene called NADH Cytochrome b5 OxiReductase (Ncb5or). Studying Ncb5or knockout mice that develop lipodystrophy and diabetes, researchers aim to provide new insights into the prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes.

Specifically, they are studying Ncb5or function in cells, tissues and the whole organism with a focus on fatty acid desaturation, triglyceride synthesis and utilization, glucose metabolism, pancreatic beta-cell function. Using techniques from biochemistry, cell biology, physiology and histology to analyze these processes in various tissues, Wang hopes to understand the impact of the overall signaling process on energy balance.