Hsien Wu

Who was Hsien Wu?

Hsien Wu was an early protein scientist who was the first to propose that protein denaturation was a purely conformational change, i.e., corresponded to protein unfolding and not to some chemical alteration of the protein. This crucial idea was popularized later by Linus Pauling and Alfred Mirsky.

Wu was born in Fuzhou, Fujian, China and trained at MIT then at Harvard University under Otto Folin, developing the first assay for blood sugar, then returned to China and a position at Peking Union Medical College, becoming head of the biochemistry department in 1924 at age 30.

Wu left China in 1947 and reside in United States.

Wu's son, Ray J. Wu, became a well-respected professor at Cornell University, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Molecular Genetics and Biology, and has been active in studying transgenic plants, particularly rice.