Prof. Shu Man FU (USA)

Shu-Man Fu MD (Stanford University, 1970) and PhD (Rockefeller University, 1975) was associated with late Prof. Henry Kunkel at the Rockefeller University from 1971-1982. He was a member and chair of the Immunology Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation from 1982 to1988. As Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at University of Virginia since 1988, he served as the Chief of the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology from 1998 to 2007, and Program Director of a NIAMS-funded SCOR on SLE from1998-2010.

His research covers a range of topics in immunology and rheumatology. He mapped the C2 gene within the MHC complex. He identified CD28 and CD40 as important molecules in T and B cell activation and differentiation respectively, identified CD69 as an early lymphocyte activation marker, and TNF and lymphotoxin secretion by activated T and B lymphocytes. He helped to identify the HLA-DR molecules and their association with disease susceptibility. Recently, he has focused on the pathogenesis of SLE with emphasis on SLE genetics and mechanisms of autoantibody diversification, roles of T cells in lupus nephritis. His group has put forth the concept that autoimmunity can be separated from end organ damage.

He was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and Master of the American college of Rheumatology. He has served on numerous federal and nonfederal committees and on numerous editorial boards, including Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of Immunology and Arthritis & Rheumatism.