Dr Cheryl Leong

Biography
Dr Leong obtained her PhD from the National University of Singapore, School of Integrative Sciences and Engineering, and holds a First-Class Honours BSc in Biomedical Science from King’s College London. She has been working in skin research since 2014, with expertise spanning both academia and industry. 

Over the past 15 years, her work has contributed significantly the fields of Malassezia research and understanding of the human skin mycobiome in health and disease. She is a strong advocate for human translational research and is committed to bridging fundamental science with clinical application. By integrating clinical insights with laboratory research, she aims to develop more relevant diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies that can directly benefit patients. Outside the lab, she is passionate about mentoring students and early-career researchers and actively supports initiatives that empower women in science. She values building an inclusive and supportive research environment where young scientists can grow and thrive

Dr Leong also serves as a reviewer for leading fungal research journals, including Mycopathologia and Medical Mycology, as well as publications focused on Malassezia. 

Research Interests
Dr. Cheryl Leong is a Group Leader at A-STAR Skin Research Labs, where her research focuses on human skin fungal pathogens and their translation to human health. Her work centres on key skin-associated fungi, including Malassezia and dermatophytes, with an emphasis on understanding how these organisms colonize the host, evade immune responses, and adapt across diverse clinical environments.

The research focuses on uncovering how interactions between fungal virulence and host factors, including microbiome dynamics, environmental exposures, immune responses, and skin barrier function contribute to disease.  In parallel, her group investigates antifungal susceptibility profiles and resistance mechanisms to inform therapeutic strategies. This is complemented by efforts to develop and refine diagnostic approaches for accurate detection and characterization of skin mycoses, as well as to advance targeted antifungal therapeutics that improve clinical outcomes.

Selected Publications
Leong C^, Chua W, Chong C-S, Lee SM, Maurer-Stroh S, Jung WH, Dawson TL Jr. Non-synonymous ERG11 mutations in M. restricta and M. arunalokei: impact on azole susceptibility. Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Jun 3;13(6):e0000725. 

Liang K, Leong C, Loh JM, Chan N, Lim L, Lam YI, Dawson TL Jr, Tey HL. A 3D-printed transepidermal microprojection array for human skin microbiome sampling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Jul 26;119(30):e2203556119.

Leong C, Kit JCW, Lee SM, Lam YI, Goh JPZ, Ianiri G, Dawson TL Jr. Azole resistance mechanisms in pathogenic M. furfur. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2021 May 1;65(5):e01975-20.

Leong C, Schmid B, Toi MJ, Wang J, Irudayaswamy AS, Goh JPZ, Bosshard PP, Glatz M, Dawson TL Jr. Geographical and Ethnic Differences Influence Culturable Commensal Yeast Diversity on Healthy Skin. Front Microbiol. 2019 Aug 27;10:1891. 

Leong C, Buttafuoco A, Glatz M, Bosshard PP. Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Malassezia spp. with an Optimized Colorimetric Broth Microdilution Method. J Clin Microbiol. 2017 Jun;55(6):1883-1893.

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