Matthew Tay 

Biography 

Matthew graduated in Immunology from Brown University, USA, in 2012. He then obtained his PhD at Duke University, USA in 2018, where he studied the effector functions of antibodies against HIV-1. He continued his work as a postdoctoral fellow at the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), A*STAR, where he continued research work on antibodies, malaria, and subsequently SARS-CoV-2. In 2020, he moved from SIgN to the newly founded A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR ID Labs). 

Adjunct Position 

Department of Biochemistry, NUS

Research Focus 

Antimicrobial function-based identification of antibodies
Pathogens express surface antigens that can be targeted by antibodies. Most antibody discovery approaches utilize recombinant soluble versions of these antigens, and sift for antibody candidates that can bind well to them. However, empirical data has shown that the best binders are not necessarily the most effective antibodies. We are developing a microfluidic process capable of identifying antibodies based directly on their antimicrobial functions, such as virus neutralization or bacterial opsonophagocytosis. This will broaden the spectrum of effective antibodies developed against a given pathogen target, which may increase the overall effectiveness of antibody candidates. Furthermore, this process can uncover novel antigens or epitopes on the pathogen that are effectively targeted by protective antibodies. Such novel epitopes represent potential vaccine candidates. We are currently using this approach against Chikungunya virus, a vector-borne disease which regularly causes outbreaks that infect thousands to millions of people globally.