Jolin Foo

Biography

Suan-Sin (Jolin) Foo, PhD is a Principal Investigator at the A*STAR IDL. She leads the Translational Infection Biology Lab, which focuses on studying viral infections during pregnancy, with particular emphasis on viral pathogenesis and maternal-fetal immunology.

Dr. Foo obtained her PhD from Griffith University, Australia, in late 2015. She subsequently completed her postdoctoral training in the United States at the University of Southern California and the Cleveland Clinic under the mentorship of Prof. Jae U Jung, before establishing her independent research lab in early 2022. After living abroad for 15 years, Dr. Foo relocated her lab back to A*STAR IDL in Singapore in early 2026. To date, her work in infectious diseases has resulted in over 40 publications and more than 4,000 citations in leading journals, including Nature Microbiology, Nature Communications, The EMBO Journal, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Cell Reports Medicine. 

Research Focus

Dr. Foo’s research focused on women’s health, evaluating the long-term impact of prenatal viral infection in maternal immune activation and fetal immune reprogramming during early childhood, with an emphasis on mosquito-borne viruses. Her work adopts a “bench-to-bedside-to-bench” approach that integrates molecular and immunological methodologies across multiple experimental systems. These include: (1) in vitro models, such as viral reverse genetics systems, primary cell cultures, and whole-blood infection systems; (2) preclinical models, including prenatal infection studies in immunocompetent mouse models; and (3) clinical models, involving patient specimens from retrospective and prospective mother–infant dyad cohorts, conducted through international clinical collaborations. By combining molecular, immunological, and virological approaches with advanced multi-omics technologies—such as proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics—her research aims to uncover the mechanisms driving immune alterations following prenatal viral infection. In particular, her work examines immune remodeling at the maternal–fetal interface (the placenta) and the downstream immunological consequences for maternal, fetal, and early childhood immunity. The long-term goals for Dr. Foo’s lab are to: (i) elucidate the long-term repercussions of prenatal viral infections on maternal and fetal immunity, (ii) identify host and viral factors that alter maternal-fetal immune responses, and (iii) develop trimester-specific prognosis and therapeutic strategies for viral-mediated pregnancy complications and gestational-acquired viral illnesses in children.  

Publications

  1. Fajardo-Martinez, V.*, Ferreira, F., Salem, G., Mohole, J., Fuller, T., Cambou, M.C., Kerin, T., Paiola, S., Rao, R., Wilson, R., Zhang, D., Marschik, P., Jung, J.U., Chen, W., Foo, S.S.*, Brasil, P., Nielsen-Saines, K. Risk with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children Exposed to Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Pregnancy: A Longitudinal Cohort Study. Commun Biol. 2026, in press. (*Co-corresponding author)
  2. Salem, G.M., Azamor, T., Familiar-Macedo, D., Onwubueke, C., Cambou, M.C., Chen, W., Nielsen-Saines, K. & Foo, S.S. Mechanistic insights into the impact of prenatal viral infections on maternal and offspring immunity. Npj Viruses 4, 7 (2026).
  3. Melano, I., Husni, M.E., Piuzzi, N.S., Foo, S.S. & Chen, W. Emerging and underrecognized viral triggers of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease flares. Nat Rev Rheumatol 22, 118-131 (2026).
  4. Familiar-Macedo, D., Salem, G.M., Kesavan, A. & Foo, S.S. Re-emerging Oropouche virus infections: insights into maternal-fetal crosstalk, coinfections, and expanding public health threats. Curr Opin Virol 74, 101507 (2026).
  5. Li, H., Lyu, J., Sun, Y., Yin, C., Li, Y., Chen, W., Foo, S.S., Wu, X., Goding, C.R. and Chen, S., 2025. S-acyl transferase ZDHHC13 modulates tumor microenvironment interactions to suppress metastasis in melanoma models. J Clin Invest, 135(23).
  6. Zhang, F., Zhao, Y., Bian, L., Wang, X., Ha, E.H., Wang, L., Feng, Z., Sanchez, E., Kwong, A.C., O'Shaughnessy, K., Chen, W., Chen, S., Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Ning, L., Yu, Y., Zhang, Y., Dao Thi, V.L., Wu, J. & Wu, X. IL1beta signaling mediates the interaction between hepatitis B and C viruses. Hepatology (2025).
  7. Man, O.M., Azamor, T., Cambou, M.C., Fuller, T.L., Kerin, T., Paiola, S.G., Cranston, J.S., Mok, T., Rao, R., Chen, W., Jung, J.U., Martinez, V.F., Foo, S.S. & Nielsen-Saines, K. Respiratory distress in SARS-CoV-2 exposed uninfected neonates followed in the COVID Outcomes in Mother-Infant Pairs (COMP) Study. Nat Commun 15, 399 (2024).
  8. Kim, S., Ge, J., Kim, D., Lee, J.J., Choi, Y.J., Chen, W., Bowman, J.W., Foo, S.S., Chang, L.C., Liang, Q., Hara, D., Choi, I., Kim, M.H., Eoh, H. & Jung, J.U. TXNIP-mediated crosstalk between oxidative stress and glucose metabolism. PLoS One 19, e0292655 (2024).
  9. Foo, S.S.*, Chen, W., Azamor, T., Jung, K.L., Cambou, M.C., Familiar-Macedo, D., Salem, G.M., Melano, I., Sim, M.S., Moreira, M.E., Brasil, P., Vasconcelos, Z., Nielsen-Saines, K. & Jung, J.U*. Sustained chronic inflammation and altered childhood vaccine responses in children exposed to Zika virus. EBioMedicine 106, 105249 (2024). (*Co-corresponding author)
  10. 10. Caetano, C.C.S., Azamor, T., Meyer, N.M., Onwubueke, C., Calabrese, C.M., Calabrese, L.H., Visperas, A., Piuzzi, N.S., Husni, M.E., Foo, S.S.* & Chen, W*. Mechanistic insights into bone remodelling dysregulation by human viral pathogens. Nat Microbiol 9, 322-335 (2024). (*Co-corresponding author)
  11. 11. Azamor, T., Familiar-Macedo, D., Salem, G.M., Onwubueke, C., Melano, I., Bian, L., Vasconcelos, Z., Nielsen-Saines, K., Wu, X., Jung, J.U., Lin, F., Goje, O., Chien, E., Gordon, S., Foster, C.B., Aly, H., Farrell, R.M., Chen, W. & Foo, S.S. Transplacental SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF8 binds to complement C1q to trigger fetal inflammation. EMBO J (2024).
  12. 12. Lee, S.A., Chang, L.C., Jung, W., Bowman, J.W., Kim, D., Chen, W., Foo, S.S., Choi, Y.J., Choi, U.Y., Bowling, A., Yoo, J.S. & Jung, J.U. OASL phase condensation induces amyloid-like fibrillation of RIPK3 to promote virus-induced necroptosis. Nat Cell Biol 25, 92-107 (2023).
  13. 13. Foo, S.S.*, Chen, W., Jung, K.L., Azamor, T., Choi, U.Y., Zhang, P., Comhair, S.A., Erzurum, S.C., Jehi, L. & Jung, J.U. Immunometabolic rewiring in long COVID patients with chronic headache. bioRxiv (2023). (*Co-corresponding author)
  14. 14. Fajardo Martinez, V., Zhang, D., Paiola, S., Mok, T., Cambou, M.C., Kerin, T., Rao, R., Brasil, P., Ferreira, F., Fuller, T., Bhattacharya, D., Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Jung, J., Einspieler, C., Marschik, P.B. & Nielsen-Saines, K. Neuromotor repertoires in infants exposed to maternal COVID-19 during pregnancy: a cohort study. BMJ Open 13, e069194 (2023).
  15. 15. Choi, Y.J., Yoo, J.S., Jung, K., Rice, L., Kim, D., Zlojutro, V., Frimel, M., Madden, E., Choi, U.Y., Foo, S.S., Choi, Y., Jiang, Z., Johnson, H., Kwak, M.J., Kang, S., Hong, B., Seo, G.J., Kim, S., Lee, S.A., Amini-Bavil-Olyaee, S., Maazi, H., Akbari, O., Asosingh, K. & Jung, J.U. Lung-specific MCEMP1 functions as an adaptor for KIT to promote SCF-mediated mast cell proliferation. Nat Commun 14, 2045 (2023).
  16. 16. Cambou, M.C., Liu, C.M., Mok, T., Fajardo-Martinez, V., Paiola, S.G., Ibarrondo, F.J., Kerin, T., Fuller, T., Tobin, N.H., Garcia, G., Bhattacharya, D., Aldrovandi, G.M., Arumugaswami, V., Foo, S.S., Jung, J.U., Vasconcelos, Z., Brasil, P., Brendolin, M., Yang, O.O., Rao, R. & Nielsen-Saines, K. Longitudinal Evaluation of Antibody Persistence in Mother-Infant Dyads After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in Pregnancy. J Infect Dis 227, 236-245 (2023).
  17. 17. Wu, X., Xia, T., Shin, W.J., Yu, K.M., Jung, W., Herrmann, A., Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Zhang, P., Lee, J.S., Poo, H., Comhair, S.A.A., Jehi, L., Choi, Y.K., Ensser, A. & Jung, J.U. Viral Mimicry of Interleukin-17A by SARS-CoV-2 ORF8. mBio 13, e0040222 (2022).
  18. 18. Jung, K.L., Choi, U.Y., Park, A., Foo, S.S., Kim, S., Lee, S.A. & Jung, J.U. Single-cell analysis of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection in three-dimensional air-liquid interface culture model. PLoS Pathog 18, e1010775 (2022).
  19. 19. Park, A., Park, S.J., Jung, K.L., Kim, S.M., Kim, E.H., Kim, Y.I., Foo, S.S., Kim, S., Kim, S.G., Yu, K.M., Choi, Y., Kim, J.Y., Baek, Y.H., Song, M.S., Kim, S.R., Kim, S.Y., Jeong, H.W., Kim, S.H., Jung, J.U. & Choi, Y.K. Molecular Signatures of Inflammatory Profile and B-Cell Function in Patients with Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome. mBio 12(2021).
  20. 20. Foo, S.S., Cambou, M.C., Mok, T., Fajardo, V.M., Jung, K.L., Fuller, T., Chen, W., Kerin, T., Mei, J., Bhattacharya, D., Choi, Y., Wu, X., Xia, T., Shin, W.J., Cranston, J., Aldrovandi, G., Tobin, N., Contreras, D., Ibarrondo, F.J., Yang, O., Yang, S., Garner, O., Cortado, R., Bryson, Y., Janzen, C., Ghosh, S., Devaskar, S., Asilnejad, B., Moreira, M.E., Vasconcelos, Z., Soni, P.R., Gibson, L.C., Brasil, P., Comhair, S.A.A., Arumugaswami, V., Erzurum, S.C., Rao, R., Jung, J.U. & Nielsen-Saines, K. The systemic inflammatory landscape of COVID-19 in pregnancy: Extensive serum proteomic profiling of mother-infant dyads with in utero SARS-CoV-2. Cell Rep Med 2, 100453 (2021).
  21. 21. Chen, W., Foo, S.S., Hong, E., Wu, C., Lee, W.S., Lee, S.A., Evseenko, D., Moreira, M.E.L., Garcia-Sastre, A., Cheng, G., Nielsen-Saines, K., Brasil, P., Avvad-Portari, E. & Jung, J.U. Zika virus NS3 protease induces bone morphogenetic protein-dependent brain calcification in human fetuses. Nat Microbiol 6, 455-466 (2021).
  22. 22. Zaid, A., Tharmarajah, K., Mostafavi, H., Freitas, J.R., Sheng, K.C., Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Vider, J., Liu, X., West, N.P., Herrero, L.J., Taylor, A., Mackay, L.K., Getts, D.R., King, N.J.C. & Mahalingam, S. Modulation of Monocyte-Driven Myositis in Alphavirus Infection Reveals a Role for CX(3)CR1(+) Macrophages in Tissue Repair. mBio 11(2020).
  23. 23. Kim, Y.I., Kim, S.G., Kim, S.M., Kim, E.H., Park, S.J., Yu, K.M., Chang, J.H., Kim, E.J., Lee, S., Casel, M.A.B., Um, J., Song, M.S., Jeong, H.W., Lai, V.D., Kim, Y., Chin, B.S., Park, J.S., Chung, K.H., Foo, S.S., Poo, H., Mo, I.P., Lee, O.J., Webby, R.J., Jung, J.U. & Choi, Y.K. Infection and Rapid Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Ferrets. Cell Host Microbe 27, 704-709 e702 (2020).
  24. 24. Brasil, P., Vasconcelos, Z., Kerin, T., Gabaglia, C.R., Ribeiro, I.P., Bonaldo, M.C., Damasceno, L., Pone, M.V., Pone, S., Zin, A., Tsui, I., Adachi, K., Pereira, J.P., Jr., Gaw, S.L., Carvalho, L., Cunha, D.C., Guida, L., Rocha, M., Cherry, J.D., Wang, L., Aliyari, S., Cheng, G., Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Jung, J., Brickley, E., Moreira, M.E.L. & Nielsen-Saines, K. Zika virus vertical transmission in children with confirmed antenatal exposure. Nat Commun 11, 3510 (2020).
  25. 25. Yan, H., Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Yoo, J.S., Shin, W.J., Wu, C. & Jung, J.U. Efficient Inhibition of Human Papillomavirus Infection by L2 Minor Capsid-Derived Lipopeptide. mBio 10(2019).
  26. 26. Pool, K.L., Adachi, K., Karnezis, S., Salamon, N., Romero, T., Nielsen-Saines, K., Pone, S., Boechat, M., Aibe, M., Gomes da Silva, T., Ribeiro, C.T.M., Boechat, M.I., Brasil, P., Zin, A., Tsui, I., Gaw, S.L., Daltro, P., Ribeiro, B.G., Fazecas, T., Hygino da Cruz, L.C., Nogueira, R., Vasconcelos, Z., Pereira, J.P., Jr., Saad Salles, T., Barbosa, C.N., Chen, W., Foo, S.S., Jung, J., Moreira, M.E. & Pone, M. Association Between Neonatal Neuroimaging and Clinical Outcomes in Zika-Exposed Infants From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. JAMA Netw Open 2, e198124 (2019).
  27. 27. Choi, Y., Park, S.J., Sun, Y., Yoo, J.S., Pudupakam, R.S., Foo, S.S., Shin, W.J., Chen, S.B., Tsichlis, P.N., Lee, W.J., Lee, J.S., Li, W., Brennan, B., Choi, Y.K. & Jung, J.U. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome phlebovirus non-structural protein activates TPL2 signalling pathway for viral immunopathogenesis. Nat Microbiol 4, 429-437 (2019).
  28. 28. Foo, S.S.*, Chen, W., Chan, Y., Lee, W.S., Lee, S.A., Cheng, G., Nielsen-Saines, K., Brasil, P. & Jung, J.U. Biomarkers and immunoprofiles associated with fetal abnormalities of ZIKV-positive pregnancies. JCI Insight 3(2018). (*Co-corresponding author)
  29. 29. Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Chan, Y., Bowman, J.W., Chang, L.C., Choi, Y., Yoo, J.S., Ge, J., Cheng, G., Bonnin, A., Nielsen-Saines, K., Brasil, P. & Jung, J.U. Asian Zika virus strains target CD14(+) blood monocytes and induce M2-skewed immunosuppression during pregnancy. Nat Microbiol 2, 1558-1570 (2017).
  30. 30. Chen, W.#, Foo, S.S.#, Zaid, A., Teng, T.S., Herrero, L.J., Wolf, S., Tharmarajah, K., Vu, L.D., van Vreden, C., Taylor, A., Freitas, J.R., Li, R.W., Woodruff, T.M., Gordon, R., Ojcius, D.M., Nakaya, H.I., Kanneganti, T.D., O'Neill, L.A.J., Robertson, A.A.B., King, N.J., Suhrbier, A., Cooper, M.A., Ng, L.F.P. & Mahalingam, S. Specific inhibition of NLRP3 in chikungunya disease reveals a role for inflammasomes in alphavirus-induced inflammation. Nat Microbiol 2, 1435-1445 (2017). (#Equal contribution)
  31. 31. Liang, Q., Luo, Z., Zeng, J., Chen, W., Foo, S.S., Lee, S.A., Ge, J., Wang, S., Goldman, S.A., Zlokovic, B.V., Zhao, Z. & Jung, J.U. Zika Virus NS4A and NS4B Proteins Deregulate Akt-mTOR Signaling in Human Fetal Neural Stem Cells to Inhibit Neurogenesis and Induce Autophagy. Cell Stem Cell 19, 663-671 (2016).
  32. 32. Taylor, A.#, Foo, S.S.#, Bruzzone, R., Dinh, L.V., King, N.J. & Mahalingam, S. Fc receptors in antibody-dependent enhancement of viral infections. Immunol Rev 268, 340-364 (2015). (#Equal contribution)
  33. 33. Rolph, M.S.#, Foo, S.S.# & Mahalingam, S. Emergent chikungunya virus and arthritis in the Americas. Lancet Infect Dis 15, 1007-1008 (2015). (#Equal contribution)
  34. 34. Herrero, L.J., Foo, S.S., Sheng, K.C., Chen, W., Forwood, M.R., Bucala, R. & Mahalingam, S. Pentosan Polysulfate: a Novel Glycosaminoglycan-Like Molecule for Effective Treatment of Alphavirus-Induced Cartilage Destruction and Inflammatory Disease. J Virol 89, 8063-8076 (2015).
  35. 35. Foo, S.S., Reading, P.C., Jaillon, S., Mantovani, A. & Mahalingam, S. Pentraxins and Collectins: Friend or Foe during Pathogen Invasion? Trends Microbiol 23, 799-811 (2015).
  36. 36. Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Taylor, A., Sheng, K.C., Yu, X., Teng, T.S., Reading, P.C., Blanchard, H., Garlanda, C., Mantovani, A., Ng, L.F., Herrero, L.J. & Mahalingam, S. Role of pentraxin 3 in shaping arthritogenic alphaviral disease: from enhanced viral replication to immunomodulation. PLoS Pathog 11, e1004649 (2015).
  37. 37. Chen, W., Foo, S.S., Taylor, A., Lulla, A., Merits, A., Hueston, L., Forwood, M.R., Walsh, N.C., Sims, N.A., Herrero, L.J. & Mahalingam, S. Bindarit, an inhibitor of monocyte chemotactic protein synthesis, protects against bone loss induced by chikungunya virus infection. J Virol 89, 581-593 (2015).
  38. 38. Chen, W.#, Foo, S.S.#, Sims, N.A., Herrero, L.J., Walsh, N.C. & Mahalingam, S. Arthritogenic alphaviruses: new insights into arthritis and bone pathology. Trends Microbiol 23, 35-43 (2015). (#Equal contribution)
  39. 39. Chen, W., Foo, S.S., Rulli, N.E., Taylor, A., Sheng, K.C., Herrero, L.J., Herring, B.L., Lidbury, B.A., Li, R.W., Walsh, N.C., Sims, N.A., Smith, P.N. & Mahalingam, S. Arthritogenic alphaviral infection perturbs osteoblast function and triggers pathologic bone loss. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111, 6040-6045 (2014).
  40. 40. Chen, W.#, Foo, S.S.#, Li, R.W., Smith, P.N. & Mahalingam, S. Osteoblasts from osteoarthritis patients show enhanced susceptibility to Ross River virus infection associated with delayed type I interferon responses. Virol J 11, 189 (2014).
  41. 41. Teng, T.S.#, Foo, S.S.#, Simamarta, D., Lum, F.M., Teo, T.H., Lulla, A., Yeo, N.K., Koh, E.G., Chow, A., Leo, Y.S., Merits, A., Chin, K.C. & Ng, L.F. Viperin restricts chikungunya virus replication and pathology. J Clin Invest 122, 4447-4460 (2012). (#Equal contribution)
  42. 42. Foo, S.S., Chen, W., Herrero, L., Bettadapura, J., Narayan, J., Dar, L., Broor, S. and Mahalingam, S., 2011. The genetics of alphaviruses. Future Virology, 6(12), pp.1407-1422.

 

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