Cancer Signaling & Therapies

Vinay TERGAONKAR
NFkB Signaling in Human Ailments
Director

Wee-Wei TEE
Chromatin Dynamics & Disease Epigenetics
Co-Director

Qi ZENG
PRL-3 Phosphatase & Cancer Therapy

Wanjin HONG
Signalling Pathway and Cancer

Anna-Marie FAIRHURST
Mechanisms and Targets in Autoimmunity

Haiwei SONG
Structural Biology for Signalling and diseases

Bin Tean TEH
Chromatin Therapeutics

Joe Poh Sheng YEONG
Integrative Biology for Theranostics

Valerie Shiwen YANG
Translational Precision Oncology

Nick BARKER
Epithelial Stem Cells and Cancer

Chuan YAN
Cancer therapy resistance modelling

	Anna-Marie-FAIRHURST Mechanisms and Targets in Autoimmunity Lab Location: #6-16 Email: annamarie@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869860
Anna-Marie Fairhurst received her PhD in Immunology/Pharmacology at the William Harvey Research Institute at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, University of London in 2002. During her PhD she examined the roles of neutrophil-FcγRIIIb and tristetraprolin (TTP) expression in rheumatoid arthritis under the direction of Nicolas Goulding and Paul Wallace (Dartmouth, NH). From London she moved to the NIH, in Bethesda, Maryland, USA to undertake a postdoc with Peter Lipsky. Projects were focused on the mechanisms of the initiation and progression of autoimmunity. Her main directions were to examine innate regulation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the effects of IL-21 on B cell transcription factors. In 2004, she moved to Dallas, TX, to continue studying SLE with Ward Wakeland. Her research focused on the genetic and immunological mechanisms which drive SLE pathogenesis using multiple murine models, specifically examining the role of IFNα and the TLRs. Anna-Marie joined ASTAR in March 2010 at the Singapore Immunology Network and transferred to IMCB in 2019. The overall goal of her lab is to understand the mechanisms that maintain an effective balance in the immune system for efficient protection from infections, cancer and autoimmunity. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the archetypal autoimmune disease, whereby the host’s immune system develops reactivity to self, resulting in systemic inflammation and often, kidney pathology. By studying the immunological mechanisms driving this disease, the crucial mechanisms of immune tolerance and inflammation that are targets for therapy across multiple diseases can be understood. Her lab is translational, working with multiple animal models and clinical human samples. She has also retained a passion for advanced flow cytometry techniques and advancing women in STEM. In her spare time she enjoys running, swimming and chasing after her 3 young children. Adjunct Positions* • Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Biological Sciences, NTU, Singapore; • Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, NUS, Singapore
Research Publications
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	Huili Guo RNA Biology Lab Location: #6-07 Email: hguo@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869712
Huili Guo graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2005 with a B.A. degree in Natural Sciences. In 2011, she received the Ph.D. degree in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She performed her thesis research in the laboratory of Prof. David Bartel at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where she used ribosome profiling and RNA-Seq to study the molecular consequences of microRNA-mediated repression in mammalian systems. This work was published in Nature in 2010. This highly-cited piece of work is recommended by the Faculty of 1000, which identifies the most significant articles in biomedical research publications. Huili is a recipient of National Science Scholarships from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in 2002 (BS) and 2006 (PhD). In 2012, she was awarded an IMCB Independent Fellowship to conduct independent research at IMCB. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore. Huili has been an Ambassador for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programme run by the Singapore Committee for UN Women since 2013. She is also a recipient of the L’Oréal Singapore For Women In Science National Fellowship (2014) and the Young Scientist Award (2016).
Research Publications

	Vinay TERGAONKAR NFkB Signaling in Human Ailments Lab Location: #3-17 Email: vinayt@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869836
Vinay Tergaonkar obtained his Ph.D in 2001. During his graduate studies he was awarded an international cancer society (UICC) fellowship for collaborative research at Tufts University, Boston, USA. He has been a fellow (2001-2004) and a special fellow (2004-present) of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America and conducted his postdoctoral studies at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California. He joined IMCB in late 2005 as Principal Investigator and became a Senior Principal Investigator in 2010 and Research Director in 2015. He is also a Professor at the school of Medicine, National University of Singapore. He holds adjunct appointments at 1) Department of Biochemistry (NUS) 2) Cancer Science Institute, 3) Singapore Eye Research Institute and 4) National Cancer Centre, Singapore. He has been invited to speak at various international venues and meetings such as the Barossa and Hunter valley meetings in Australia, Genes and Cancer meeting in UK, The Argentine Pharmacological society meeting in Buenos Aires, Aichi and Japanese Cancer Society meetings in Japan and the Keystone Symposia. He serves on Editorial Boards of 1) Science Advances, 2) Molecular and Cellular Biology (American Society for Microbiology), 3) Biochemical Journal (Portland Press) 4) Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology (Elsevier Press), 5) BMC Research Notes (Biomed Central) and 6) Telomeres and Telomerase. He has received international recognition for his work including the British council development award (2014) and the Premier's fellowship from Government of South Australia (2015).
Research Publications

	Yue WANG Microbiome and Cancer Lab Location: #6-17 Email: mcbwangy@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869521
Yue Wang obtained his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1988 and then undertook postdoctoral research in the same university for one and a half years. In 1989, he joined IMCB as a postdoctoral research fellow. In 1993 he was promoted to senior scientist to lead a group in the study and utilization of equatorial microbial diversity for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds. His current research focus is on the study of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Presently, he is a professor and research director. For his multiple ground breaking discoveries in the study of the virulence factors and basic biology of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans, Dr Wang was awarded the President's Science Award 2012. Candida albicans Molecular & Cellular Biology Infectious diseases are the leading cause of human death worldwide. Previously controllable pathogens are returning with higher virulence and unknown pathogens are emerging to cause new diseases. Drug-resistant 'bugs' have rendered many of our best antibiotics obsolete. The great challenge to medical science is to invent new ammunition with which to fight back. Since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic about 25 years ago, the fungus Candida albicans, once an almost harmless commensal of human body, has rapidly become the most prevalent fungal pathogen. It often causes life-threatening systemic infections in immuno-compromised patients. This fungus is polymorphic and can switch between yeast, pseudohyphal and hyphal forms of growth in response to environmental cues. This property has strong links with its ability of infection. Dr. Yue Wang's laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms that control the growth transition, particularly how cells establish and maintain the highly polarized hyphal morphogenesis. In 2004, this laboratory found a key regulator, named Hgc1, of the yeast-hypha growth transition. The HGC1 deletion mutant grows constitutively in the yeast form and exhibits markedly reduced virulence. Hgc1 is a G1 cyclin-related protein and directly interacts with the master cell-cycle regulatory kinase Cdc28. In the past few years, this lab has identified a number of central components of the polarity machinery as direct substrates of the Hgc1-Cdc28 kinase, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms that control polarized morphogensis in C. albicans. C. albicans hyphal growth starts with the formation of a thin cell surface protrusion called germ tube. Similar structures are found in many cell types in diverse organisms, such as dendritic protrusions of neurons, root hairs and pollen tubes. Recent discoveries by Dr. Wang's lab suggest that many aspects of the underlying mechanisms for polarized cell growth are evolutionarily conserved. This renders C. albicans a relevant model for addressing the fundamental biological issue of how cells establish and maintain polarity.
Research Publications

	Edward MANSER Small G-protein Signalling and Kinases in Diseases Lab Location: #8-15 Email: mcbmanser@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869555
Ed Manser obtained his PhD (Biophysics) at National Institute for Medical Research in London working on the microtubule cytoskeleton under the supervision of Dr Peter M Bayley. He secured a postdoctoral position at Institute of Neurology, London and began looking at aspects of molecular neurobiology. As a Research Fellow at IMCB (1992) he developed an interest in the biochemical pathways downstream of the newly discovered Rho small GTPases and in 1999 was promoted to Principle Investigator, working under the GSK-IMCB Trust. He also headed the IMCB Proteomic facility 2003-2006. Currently, he holds an Associate Professor appointment, and is a Senior Principal Investigator in IMCB.
Research Publications

	Haiwei SONG Structural Biology for Signalling and diseases Lab Location: #7-14 Email: haiwei@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869700
Haiwei SONG received his BSc (1987) in Chemistry from Henan University, MSc (1990) in Molecular Biology from the Institute of Biophysics, China and PhD (1998) in Molecular Biology in Leeds University, UK. He worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics in Oxford University and Institute of Cancer Research in London before he joined the ex-Institute of Molecular Agrobiology in Singapore as a Principal Investigator in 2001. He moved to IMCB in 2002 and is currently a Research Director/Professor.
Research Publications

	Bin Tean TEH Chromatin Therapeutics Lab Location: #7-18 Email: btteh@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869560
Dr Bin Tean Teh obtained his MD (1992) from the University of Queensland, Australia and his PhD (1997) from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Following postdoctoral works in multiple endocrine neoplasia 1 at Karolinska Institute, Dr Teh joined the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) in 2000 as a Senior Scientific Investigator heading the Laboratory of Cancer Genetics. In 2007, Dr Teh was appointed as the founding Director of the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS)-VARI laboratory, which serves as a bridge between translational research and clinical medicine. In 2010 he received the STaR award and relocated to Singapore and is currently a full professor in CSCB. He served as the SingHealth Group Director for Translational Research from 2010-2012. His laboratory focuses on genomic studies of cancers common among Asian populations, using tools such as high-throughput genomic platforms and correlation studies with cliinico-pathological information. He holds Adjunct Professorships at several universities worldwide including Baylor College of Medicine, USA, Nanjing University and Sun Yat-Sen University, China and the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Dr. Teh has published extensively, with over 300 publications in high impact scientific journals. He has been member of various editorial boards for journals including Lancet Oncology, Cancer Research, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, International Journal of Oncology, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Clinical Genitourinary Cancer, and the American Journal of Translational Research.
Research Publications

	Qi ZENG PRL-3 Phosphatase & Cancer Therapy Lab Location: #3-02 Email: mcbzengq@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869664
Qi Zeng studied her Ph.D in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI, USA) and IMCB. She obtained her Ph.D in 1993 from National University of Singapore. As part of her graduate work, she genetically engineered the first Transgenic Rat in Asia for a San Diego biotech firm to study human diabetes, and her success story appeared in Fortune Magazine (USA, Oct. 1991). She has continued using animal models to study human diseases for decades. Her team demonstrated that PRL-1 and PRL-3 monoclonal antibodies can inhibit experimental metastatic tumors expressing their respective antigens. In 2009, Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL, A*STAR) awarded her group a Flagship grant of $3.1 million for anticancer therapy in mice. (Please click here for more information) In 2011, she proposed a new concept of ‘Targeting Intracellular Oncoproteins with Antibody Therapy or Vaccination to treat cancer’. She is a pioneer in using the unconventional approach of immunotherapy targeting intracellular oncoproteins for blocking tumor growth in cancer mice. Recently, in 2014. an additional award of $1.5 million Gap fund to work until pre-clinical trials. She is a leader in the fields of PRL-3 cancer research and unconventional immunotherapy targeting intracellular oncoproteins. She became a Senior Principal Investigator (Associate Professor) in 2010 and Research Director (Professor) in 2015.
Research Publications

	Wee-Wei TEE Chromatin Dynamics & Disease Epigenetics Lab Location: #6-14B Email: wwtee@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869642
Dr. Wee-Wei Tee completed his undergraduate studies at University College London in 2004, and went on to do his Ph.D. with Prof Azim Surani at the University of Cambridge, UK, under a Wellcome Trust Ph.D. scholarship. During his Ph.D, Wee-Wei developed a keen interest in the epigenetic control of stem cell and germ cell development. In particular, his studies uncovered a key role of an arginine methyltransferase, Prmt5, in early mouse embryonic development and in stem cell pluripotency. A developmental biologist by training, Wee-Wei then joined the laboratory of Prof. Danny Reinberg, a renowned chromatin biochemist and Howard Hughes Investigator at New York University School of Medicine, for his postdoctoral training. There, he focused his studies on deciphering the mechanistic principles of epigenetic gene silencing, particularly over genes regulated by the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2. Wee-Wei completed his postdoctoral training in September 2015. He has won several fellowships and awards, including the New York Stem Cell Foundation Druckenmiller postdoctoral fellowship and the highly competitive NIH Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) Award. In 2016, Wee-Wei was awarded the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) Fellowship (Class of 2016). He is currently a Principal Investigator at A*STAR-IMCB, and also an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology, NUS Medicine. For more information about the lab, please visit https://wwteelab.com
Research Publications

	Valerie YANG Translational Precision Oncology BSc (First Class Honors), MB BChir, PhD, MRCP, FAMS
Dr Valerie Yang is Clinician-Scientist with joint appointments at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), where she is a Medical Oncologist, as well as at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), where she is a Principal Investigator and Research Clinician. She received the National Science Scholarship from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, which granted her a full scholarship to read Medicine and a PhD. She graduated from the Royal Free and University College Medical School with a Distinction in Preclinical Medicine, as well as First Class Honours for a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Molecular Medicine. She was conferred the Cluff Memorial Prize and the Goldberg-Schachmann and Freda Becker Memorial Award, and joined the ASTAR Chairman’s Honours List. Dr. Yang then continued with Clinical Medicine at the University of Cambridge, where she was accepted into the MB/PhD Programme. Her PhD was supervised by Dr. Michael Gonzalez and Professor Ronald Laskey, CBE, FRS, where she studied DNA replication, cell cycle regulation and embryonic stem cell pluripotency. Her PhD work won the first prize in Cambridge University’s Graduate Research Symposium, a competition among all Life Science PhD candidates in Cambridge University. This work also led to several publications, as well as oral presentations, including the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory Conference, the Sylvia Lawler Prize Meeting at the Royal Society of Medicine, as well as an invitation to speak at the Chromatin, Chromosomal Stability and Genome Maintenance Conference held in Copenhagen. She also held a teaching position in the Cambridge University School of Medicine as an Associate Clinical Supervisor. Upon her return to Singapore, Dr. Yang commenced post-graduate clinical training as a junior doctor. She underwent residency training in Internal Medicine and was accepted to the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP), UK, before receiving specialty training in Medical Oncology at the NCCS. She was also conferred the Nurturing Clinician Scientists Scheme Award (NCSS) by SingHealth while concurrently undergoing clinical training. She is now accredited as a Specialist in Medical Oncology and a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine of Singapore. Dr. Yang values teaching and mentoring highly. She was an invited lecturer to PhD students, as well as a Clinical Lecturer to medical students at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Duke-NUS Medical School. She also teaches junior doctors, has taken on student attachments at her laboratory and mentors residents. She was the Chairman of the Residents’ Research Committee, National University Health System (NUHS), was selected for the Academic Development Programme at NUHS, and received the Nurturing Clinician Scientists Scheme Award from SingHealth. She is also a fellow of the 2020 Esco Ventures X-A*STAR “Morphosis” program in biotechnology venture creation. Dr. Yang believes that interfacing the modifiable gaps in Oncology and the questions that can be answered through evolving technology and innovation, as well as the mentoring of the next generation of young researchers and clinicians, can bring about real change in patient outcomes. She can be contacted at: yangswv@imcb.a-star.edu.sg valerie.yang.s.w@singhealth.com.sg
Research

	Daniel M MESSERSCHMIDT Developmental Epigenetics & Disease Lab Location: #5-02B Email: danielm@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869868
Daniel M. Messerschmidt obtained his master in biochemistry at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology and the University of Tuebingen (Germany) where he studied cell fates and organ formation in nematodes. In 2005 he embarked on his doctoral work at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology (Freiburg, Germany) studying differentiation events in mouse preimplantation embryos. The work on lineage segregation and differentiation in the mouse blastocyst ultimately elucidated a non-cell autonomous requirement of the pluripotency transcription factor NANOG for primitive endoderm formation in vivo. In 2009 he joined the laboratory of Barbara Knowles and Davor Solter at the A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology (Singapore) to follow his interests in epigenetic aspects of differentiation and early embryonic development. He addressed epigenetic reprogramming during oocyte-to-embryo transition, an essential measure to ensure totipotency in the mammalian zygote and early embryo. In 2013, he was awarded an IMCB Junior Investigator (IJI) position to conduct independent research at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) where he continued to pursue is investigation on the early epigenetic reprogramming events in mouse embryos. In 2015 he was awarded the prestigious Fellowship by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and is Principal Investigator at IMCB since. In 2018 Daniel was selected to become an EMBO Young Investigator.
Research Publications

	Joe Yeong Poh Sheng Integrative Biology for Theranostics Lab Location: #5-19 Email: yeongps@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869527 Service Platform: Multiplex IHC Immuno-Mapping
Dr. Joe Yeong Poh Sheng (MBBS, PhD) is a Group Leader in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB, ASTAR) and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Anatomical Pathology, Singapore General Hospital (SGH). He has underwent multidisciplinary training for clinical (MBBS), immunology (PhD) and histopathology (British Royal College of Pathologist (RCPath), Associateship), and possess more than 10 years of translational research experience. He is the pioneer and key opinion leader in automation of quantitative multiplex (fluorescence-) immunohistochemistry (m-IHC/IF), utilising clinical autostainers to study and quantitate tumour immune microenvironment. He has established an integrative m-IHC/IF pathology platform in the Department of Anatomical Pathology, SGH which is the first of its kind in Asia-Pacific (APAC) region; providing a one-stop solution for scientists, clinicians, immunologists and pathologists to synergise their expertise in biomarker discovery and translation for clinical practice. This approach displays the importance of the emerging new branch of diagnostic pathology – immunopathology. His works on breast cancer, liver cancer and colorectal cancer are included in multiple National Medical Research Council (NMRC) funded studies as well as pharmaceutical industry sponsored projects. He is a member of the British RCPath (associateship), United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). His key vision is to bridge between immunologists and pathologists to better harness the advances of immunotherapy and further beyond. He is one of the winners of the Best Mentor award of NUS Wong Hock Boon Research Society in 2017 for his dedication to mentor medical students on translational research. He also served as a committee member in the World Immunotherapy Council (WIC) and is one of the organizers for its 2019 WIC Young Investigator Symposium in National Harbour, USA. In 2018, he has set up an automated quantitative m-IHC/IF Immuno-Mapping service platform in IMCB, ASTAR as an official service portal to provide solutions for academic collaborators and industry partners who are keen to understand immunology profile and landscape of cancers and other diseases. This service platform is across partnership with SGH, National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National Cancer Centre (NCC) with multi-disciplinary expertise contributions to provide the best solution. Powered by the state-of-the-art autostainer, 9+ colour imaging system and analytic packages, this platform is envisioned and well-prepared to become the APAC hub for Immuno-Mapping domain. The experience, track records, know-how as well as proprietary protocols and solutions that his group has built in the past few years safeguard the standard, quality and robustness of the platform. Other immuno-profiling methods, such as multi-colour high-dimensional flow cytometry (up to 24 markers), mass cytometry, multi-analyte profiling and multi-photon imaging, that are available in the ecosystem complement the Immuno-Mapping platform and allow multi-modal integration and interpretation of data which would be essential in this era of immunotherapy. Awards His research works with outstanding multiplex images were featured in multiple platforms and medias including DUNES Symposium cover page, Singapore Straits Times (Beautiful Science), Singaporean Society for Immunology (SgSI) Image of the Year, as well as Singhealth Tomorrow Medicine; and have earned him several prestigious awards at events including Asia-Pacific Primary Liver Cancer Expert Meeting (APPLE), Singhealth Pathology Academic Clinical Programme (ACP) Research Day, Chinese American Pathologists Association (CAPA) and USCAP. As a winner for the Best Mentor award of NUS Wong Hock Boon Research Society (2017), he’d also dedicated significant time to supervise medical students on translational research to help seeding next generation of clinician scientists. Throughout the years, under his supervision or co-supervision with Prof. Tan Puay Hoon and A/Prof. Tony Lim Kiat Hon from SGH, the students won several awards and prizes from conferences including Singhealth Pathology ACP Research Day, LKCMedicine Research Symposium, Farrer Park Hospital Annual Scientific Meeting, Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress, SingHealth Medical Student Talent Development Award, Singhealth Duke-NUS Scientific Congress, as well as RCPA Medical Students Scholarship Award for Research and Scholarship Award for Pathology Update. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joe_Yeong https://twitter.com/JoeYeong https://www.pubfacts.com/author/joe+yeong
Research Publications

	Wanjin HONG Signalling Pathway and Cancer Lab Location: #5-18 Email: mcbhwj@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869606
Wanjin HONG graduated from Xiamen University (Fujian, China) in 1982 and was one of a few hundred Chinese students chosen for further graduate training in the United States via the CUSBEA program. He received his PhD from the State University of New York (SUNY Buffalo), and was a postdoctoral fellow there before he joined the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) in Singapore as a principal investigator in 1989. He was the recipient of National Science Award in 1999 in Singapore. Presently, he is a Professor and Executive Director of IMCB. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Bioscience Reports and is on the editorial board of TRAFFIC.
Research Publications

	Feng XU Epigenetics in Diabetes and Cancers Lab Location: #7-16 Email: fxu@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869678
Dr. Feng Xu has been a principal investigator in the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) since 2009, first at SICS and now at IMCB. He was trained as a chromatin biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles before establishing his lab in Singapore. His current research interest centers on the epigenetic regulation of energy balance. This topic includes the study of microRNAs, post-translational modifications on histones and non-histone metabolic regulators in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. His lab utilizes both advanced genomic tools as well as classic biochemistry and molecular biology techniques to tackle the scientific questions of interest. In addition, he is also interested in developing novel therapeutic approaches in treating metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes.
Research Publications

	Byrappa VENKATESH Comparative and Medical Genomics Lab Location: #5-04 Email: mcbbv@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869571
Byrappa Venkatesh obtained his PhD from the National University of Singapore and did his postdoctoral studies under the Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner at the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cambridge, UK. He returned to Singapore in 1992 to set up this first Genomics Lab in Singapore. His group completely sequenced the pufferfish (fugu) genome in 2001 (Science, 2002), the second vertebrate genome to be sequenced, the first being the human genome. Since then his group has been involved in sequencing and analysis of several vertebrate genomes including the coelacanth, cichlids, Japanese lamprey, elephant shark, mudskippers and seahorse. Venkatesh recently forayed into the field of Medical Genomics to work on projects aimed at identifying variants associated with rare human genetic diseases. Besides helping clinicians in the precise diagnosis of the disease and deciding appropriate therapeutic measures, the findings of these projects have improved our understanding of the functions of several human genes. Venkatesh is currently a Professor and Research Director in IMCB, an adjunct Professor of the Department of Paediatrics, National University of Singapore and a Joint Scientist at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. In recognition of his achievements, Venkatesh was honored with Singapore's "National Science Award" (presently known as “President’s Science Award”) in 2004. He is on the Editorial board of several international journals; a member of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) and an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India. He is also a chairperson of the 'Genome 10K' project, an international project which aims to sequence the genomes of 10,000 vertebrates.
Genome Websites Research Publications

	Nick BARKER Epithelial Stem Cells and Cancer Email: Nicholas_Barker@imcb.a-star.edu.sg
Nick obtained his PhD from Reading University, UK in 1996. He joined the group of Professor Hans Clevers in Utrecht the same year to investigate the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in intestinal development and cancer. Nick's early achievements included deciphering the role of the TCF family of HMG box transcription factors in controlling expression of target genes regulated by the Wnt signal transduction pathway. This work led to the demonstration that deregulation of this signalling pathway leads to constitutive activation of TCF/β-catenin target genes, which is the initiating event in colon carcinogenesis. In 2001, he joined a Biotech company co-founded by Hans Clevers (Semaia Pharmaceuticals), where he worked as a senior scientist developing small molecule inhibitors of the TCF/β-catenin protein complex as candidate colon cancer therapeutics. In 2006, he rejoined Hans Clevers group as senior staff scientist, where his most notable recent achievements have been the identification of the Wnt target gene Lgr5 as a unique marker of adult stem cell populations in various organs, including the intestine, skin and stomach. This work also led to the discovery that the intestinal Lgr5 stem cells are the cell-of-origin of colon cancer and revealed Lgr5 as a candidate marker of cancer stem cell populations. In 2010, Nick joined the IMB as Senior Principal Investigator and became a Research Director in 2015, where he continues to focus on the role of Lgr5 adult stem cells in epithelial renewal and cancer in organs including stomach and ovary. Nick also holds a visiting professorship at the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) at Edinburgh University and is an associate principal investigator with EuroSyStem.
Research Publications Group members

	Yue WANG Candida albicans Biology Lab Location: #6-17 Email: mcbwangy@imcb.a-star.edu.sg Tel: 65869521
Yue Wang obtained his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1988 and then undertook postdoctoral research in the same university for one and a half years. In 1989, he joined IMCB as a postdoctoral research fellow. In 1993 he was promoted to senior scientist to lead a group in the study and utilization of equatorial microbial diversity for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds. His current research focus is on the study of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Presently, he is a professor and research director. For his multiple ground breaking discoveries in the study of the virulence factors and basic biology of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans, Dr Wang was awarded the President's Science Award 2012. Candida albicans Molecular & Cellular Biology Infectious diseases are the leading cause of human death worldwide. Previously controllable pathogens are returning with higher virulence and unknown pathogens are emerging to cause new diseases. Drug-resistant 'bugs' have rendered many of our best antibiotics obsolete. The great challenge to medical science is to invent new ammunition with which to fight back. Since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic about 25 years ago, the fungus Candida albicans, once an almost harmless commensal of human body, has rapidly become the most prevalent fungal pathogen. It often causes life-threatening systemic infections in immuno-compromised patients. This fungus is polymorphic and can switch between yeast, pseudohyphal and hyphal forms of growth in response to environmental cues. This property has strong links with its ability of infection. Dr. Yue Wang's laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms that control the growth transition, particularly how cells establish and maintain the highly polarized hyphal morphogenesis. In 2004, this laboratory found a key regulator, named Hgc1, of the yeast-hypha growth transition. The HGC1 deletion mutant grows constitutively in the yeast form and exhibits markedly reduced virulence. Hgc1 is a G1 cyclin-related protein and directly interacts with the master cell-cycle regulatory kinase Cdc28. In the past few years, this lab has identified a number of central components of the polarity machinery as direct substrates of the Hgc1-Cdc28 kinase, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms that control polarized morphogensis in C. albicans. C. albicans hyphal growth starts with the formation of a thin cell surface protrusion called germ tube. Similar structures are found in many cell types in diverse organisms, such as dendritic protrusions of neurons, root hairs and pollen tubes. Recent discoveries by Dr. Wang's lab suggest that many aspects of the underlying mechanisms for polarized cell growth are evolutionarily conserved. This renders C. albicans a relevant model for addressing the fundamental biological issue of how cells establish and maintain polarity.
Research Publications

Cancer Signaling & Therapies

Huili Guo

Vinay TERGAONKAR

Yue WANG

Edward MANSER

Anna-Marie-FAIRHURST

Haiwei SONG

Bin Tean TEH

Qi ZENG

Wee-Wei TEE

Valerie Yang

Daniel M MESSERSCHMIDT

Wanjin HONG

Feng XU

Byrappa VENKATESH

Nick BARKER

Joe Yeong Poh Sheng

yue WANG

A*STAR celebrates International Women's Day