Celebrating Excellence: Promotions of Prof Paul A MacAry and Assoc Prof Le Thi Nguyet Minh at NUS Medicine
Published: 29 Aug 2025
Congratulations to Professor Paul A MacAry on his promotion to full Professor on 1 July 2025.
Prof MacAry is a distinguished immunologist whose career seamlessly integrates pioneering scientific research with substantial contributions to education and innovation. Since joining NUS, he has played an active role in teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate modules in life sciences, medicine and dentistry. For the past decade, he has served as the principal coordinator for immunology teaching to medical and dental undergraduates. He has been instrumental in curriculum revision and has led initiatives to update teaching methodologies, introducing interactive approaches, blended learning and clinical case-based tutorials. Prof MacAry has also mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, contributing to the development of future leaders in immunology.
A leading figure in his field, Prof MacAry has established a distinguished career at the intersection of basic science, translational medicine, and biotechnology. At NUS, he leads a research programme that bridges molecular immunology with clinical applications. His laboratory conducts multi-disciplinary research in antibody biology, immune repertoire mapping, and protein engineering. His investigations include elucidating mechanisms of antibody-mediated pathogen neutralisation, modulating immune responses, and designing therapeutic antibodies with enhanced specificity and efficacy.
Prof MacAry’s work has led to significant breakthroughs in our understanding of how antibodies contribute to human immunity in infectious and inflammatory diseases. His laboratory isolated and characteriszed the first fully human monoclonal antibodies for Dengue virus, Hepatitis B and M.Tuberculosis along with the first human alloantibodies – the immune factors that underlie chronic transplant rejection. He has also identified new host receptors for Tuberculosis-CCR5 and TLR8 along with a novel target displayed on the surface of the mycobacterium-LpqH. This is part of a new vaccine initiative and joint patent application with BioNTech.
Prof MacAry’s research impact is reflected in his impressive metrics, with 135 publications, an FWCI of 3.14, and over 9,000 citations (based on Scopus) as well as multiple licensed patents. He has published in prestigious journals such as Nature Medicine, Science Translational Medicine, Immunity, PNAS, Blood, and Hepatology. Several of his publications are listed in the Faculty of 1000, underscoring their significance in biomedical research.
Beyond academia, Prof MacAry has successfully translated his research into industry collaborations with pharmaceutical giants including Roche, GlaxoSmithKline and Chugai. As a founding member of the Singaporean Society of Immunology (SgSI), he has played a pivotal role in building Singapore’s immunology research community. His work has been featured by international media outlets such as BBC and Reuters, attesting to its global relevance. He is currently Director of the Life Sciences Institute (LSI), one of Singapore’s leading biomedical research institutes.
Congratulations to Dr Le Thi Nguyet Minh on her promotion to Associate Professor on 1 July 2025.
A/Prof Minh Le is a distinguished scientist and educator whose career is defined by pioneering research, dedicated teaching, and an unwavering commitment to advancing science education globally.
Her research focuses on developing extracellular vesicle (EV)–based drug delivery platforms, with a particular emphasis on red blood cell EVs (RBCEVs). Over the past few years, she has pioneered the use of RBCEVs as a scalable, safe, and efficient platform for nucleic acid delivery to tumours and other tissues. Her group has advanced surface engineering methods to enhance delivery specificity and reduce side effects, applying RBCEVs for antisense oligonucleotides, immunomodulatory RNAs, and plasmids in cancer models. They have also uncovered antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of RBCEVs in COVID-19 and atherosclerosis models and identified EVs’ novel mechanisms of action involving heme transport and receptor multimerization.
A/Prof Le has secured over S$10M in competitive funding, established a productive laboratory at NUS, and published extensively in leading journals such as ACS Nano, Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Theranostics and Molecular Therapy. Her group has filed multiple patents, some of which have been licensed to biotech companies. Her start-up company, Carmine Therapeutics, has made significant progress in the development of gene therapy based on RBCEVs. Internationally recognised as a leader in EV therapeutics, she serves as editor for major journals in the field, organises international meetings, and speaks widely at global conferences. Her highly cited work continues to shape the field of EV-based drug delivery. For these contributions, A/Prof Le was honoured with the Pharmacological Society (Singapore) Inaugural Promising Researcher Award in 2025.
Beyond her research achievements, A/Prof Le is a passionate educator. She teaches and coordinates courses such as Drug Discovery and Clinical Trials, actively shaping the next generation of pharmacologists. As Graduate Programme Director, she oversees academic curricula and organises conferences that foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among students. A/Prof Le’s mentorship has been widely recognised. She was named Graduate Mentor of the Year in 2022 and featured in the book, Stories of Integration, which celebrates her journey and contributions as a naturalised Singaporean. She has established a vibrant and productive research group, supervising the graduation of more than 10 Ph.D. students. Her students have received numerous awards such as the Lilly Medal in Pharmacology, Best Publication awards, and multiple oral/poster presentation prizes at international and local conferences. Many have gone on to secure prestigious positions in academia and industry, both locally and overseas. Beyond her institution, she continues to shape the field, co-chairing the Scientific Reproducibility Sub-committee of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles.
Through her innovative science, visionary leadership, and passionate mentorship, A/Prof Minh Le continues to inspire and leave a lasting mark on both the scientific and educational communities.
