Hear from A/Prof Chris Sham Lok To, as he shares about how pneumococcus precisely builds diverse glycans without templates, engineering capsule pathways to produce defined glycans, reveal antimicrobial targets, and develop programmable platforms for next-generation vaccines and therapeutics.
Assistant Professor,
NUS Presidential Young Professorship
Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Precision Medicine
Research Interests:
Potential Clinical Partnership:
Dept of Biochemistry
Precision Medicine
Research Interests:
My lab at NUS aims to establish an integrative and systematic approach to uncover novel regulators of cardiometabolic diseases by leveraging human GWAS data, cell type-specific eQTL, single-nucleus RNA sequencing & chromatin accessibility profiling, and CRISPR/Cas9-based functional screening.
In addition, we have a strong focus on GPCRs and their roles in disease regulation. To advance therapeutic development, we utilize high-throughput compound screening and AI-driven ‘hit-to-lead’ optimisation to identify and refine novel GPCR-targeting therapies.
Potential Clinical Partnership:
We seek to collaborate with clinician to acquire patient-derived
samples (plaques and liver) for single-nucleus RNA sequencing
and chromatin accessibility profiling.
Centre for Biomedical Ethics
Programmes:
Research Interests:
Potential Clinical Partnership:
Dept of Biochemistry
Healthy Longevity
Research Interests:
My laboratory focuses on: -Biology of aging; -Proteostasis; – Mitochondria and NAD+ metabolism; – Preclinical models of neuromuscular disease (e.g. C. elegans, cell lines, rodents).
Potential Clinical Partnership:
Dept of Physiology
Healthy Longevity TRP
Research Interests:
Potential Clinical Partnership:
One area where collaboration would be particularly impactful is the
development of a non-invasive biomarker for mTORC1-associated
sarcopenia. This project would aim to:
Dept of Microbiology and Immunology
Infectious Diseases TRP
Research Interests:
My lab focuses primarily on pandemic sciences, with a particular interest in ‘bat viruses’ and ‘antibodies.’ Our team leverages surrogate systems to accurately quantify neutralizing antibodies, which are key immune biomarkers responsible for protection against viral diseases. Through surveillance, we aim to identify infectious disease threats in the region and better prepare for future pandemics, including the development of universal vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.
Potential Clinical Partnership:
To understand the correlates of protection, we aim to analyze
clinical samples from patients infected with respiratory diseases,
such as RSV and influenza viruses.
Dept of Biochemistry
Synthetic Biology TRP
Research Interests:
Potential Clinical Partnership:
Dept of Biological Sciences
Synthetic Biology TRP
Research Interests:
Discovery, engineering, and design of CRISPR and novel bacterial defense systems with the aim of developing innovative platforms for disease diagnosis and treatment.
Potential Clinical Partnership:
Our laboratory develops technologies for practical clinical applications, such as the DNA microarray-based multiplex disease detection platform, which relies on collaboration with clinicians to obtain patient samples—including those from sepsis cases. Additionally, our large-scale gene insertion research in eukaryotic cells, relevant to CAR-T cell therapy, underscores the importance of clinician partnerships.
Dept of Microbiology and Immunology
IDTRP
Research Interests:
Our research program explores the molecular mechanisms that underpin capsule synthesis and bacterial virulence. We sought to:
Investigate how cell-surface glycans shape pathogenicity and immune responses.
Elucidate the interplay of capsule assembly, cell envelope synthesis, and cell division.
Uncover the mechanism behind enzyme specificity that ensures the fidelity of glycan synthesis.
Innovate high-throughput systems biology methods, such as Dual Tn-seq, to map genetic interactions and define gene functions.
Potential Clinical Partnership:
We seek clinical scientists specializing in vaccinology, infection biology,
and epidemiology to partner with us to explore captivating biological
questions and address unmet medical needs.
Pharmacology
NUS Cancer for Cancer Research (N2CR)
Research Interests:
At the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, my research is dedicated to advancing precision oncology in breast and gynecological cancers by targeting nuclear receptor signaling and RNA helicases. By identifying predictive biomarkers and developing targeted therapeutics, my work aims to enhance drug efficacy, personalize treatment strategies, and ultimately improve patient survival and quality of life.
Potential Clinical Partnership:
Associate Professor
Dept of Biochemistry
Dept of Medicine
Research Interests:
Potential Clinical Partnership:
