Knowledge Exchange

Speaker: Dr. De Tan,

Doctor

Sutter Medical Center of Sacramento, California, USDr.

Abstract: Dr. De Tan is currently an attending gastroenterologist
at Sutter Medical Group in Sacramento, California, USA. He bring extensive expertise in patient care, advanced endoscopic procedures, esophageal motility, and 24-hour pH studies. In addition to his clinical skills, he is deeply passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of medical professionals, including gastroenterologists, residents, and medical students. 

Speaker: Dr. Zhao Wei,

Research fellow

Department of Infectious Disease, The Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity

Abstract: Dr Wei Zhao earned his PhD in biochemistry at the National University of Singapore in 2016. He then joined the renowned Lewin Lab, under Professor Sharon Lewin, as a postdoctoral research fellow. Initially focusing on HIV-HBV co-infection models, Dr Zhao's research rapidly transitioned to SARS-CoV-2 as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. His collaboration with the Fareh/Trapani group at Peter
MacCallum Cancer Centre led to the development of a groundbreaking antiviral therapeutic using CRISPR-Cas13 against COVID-19. He also explored SARS-CoV-2 infection in cortical neurons in collaboration with the Lockhart group at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. The Lewin group recently developed several unique lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations that canexpress mRNA in hard-to-transfect cell cultures or mouse upper and lower airways. In his current role, Dr Zhao leads an innovative project investigating the antiviral properties of CRISPR-Cas13 delivered via lipidnanoparticles (LNPs) in both in vitro and in vivo models for COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses with pandemic potential, including Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus and paramyxoviruses.

Speaker: Prof. Tongqing Zhou,

Chief

Structural Biology Section at the Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA

Abstract: Dr. Tongqing Zhou’s research is mainly focused on the structural basis of broadly HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies, antibody ontogeny that guide the development of broadly neutralizing antibodies, as well as structure- and AI-based vaccine design and testing of novel vaccines for HIV. Dr. Zhou’s research also includes other viral pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, RSV, HPIV, HMPV, Zika and HTLV. Dr. Zhou has published more than 160 peer-reviewed research papers, including ~30 in Nature, Science and Cell. He has been a Clarivate Analytics (Thompson Reuters) Highly Cited Researcher in Microbiology for the past ten years. Dr. Zhou is co-inventor of several patents on potential HIV, RSV and HPIV vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.