King Chow - Life Science and Medicine

35

38

36.5

Hoi Tung Agnes Cheung

Ms

27/02/2004

Y9682

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+85254087730

Flat 188-2, Chapter Ealing, 3 Victoria Road
London
United Kingdom

As a final year biochemistry student at Imperial College London, I am passionate about molecular biology and metabolic engineering. I am currently undertaking a project that employs gene drive technologies aiming to tackle malaria. I also participated in modifying cyanobacteria for over-production of value-added products. These experiences compel me to advance my expertise in systems and synthetic biology to address global health and environmental challenges.
The forum presents a unique opportunity to engage with world-leading academics, who have made groundbreaking contributions to modern science. The forum' aim to encourage exchanges between generations, cultures, and disciplines aligns with my aspirations to bridge fundamental research with real-world applications. I seek to broaden my scientific perspectives and gain insights into innovative technologies by interacting with the Shaw laureates and fellow young scientists.
I believe that the power effective scientific communications and interdisciplinary collaborations can drive impactful implications. The forum provides a platform for me to both draw insights from dedicated scientists and share my knowledge, and will reinforce my commitment to dedicating myself to academia.

Undergraduate

Biochemistry

Imperial College London

London

Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme awardee 2022/23 cohort

I am currently undertaking a research project aiming to design and test intein homing endonuclease gene drives for efficient Cas9 expression and targeting. This project contributes to a larger picture of engineering mosquitoes so that malaria-resistance can be spread among mosquito populations. A major hurdle to current strategy is target sequence variation and undesired non-homologous end joining. Therefore, inteins were used to control Cas9 expression and activities. Inteins allow scarless splicing at the protein level and are utilised by some naturally found homing endonuclease gene drives. Intein splicing are highly dependent on extein contexts, and this project aims to create constructs with different intein-extein combinations and evaluate splicing efficiency using western blots and cell assays in vitro. The best design will then be tested in vivo and eventually proceed to field trials.