HEW Choy Leong
Professor and Senior Advisor, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
dbshewcl@nus.edu.sg
+65 6516 7658
Department of Biological Science
National University of Singapore
14 Science Drive 4
Singapore 117543
Affiliations
Emeritus Professor of the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore
Hew Choy Leong
Senior Advisor and Emeritus Professor
Research Areas
Biology and biotechnology of antifreeze proteins; Marine biotechnology; Transgenic fish; Molecular endocrinology; Proteomics, structural biology; Cancer biology
Research Interests
The overall goal of our research programme is to understand protein structure and function, regulatory mechanisms controlling gene expression and the application of biotechnology in agro-and human healthcare industries. We have earlier studied extensively the biology of fish antifreeze proteins as a model to understand protein interaction and the biochemical mechanisms underlining the adaptation of these animals in a freezing environment. We have investigated the transcriptional control of the pituitary gonadotropin gene to elucidate tissue- and cell-type specific expression and hormonal regulation. We have also pioneered the application of gene transfer technology in generating freeze-tolerant and fast growing transgenic fish important to the aquaculture industry.
With the completion of the numerous genome sequences across both the plant and animal kingdoms, the understanding of the structure and function of many novel and newly discovered proteins is now a major thrust in biology. Our laboratories have recently launched several research initiatives using new protein platform technologies.
Biography
After spending more than 30 years as a professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Toronto in Canada, Prof Hew took up the position as the Head of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore in 1999. He has successfully reorganised the department into a research – intensive department with strong research niches in biophysical science, cell and molecular biology and environmental science/biodiversity. He also chaired a working group in putting up the Mechanobiology proposal which was subsequently awarded by the National Research Council as the fourth Research Centre of Excellence (now called MBI) in Singapore.
Education
PhD University of British Columbia
Recent Publications
- Tan X, Ravasio A, Ong HT, Wu J, and Hew CL. White spot syndrome viral protein VP9 alters the cellular higher-order chromatin structure. FASEB Bioadv 2020; 2(4):264-279. [PMID: 32259052]
- Liu Y, Tran BN, Wang F, Ounjai P, Wu J, and Hew CL. Visualization of Assembly Intermediates and Budding Vacuoles of Singapore Grouper Iridovirus in Grouper Embryonic Cells. Sci Rep 2016; 6:18696. [PMID: 26727547]
- Gu Y, Tang X, Zhang X, Song C, Zheng M, Wang K, Zhang J, Ng M, Hew C, Li S, Xia N, and Sivaraman J. Structural basis for the neutralization of hepatitis E virus by a cross-genotype antibody. Cell Res. 2015; 25(5):604-20. [PMID: 25793314]
- Wang F, Zhu Y, and Hew CL. Quantitative study of proteomic alterations in a Zebrafish (danio rerio) cell line infected with the Singapore Grouper Iridovirus (SGIV). Virus Res. 2015; 199:62-7. [PMID: 25662022]
