1. Professor Lam Kong Peng, Scientific Director of A*STAR’s Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), has been honoured with the Arthur Kornberg Memorial Award by the Asia Pacific International Molecular Biology Network (A-IMBN), one of Asia’s key organisations for research in molecular biology and biotechnology based in Seoul, Korea. The award, started in 2008, is given to a promising scientist who has demonstrated excellence in research relevant to the needs of humanity.
2. Professor Lam is the third scientist, and the first from South-east Asia, to receive this award. He is awarded for his outstanding contributions to deepen the understanding of the immune system. The knowledge he created is expected to lead to the development of potential therapeutics for enhancing the effects of vaccines and treating autoimmune and infectious diseases. For example, his work on the gene FAIM (‘Fas-apoptosis inhibitory molecule’), showed how it could be used as a potential drug target for diseases such as liver cirrhosis and cancer.
3. Said Professor Lam, “I am very honoured to receive this award. I will continue building upon my work to contribute to our understanding of the immune system, an understanding that can be used to design better vaccines and adjuvants, and to develop better therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases
4. Prof Miranda Yap, Executive Director of the Bioprocessing Technology Institute, said, “I would like to congratulate Kong Peng on his receipt of this prestigious award. I am glad that his outstanding contributions to science, especially in the area of immunology, have been recognised by the global scientific community. I hope to see him continue to build on his work to scale even greater heights in his scientific career.”
5. The Arthur Kornberg Memorial Award is named after Dr Arthur Kornberg, whose contributions to understanding how to manipulate and alter DNA led to o Nobel Prize in 1959. The Award is given in honour of Dr Kornberg’s contributions to the promotion of the study of biology in the Asia-Pacific region, dedication to quality science, and commitment to young and promising scientists.
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
For more information, please contact: Joshua Tan (Mr) Corporate Communications Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Tel: (65) 6826 6353 Email: joshua_tan@a-star.edu.sg
About the Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI)
The Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) is a member of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Established in 1990 as the Bioprocessing Technology Unit, it was renamed the Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) in 2003. The research institute’s mission is to develop manpower capabilities and establish cutting-edge technologies relevant to the bioprocessing community. Some of the key research areas include expression engineering, animal cell technology, stem cell research, microbial fermentation, downstream purification and analytics. For more information on BTI, please visit www.bti.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) A*STAR is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences, and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and nine consortia & centres, which are located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis, as well as their immediate vicinity.
A*STAR supports Singapore’s key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, hospitals, research centres, and with other local and international partners.
For more information on A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg. Related Documents AStar Scientist wins Kornberg Award.pdf [35.9 KB]
Contacts:
Name: Joshua Tan
Tel: 6826 6353
Email: joshua_tan@a-star.edu.sg
