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Professor Khoo, Ui Soon 邱瑋璇

Title:
Clinical Professor

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Office:
QT 7014 

Professor Khoo, Ui Soon 邱瑋璇

Title:
Clinical Professor

Also Cited As:
Khoo, Ui-soon
Khoo, US
邱瑋璇

Short Biography:

Professor KHOO, Ui-Soon is Ada MF Chan Professor in Oncological Pathology at the Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong and Honorary Consultant Pathologist at Queen Mary Hospital.

She obtained her medical degree from the University College Galway, Ireland before joining The University of Hong Kong where she did her postgraduate pathology specialist training. She trained in breast pathology under world renowned specialists, Professors Christopher Elston and Ian Ellis, at the University of Nottingham, UK, and received further training in genetic screening for breast cancer at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. She obtained her higher doctorate in research in 2002, pioneering the study of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in breast and ovarian cancer in Chinese.

Her studies include the functional variants of the BRCA and Estrogen Receptor gene, genome-wide association studies for breast cancer in Chinese as part of the Asian Breast Consortium, identification of alternatively spliced variants in Chinese breast cancer, and FOXO transcription factors in hormone refractory breast cancer. Professor Khoo is a reviewer of several external competitive Research Grants and served as Consultancy for Novartis Oncology. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers including high impact journals such as Nature Genetics, PNAS, Oncogene, JNCI and Cancer Research and is recipient of the Croucher Senior Medical Fellowship award 2015-16.

Her research work currently focuses investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing towards drug resistance in the treatment of breast cancer. Through her pioneering research, her team identified a novel splice variant to the NCOR2 gene associated with tamoxifen resistance and raised a monoclonal antibody targeting the epitope unique to this variant, which has been shown to be a robust biomarker to predict tamoxifen resistance.

Her team has developed a multidisciplinary platform to test the novel use of Ivabradine, an FDA approved HCN (Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel) blocker used clinically to treat chronic angina, to effectively suppress breast cancer growth without the side-effects produced by conventional chemotherapeutic agents. In collaboration with clinician and scientists, Professor Khoo has developed breast cancer patient derived xenografts and established a large collection of breast cancer tissue microarray of Chinese breast cancer with clinical follow-up data for in vivo validation.

Professor Khoo has served as Executive Council Member of the International Academy of Cytology (2013-2016), President of the Hong Kong Society of Cytology (2008-2010), Chairman of the Hong Kong Pathology Society (1996-1998), and Chief Examiner in Anatomical Pathology for the Hong Kong College of Pathologists (2011-2017). She is the Academic Director Postgraduate Diploma in Molecular and Diagnostic Pathology course.

Professor KHOO, Ui-Soon is Ada MF Chan Professor in Oncological Pathology at the Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong and Honorary Consultant Pathologist at Queen Mary Hospital.

She obtained her medical degree from the University College Galway, Ireland before joining The University of Hong Kong where she did her postgraduate pathology specialist training. She trained in breast pathology under world renowned specialists, Professors Christopher Elston and Ian Ellis, at the University of Nottingham, UK, and received further training in genetic screening for breast cancer at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. She obtained her higher doctorate in research in 2002, pioneering the study of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in breast and ovarian cancer in Chinese.

Her studies include the functional variants of the BRCA and Estrogen Receptor gene, genome-wide association studies for breast cancer in Chinese as part of the Asian Breast Consortium, identification of alternatively spliced variants in Chinese breast cancer, and FOXO transcription factors in hormone refractory breast cancer. Professor Khoo is a reviewer of several external competitive Research Grants and served as Consultancy for Novartis Oncology. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers including high impact journals such as Nature Genetics, PNAS, Oncogene, JNCI and Cancer Research and is recipient of the Croucher Senior Medical Fellowship award 2015-16.

Her research work currently focuses investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing towards drug resistance in the treatment of breast cancer. Through her pioneering research, her team identified a novel splice variant to the NCOR2 gene associated with tamoxifen resistance and raised a monoclonal antibody targeting the epitope unique to this variant, which has been shown to be a robust biomarker to predict tamoxifen resistance.

Her team has developed a multidisciplinary platform to test the novel use of Ivabradine, an FDA approved HCN (Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel) blocker used clinically to treat chronic angina, to effectively suppress breast cancer growth without the side-effects produced by conventional chemotherapeutic agents. In collaboration with clinician and scientists, Professor Khoo has developed breast cancer patient derived xenografts and established a large collection of breast cancer tissue microarray of Chinese breast cancer with clinical follow-up data for in vivo validation.

Professor Khoo has served as Executive Council Member of the International Academy of Cytology (2013-2016), President of the Hong Kong Society of Cytology (2008-2010), Chairman of the Hong Kong Pathology Society (1996-1998), and Chief Examiner in Anatomical Pathology for the Hong Kong College of Pathologists (2011-2017). She is the Academic Director Postgraduate Diploma in Molecular and Diagnostic Pathology course.

Professional Qualifications
YearAwarding InstitutionQualification
1984University College GalwayMB.BCh.B.A.O.
1986University College DublinM.Med.Sc.(Path.)
1993Royal College of PathologistsMRC Path.(UK)
1993Hong Kong Academy of MedicineF.H.K.C.Path.
1995Hong Kong Academy of MedicineF.H.K.A.M. (Pathology)
1998International Academy of CytologyMIAC
2001Royal College of PathologistsFRC Path. (UK)
2002The University of Hong KongM.D (higher doctorate by research)
Biography

Professor KHOO, Ui-Soon is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Deputy Director of the University Pathology Laboratory (Molecular Pathology) and Honorary Consultant Pathologist at Queen Mary Hospital.

She obtained her medical degree from the University College Galway, Ireland before joining The University of Hong Kong where she did her postgraduate pathology specialist training and her higher doctorate in research. Her research work currently focuses on the molecular genetics of breast cancer. She pioneered the study of breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Chinese breast and ovarian cancer patients. Her studies include the functional variants of the BRCA and Estrogen Receptor gene, genome-wide association studies for breast cancer in Chinese as part of the Asian Breast Consortium, identification of alternatively spliced variants in Chinese breast cancer, and FOXO transcription factors in hormone refractory breast cancer and has published widely in high impact journals.. Having recently identified a novel splice variant to the nuclear receptor co-repressor 2 (NCOR2) gene associated with tamoxifen resistance, work is on-going funded by an Innovation Technology Fund grant, to raise a monoclonal antibody targeting the epitope unique to this BQ variant, which will be used for functional and in vivo studies to confirm its role in the development of tamoxifen resistance.

She previously researched on host genetic-factors to SARS Co-V infection with publications in Nature Genetics, J. Exp Med, J Infectious Diseases etc, particularly that of  L-SIGN, a SARS-CoV binding receptor and and its tandem repeat polymorphisms and of Myxovirus resistance-A (MxA), an antiviral protein induced by interferon (IFN)-α/β, which can inhibit viral replication.

 
Honours, Awards & Prizes
AwardeesAward DateHonours / Awards / PrizesCategory
2007-12-01Facutly Teaching Award: Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Teaching Accomplishment
2015-12-01Croucher Senior Medical Research Fellowship: Croucher Foundation
Research Achievement
Li, Q
Chan, WLP
Chu, KPJ
Ho, CC
2016-12-01Bronze in Discipline Award (Life Sciences), in Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Reimagine Education competition: Interprofessional Team-Based Learning for Health Professional Students: QS Wharton Reimagine Education Awards
Teaching Accomplishment
Lam, MPS
Poon, PWR
2021-12-01QS Reimagine Education Gold Award (Hybrid Learning, Team award), “Breaking disciplinary Silos with Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP): An e-Mart approach”: Wharton-QS Reimagine Education
Teaching Accomplishment
2017-09-01Ada M.F. Chan Endowed Professorship in Oncological Pathlology: Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Research Achievement
Professional Societies
Term PeriodPositionProfessional Societies
2002-presentFellowRoyal College of Pathologists, UK
2020-presentSpeciality Board in Genetic and Genomic Pathology MemberHong Kong College of Pathologists
2012-presentSpeciality Board Member in Anatomical PathologyHong Kong College of Pathologists
2008-2012Board of DirectorHong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences Society
1995-1997ChairmanHong Kong Pathology Society
2008-2010PresidentHong Kong Society of Cytology
1993-presentMemberRoyal College of Pathologists, UK
2004-presentMemberHuman Genome Organization
2015-presentMember of Examination Sub-committeeLicentiate Committee of the Medical Council of Hong Kong
1993-presentFellowHong Kong College of Pathologists
2012-2017Chief Examiner in Anatomical Pathology ExamHong Kong College of Pathologists
2015-2018Member of task force on Training for Genetics and GenomicsHong Kong College of Pathologists
2017-2020Training and Examinations Committee, Vice-chairmanHong Kong College of Pathologists
2008-2011Honorary TreasurerHong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences Society
2015-2019Scientific memberInstitutional Review Board of the University of Hong Kong/Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster
1997-1998Council MemberHong Kong Pathology Society
2000-presentMemberAmerican Association of Cancer Research
2007-2012Council MemberHong Kong Society of Cytology
1998-presentMemberInternational Academy of Cytology
2013-2016Council MemberInternational Academy of Cytology
2011-2013Education and Quality Assurance CommitteeInternational Academy of Cytology
1995-presentFellowHong Kong Academy of Medicine
1996-2003MemberEuropean Society of Mastology
2000-2001Council MemberInternational Academy of Pathology, Hong Kong Division
2012-2020Training and Examinations Committee Council MemberHong Kong College of Pathologists
2018-presentExaminer in Anatomical PathologyHong Kong College of Pathologists
2004-2011Committee Member, Quality Assurance CommitteeHong Kong College of Pathologists
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