Professor Kok is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong. He is a molecular virologist and has been interested in the host-virus interaction and host antiviral responses including “interferon signaling”. He first identified a host antiviral protein, PACT, that can recognize the viral defective interfering RNAs and optimally induce the production of type-I interferon, an indispensable primary antiviral response during early infection. He continued to characterize this novel antiviral mechanism and the viral interferon antagonists encoded by the influenza A virus, Herpes Simplex virus, Measles virus, and MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. In addition to basic molecular virology study, Dr. Kok and his team recently established several novel vaccine platforms and developed novel vaccines such as intradermal influenza vaccine, single-round live pan-Sarbecovirus vaccine, and RNA-scaffold protein vaccines.
Year | Awarding Institution | Qualification |
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Hong Kong Baptist University | BSc | |
2002 | The University of Hong Kong | MMedSc |
2006 | The University of Hong Kong | PhD |
Awardees | Award Date | Honours / Awards / Prizes | Category |
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2023-04-28 | Silver Award, 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, 2022 (NanoComplex vaccine) | Research Achievement | |
IP, Jonathan Daniel Poon, KM Cheng, CCV Poon, WSR Chan, WM Cai, J | 2021-08-01 | The University of Hong Kong Research Output Prize 2020-21: The University of Hong Kong | Research Achievement |
ZHU, Zheng | 2021-02-01 | Emerging Microbes & Infections 2020 Best Paper Award (1st place): Emerging Microbes & Infections ; eISSN: 2222-1751 | Research Achievement |
MAK, Long Fung Wong, LWM | 2019-07-01 | ASV 2019 Postdoctoral Scholar Travel Award: American Society for Virology | Research Achievement |
YUEN, Chun Kit HO, Chau Ha | 2017-06-01 | ASV 2017 Postdoctoral Fellow Travel Award: American Society for Virology | Research Achievement |
IP, Jonathan Daniel Poon, KM Cheng, CCV Poon, WSR Chan, WM Cai, J | 2023-01-01 | One of 34 publications highlighted in the "200 years of The Lancet" timeline (Chan JF et al., A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: a study of a family cluster, Lancet 2020): The Lancet ISSN: 0140-6736 ; eISSN: 1474-547X | Research Achievement |
CAO, Jianli CHAN, Chun Yiu Chris LIANG, Ronghui TANG, Kaiming XU, Wan Poon, KM LAU, Chit Ying Au, TWK Chan, CS Lai, PM Yuen, CKJ Sit, KY Lee, CY Wang, R Meng, X | 2023-01-01 | The University of Hong Kong Research Output Prize 2021-22: The University of Hong Kong | Research Achievement |
Term Period | Position | Professional Societies |
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2006-2024 | Full member | American Society for Virology |
2014-2024 | Full member | State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases |
2011-2019 | Full member | Research Centre of infection and Immunity |