Academic Profile : No longer with NTU

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Assoc Prof Wang Xiaomeng
Associate Professor, Molecular Medicine, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
Associate Professor, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
Team

• Dr Kwan Yuet Ping, PhD, Research Fellow
• Michelle Tan Siying, Research Assistant
• Chia Rui Ning, PhD student
• Liu Chenghao, PhD student
• Ho Sze Yuan, PhD student
• Lim Seok Ting, PhD student
• Hannah L Murray, PhD student

Associate Professor Wang Xiaomeng is an Associate Professor at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University. Prior to this appointment, Assoc Prof Wang spent her scientific career at the world-renowned University College London, United Kingdom (UK). She obtained her BSc. in Biology at Beijing Normal University, China and her PhD in Genetics at Newcastle University, UK. Thereafter, she undertook post-doctoral training at Manchester University, UK.

Assoc Prof Wang is interested in the role of TGFβ signalling in development and under disease conditions. Her earlier work demonstrated that type IV collagen not only function as an affinity matrix for binding and immobilizing TGFβ family growth factor, Decapentaplegic (Dpp), but also regulates its signalling during Drosophila development. Her recent study led to the identification of another novel regulator of TGFβ signalling, Leucine rich alpha 2 glycoprotin 1 (Lrg1). This work revealed for the first time the function and molecular mechanism of Lrg1 regulated TGFβ signalling in pathological angiogenesis and raised the intriguing possibility of targeting Lrg1 as a novel treatment for diseases such as diabetic vascular complications, cancer, atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Both studies have been published in Nature as an article.
A healthy, intact vasculature is central to the normal organ and tissue function. Abnormal quantity and quality of blood vessels will cause severe complications. The focus of the Wang lab is to gain novel insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms that modulate, inhibit and promote blood vessel formation. The goal is to develop novel therapeutic approaches targeting angiogenesis, a key feature shared by over 70 major health conditions affecting more than one billion people worldwide.

Research in the Wang lab is focused on the following aspects:

1. Unravel the basic cellular principles and the molecular control of differential angiogenic responses in diabetic vascular complications.
2. Investigate the impact of Lrg1 regulated TGFβ signalling in different types of diabetic vascular complications as well as in other angiogenesis-related diseases.
3.Develop novel therapeutic approaches targeting angiogenesis for the treatment of angiogenesis-related diseases.
4. Study the role of Lrg1 in TGFβ regulated fibrotic diseases.
 
  • Diabetes Study in Nephropathy and Other Microvascular Complications (Walter Wahli)
  • The role of Leucine-rich-alpha 2 Glycoprotein 1 in Cirrhosis
  • Diabetes Study in Nephropathy and Other Microvascular Complications (Wang Xiaomeng)
  • Theme 2: Pathophysiology: Understanding new disease mechanisms and pathways