Academic Profile : Faculty
Assoc Prof Yen Choo
Associate Professor of Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
Associate Professor (Practice), Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
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Associate Professor Yen Choo obtained his PhD in Molecular Biology in 1995 from the University of Cambridge, England, researching sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions under Nobel laureate Sir Aaron Klug. He subsequently directed the zinc finger engineering group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, before moving to industry.
A/Prof Choo is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of C-level and Board experience in the biotechnology industry. He was the founder and CSO of Gendaq, a biotech company that developed the zinc finger DNA-binding technology now used for gene editing (acquired by Sangamo Therapeutics). He is the founder and Chairman of Plasticell, one of the UK’s pioneering stem cell and regenerative medicine companies. He was also the founder of Progenitor Therapeutics, a drug discovery company established jointly with GSK to discover medicines that regenerate tissues of the human body (acquired by Plasticell).
A/Prof Choo works on the development of platform technologies for stem cell research, and the development of cell and gene therapies. He sits on the Board Oversight Committee of the Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS), and the Steering Committee for the UK Stem Cell Bank and for the Use of Stem Cell Lines which oversees UK embryonic stem cell research and the UK Stem Cell Bank.
A/Prof Choo is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of C-level and Board experience in the biotechnology industry. He was the founder and CSO of Gendaq, a biotech company that developed the zinc finger DNA-binding technology now used for gene editing (acquired by Sangamo Therapeutics). He is the founder and Chairman of Plasticell, one of the UK’s pioneering stem cell and regenerative medicine companies. He was also the founder of Progenitor Therapeutics, a drug discovery company established jointly with GSK to discover medicines that regenerate tissues of the human body (acquired by Plasticell).
A/Prof Choo works on the development of platform technologies for stem cell research, and the development of cell and gene therapies. He sits on the Board Oversight Committee of the Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS), and the Steering Committee for the UK Stem Cell Bank and for the Use of Stem Cell Lines which oversees UK embryonic stem cell research and the UK Stem Cell Bank.
Gene regulatory networks and cell fate reprogramming
Allogeneic cancer immunotherapies
Engineering next-generation organoids
Discovery of drugs to regenerate tissues and organs
Bone and cartilage tissue engineering
Allogeneic cancer immunotherapies
Engineering next-generation organoids
Discovery of drugs to regenerate tissues and organs
Bone and cartilage tissue engineering
- A synthetic lineage control network to manufacture iPSC -derived beta cells for diabetes therapy
- Advancing Lung Organoid Development: Integrating Human Single-Cell Atlas and Combinatorial Screening for Guided Niche Reconstruction
- CO11AB
- iPSC-derived allogeneic cancer immunotherapy platform
Awards
A/Prof Choo's research, inventions and companies have been recognised by an array of awards and prizes including The Queen’s Award in Enterprise for Innovation, The Scientist Top 10 Innovations and the GE Healthcare and Science Prize for Young Scientists.
Courses Taught
Bio-entrepreneurship (MD9102)