Academic Profile : Faculty
Asst Prof Lynn Yap
Assistant Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
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Dr. Lynn Yap is an interdisciplinary stem cell biologist who graduated with Ph.D. from NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering. She had her post-doctoral training with Professor Karl Tryggvason at Duke-NUS Medical School. At Duke-NUS, she codeveloped the laminin-derived cardiovascular progenitor technology for the treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy which led to a family of patents in regenerative cardiology. Her invention has been out-licensed to the Swedish biotechnology company, Alder Therapeutics, which will use it to produce GMP-grade cardiac progenitors for phase 1 clinical trials. She received the Khoo Teck Puat post-doctoral fellowship and the Goh cardiovascular research award, and she actively participated in the NRF-CRP project for regenerative medicine.
Currently, Dr. Yap is an Assistant Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and holds a joint appointment with the National Heart Research Institute Singapore. The overall goal of her research program is to uncover the molecular and physiological mechanisms underpinning stem cell-based therapy for regenerative cardiology. Through innovative discoveries and inventions, Dr. Yap hopes to shape future healthcare and medicine. She is a member of the International Society of Stem Cell Research, the Early Career Advisory Group for eLife Sciences Publications, and a co-founder of Alder Therapeutics.
Currently, Dr. Yap is an Assistant Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and holds a joint appointment with the National Heart Research Institute Singapore. The overall goal of her research program is to uncover the molecular and physiological mechanisms underpinning stem cell-based therapy for regenerative cardiology. Through innovative discoveries and inventions, Dr. Yap hopes to shape future healthcare and medicine. She is a member of the International Society of Stem Cell Research, the Early Career Advisory Group for eLife Sciences Publications, and a co-founder of Alder Therapeutics.
A/Prof Lynn Yap is focusing on cardiometabolic medicine and is interested in regenerative cardiology using stem cell therapy and in combination with metabolic disorders. Her lab works with pluripotent stem cells and cardiovascular progenitor-mediated repair of myocardial infarction in small (rodents) and large (pigs) animals. Her lab is also interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cardiac regeneration, understanding human graft maturation, and electrophysiology of the heart. She utilised cellular and molecular biology, genomics, system genetics, and animal models to address the aims.
A/Prof Lynn Yap aspires to shape future medicine and healthcare through disruptive discoveries and inventions. She is a member of the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), American Heart Association (AHA), Women in Science (WinS), and the National Large Animal Research Facility (NLARF) user committee, and has received numerous prizes and awards for her research. She is also a scientific editor of Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology and a member of eLife Early Career Advisory Group (ECAG).
She is looking for motivated Ph.D. students, post-doctoral fellows, and research assistants in joining her on this exciting journey.
Available PhD projects
1. Hypoimmune iPSCs for cardiac regeneration
2. Understanding the electrophysiology of cardiac grafts
3. Elucidating the immune rejection of transplanted cells after myocardial infarction
Patents
WO/2015/004539 Karl Tryggvason, Yan Wen Yap, Yi Sun, Kristian Tryggvason. Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells and cardiac progenitor cells into striated cardiomyocyte fibers using laminins LN-521 and LN-221. 2013 US Provisional Patent number: 61/842,241 July 2, 2013
WO/2018/236289 Karl Tryggvason, Yan Wen Yap, Yi Sun, Kristian Tryggvason, Aida Moral. Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells and cardiac progenitor cells into striated cardiomyocyte fibers using laminins LN-521 and LN-221. US Provisional Application: 62/523,700 June 22, 2017
EP3017038B1 Karl Tryggvason, Yan Wen Yap, Yi Sun, Kristian Tryggvason. Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells and cardiac progenitor cells into striated cardiomyocyte fibers using laminins LN-521 and LN-221. 2013 (granted) July 2, 2013
A/Prof Lynn Yap aspires to shape future medicine and healthcare through disruptive discoveries and inventions. She is a member of the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), American Heart Association (AHA), Women in Science (WinS), and the National Large Animal Research Facility (NLARF) user committee, and has received numerous prizes and awards for her research. She is also a scientific editor of Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology and a member of eLife Early Career Advisory Group (ECAG).
She is looking for motivated Ph.D. students, post-doctoral fellows, and research assistants in joining her on this exciting journey.
Available PhD projects
1. Hypoimmune iPSCs for cardiac regeneration
2. Understanding the electrophysiology of cardiac grafts
3. Elucidating the immune rejection of transplanted cells after myocardial infarction
Patents
WO/2015/004539 Karl Tryggvason, Yan Wen Yap, Yi Sun, Kristian Tryggvason. Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells and cardiac progenitor cells into striated cardiomyocyte fibers using laminins LN-521 and LN-221. 2013 US Provisional Patent number: 61/842,241 July 2, 2013
WO/2018/236289 Karl Tryggvason, Yan Wen Yap, Yi Sun, Kristian Tryggvason, Aida Moral. Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells and cardiac progenitor cells into striated cardiomyocyte fibers using laminins LN-521 and LN-221. US Provisional Application: 62/523,700 June 22, 2017
EP3017038B1 Karl Tryggvason, Yan Wen Yap, Yi Sun, Kristian Tryggvason. Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells and cardiac progenitor cells into striated cardiomyocyte fibers using laminins LN-521 and LN-221. 2013 (granted) July 2, 2013
- Cellular and system-level analysis of cardiac differentiation and maturation
- Enhancement of Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy with Extracellular Matrix Proteins and Novel Small Molecules
- Generation of Immune Evasive Cardiovascular Progenitor Cells from Cord lining-derived induced Pluripotent Stem (CLiPS) Cells
Awards
2024 AHA's Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award
2023 eLIfe Early Career Advisroy Group (ECAG)
2023 ISSCR Annual Meeting Child & Dependent Care Grant
2022 Goh Cardiovascular Research Award
2022 International Society for Stem Cell Research Travel Award (San Francisco)
2022 Poster Winner at Stem Cell Society Singapore
2018 DUNES Grant Writing Competition Award (travel grant)
2023 eLIfe Early Career Advisroy Group (ECAG)
2023 ISSCR Annual Meeting Child & Dependent Care Grant
2022 Goh Cardiovascular Research Award
2022 International Society for Stem Cell Research Travel Award (San Francisco)
2022 Poster Winner at Stem Cell Society Singapore
2018 DUNES Grant Writing Competition Award (travel grant)
Fellowships & Other Recognition
2015 Khoo Teck Puat Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Courses Taught
Scientific Module Lead: MBBS Child Development and Health
Cardiorespiratory System: CE TBL8 Ischaemia Acute MI/ thrombosis/ embolism atherosclerosis
Foundation of Medicine - TBL3 Stem Cells and Regeneration
Cardiorespiratory System: CE TBL8 Ischaemia Acute MI/ thrombosis/ embolism atherosclerosis
Foundation of Medicine - TBL3 Stem Cells and Regeneration
Supervision of PhD Students
Mr Kye Siong Leong (2023 - Current) - Elucidating the Mechanisms of Angiogenesis and Maturation in Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Cardiovascular Progenitors
Ms Jovi Tan (2024 - Current) - Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme (Co-Supervisor: Associate Prof Dalton Tay)
Engineering a laminin matrix hydrogel for enhanced engraftment of cardiovascular progenitors in heart regeneration.
Ms Jovi Tan (2024 - Current) - Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme (Co-Supervisor: Associate Prof Dalton Tay)
Engineering a laminin matrix hydrogel for enhanced engraftment of cardiovascular progenitors in heart regeneration.