HKU_vol23_issue 2_ebook_amended

Spotlight 20 Professor Khoo received her MBBChBAO from University College Galway, National University of Ireland, before joining HKU and QMH where she did her pathology specialist training. She subsequently trained in breast pathology under world renowned specialists, Professors Christopher Elston and Ian Ellis, at the University of Nottingham, UK. She received further training in genetic screening for breast cancer at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, and obtained her MD from HKU in 2002 pioneering the study of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in breast and ovarian cancer in Chinese women. She has served as Executive Council Member of the International Academy of Cytology (2013-16), President of the Hong Kong Society of Cytology (2008-10), Chairman of the Hong Kong Pathology Society (1996-98), and Chief Examiner in Anatomical Pathology for the Hong Kong College of Pathologists (2011-17). Cancer is the number one killer in Hong Kong today. We hope that this Endowed Professorship in Oncological Pathology will facilitate pioneering next- generation technologies that lead to the development of cutting-edge diagnostic tools for prognostication and treatment options, such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy, for cancer patients. Dr Chan Keeng-Wai Professor Khoo Ui-soon is a Clinical Professor at the Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong (HKU). As the key pathologist for breast diseases at Queen Mary Hospital (QMH), she was responsible for setting up diagnostic molecular services for the management of breast cancer, as a service provided by HKU's University Pathology Laboratory. She is internationally renowned for her studies in genetic susceptibility to diseases, genome-wide association studies, and the identification of alternatively spliced variants in breast cancer in Chinese women. 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. She hopes these areas of research will eventually translate into clinical trials. Endowed Professor Ada M F Chan Professorship in Oncological Pathology 陳余梅芳基金教授席 (腫瘤病理學) Professor Khoo Ui-soon (邱瑋璇) My research focuses on investigating mechanisms of resistance to breast cancer treatment and identifying potential molecular targets for predicting treatment response. My team recently made novel use of an FDA approved cardiac drug which can effectively suppress breast cancer growth without the usual side effects incurred by conventional chemotherapy. ─ Professor Khoo Ui-soon