Name: Tan Hua Tiang

Field: Microbial molecular biology

Level/Position: Ph.D. candidate (Universiti Sains Malaysia)

Latest Working Experience:Research assistant

Research Title: Application of the polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase (BP-M-CPF4 PhaC) and newly identified enoyl-CoA hydratase (PhaJ_Ss) for the production of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate]

Biography: Tan Hua Tiang, joined the Ecobiomaterial Research Laboratory back in July 2016 as an PhD student under the supervision of Prof Dr K. Sudesh Kumar. Among the various types of PHAs, poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate] [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] has been identified as a commercially useful PHA copolymer since it has a close resemblance to commodity plastics such as polypropylene (PP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Depending on the 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3HHx) composition, P(3HB-co-3HHx) varies substantially in its properties ranging from the strong but less flexible to the more flexible and strong variety. It has been shown that high 3HHx levels (17 mol%) in this copolymer results in properties that is similar to LDPE. Besides, molecular weight is one of the most important criteria for the selection of polymeric materials, as it can significantly influence the physical and mechanical strength of the bioplastic produced. PHAs with higher molecular weight are known to possess better mechanical properties and are preferred for practical applications. He currently works on develop a microbial strain that can produce ultrahigh-molecular-weight P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymer by using plant oil as the sole carbon source.

Name: Jo-Ann Chuah

Field: Microbial and Nano Biotechnology

Level/Position: Ph.D.

Latest Working Experience: Postdoctoral Researcher and Freelance Scientific Copy Editor

Research Title: 

1) Design of peptides for gene and drug delivery applications.

2) Establishment of methods for organelle-targeted delivery of bioactive molecules in various unicellular and multicellular organisms.

3) Strain construction and enzymatic studies for improved production of polyhydroxyalkanoates.

Biography:

Jo-Ann Chuah completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Malaya with a B.Sc. in Biotechnology, and went on to do her Ph.D. at Universiti Sains Malaysia. She spent two years in the laboratory of Prof. Sudesh Kumar developing recombinant/mutant microbial strains for improved production of polyhydroxyalkanoates and studying the key enzyme regulating its biosynthesis, with short stints abroad in Tokyo Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before completing the final year of her Ph.D. research at RIKEN Institute in Japan. She then underwent her postdoctoral training and was subsequently appointed as a research scientist in RIKEN, where she designed peptides and established organelle-targeted, high-throughput gene/drug delivery methods. At present, she is continuing her research career in USM and applying her diverse knowledge of the life sciences to scientific copy editing. Her personal interests include music and literature.

Name: Noor Afiqah Ahmad Zain

Field: Biotechnology/Microbial Molecular Biology

Position/Level: MSc student

Research title: Identification and characterization of novel polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthases from a limestone soil bacterium, Jeongeupia sp. USM3

Biography:

Afiqah is a postgraduate student pursuing her Master’s degree in science under supervision of Prof. Dr. K. Sudesh Kumar at School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in applied science majoring in biotechnology back in 2016 from the same school. She carried out her final year’s project on construction of several recombinant strains and PHA biosynthesis in Ecobiomaterial Research Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Dr. K. Sudesh Kumar back in 2015. Since then, her main research interest is to characterize PHA synthase (PhaC) which is the key enzyme involves in biosynthesizing PHA. She believes that the potential to discover natural PhaCs remain largely unexploited. Thus, it is still worthwhile to identify PhaC with high enzymatic activity and unique substrate specificity from natural environment. She has successfully identified and characterized two PhaCs of a limestone soil bacterium, Jeongeupia sp. USM3. She has gained a lot of knowledges and research skills during her study.