On Dec 13th 2018, Dr. Catherine CL Wong was officially appointed as Principle Investigator of Center for Life Sciences (CLS), Peking Unversity & Tsinghua University.
Dr. Catherine CL Wong got her PhD degree in The University of Hong Kong in 2003. Her thesis was using various Mass Spectrometers to study the gas-phase thermodynamic properties of protonated and metalated amino acids and small peptides, as well as the mechanism of their dissociation pathways. From 2003 to 2004, she worked as project leader in the Biopharmaceutical Development Center of the University of Hong Kong (BDC, HKU), and established a state-of-the-art laboratory, to formulate the first “Hong Kong Chinese Meteria Medica Standards” (HKCMMS) for the Department of Health (HK S.A.R.). From 2005 to 2007, she’s visiting scholar and then postdoctoral fellow in the John R Yates III Lab, The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). In 2008, she was recruited as staff scientist by Prof. Yates III and later became a senior staff scientist. During the 8 years in U.S., she was also the chief scientist in Yeast Resource Center for National Center Research Resources and in Center for Physiological Proteomics of TSRI.
In January 2013, Dr. Wong went to National Center for Protein Science, Shanghai, where she was responsible for managing the technical department as Head of Mass Spectrometry Division and Assistant Director. Under her guidance, the central facilities were successfully approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in April 2015. So far, more than 600 research projects have been carried out in the mass spectrometry system.
In 2017, Dr. Wong was introduced to Peking University Health Science Center and became Director of Center for Precision Medicine Multi-omics Research (CPMMR). CPMMR is a center integrating basic research, academic exchanges and translation of scientific technological achievements. Taking important clinical questions as the root, CPMMR utilizes cutting-edge high-throughput multi-omics technologies (including transcriptomics, proteomics, metabonomics, PTMs and microbiology) and informatics analysis, combined with clinical data to establish a platform for the discovery, functional validation and standardization of specialized clinical biomarkers including early screening, diagnosis, treatment efficacy assessment and drug targets), which ultimately can be used in the clinical tests.
Center for Life Sciences (CLS), Peking Unversity & Tsinghua University (http://www.cls.edu.cn/) brings together researchers in biotechnology, clinical medicine, big data analysis and other fields, encouraging cross-collaborative research among various research groups. It also values academic excellence in its faculty and students, and inspires them to contribute knowledge of lasting significance to the human society. The research interests of Dr. Wong focus on developing cutting-edge mass spectrometry technologies, and exploring biomarkers based on disease problems and clinical cohorts. Students with chemical, physical, biological, medical, biochemical and other cross-professional backgrounds are encouraged to apply for Prof. Wong’s PhD candidates.
