School of Biomedical Sciences is pleased to invite you to join the following seminar:

Date: 11 December 2023 (Monday)
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 2, G/F, William M.W. Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road

Speaker: Professor Chris Lau, Department of Medicine, San Francisco VA Health Care System, University of California
Talk Title: The human Y chromosome in health and diseases

Biography

Professor Chris Lau is a Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, and a Research Career Scientist of the San Francisco VA Health Care System. After serving as a founding Associate Editor of the Editorial Board, he has been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of Cell & Bioscience, effective January 1, 2020. Professor Lau received his B.A. in Chemistry from the Harpur College at the Binghamton University in 1973, and his M.Sc. in 1976 and Ph.D. in 1979 in Cell Biology from the M.D. Anderson-UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Science at Houston, Texas. He received additional postdoctoral training under an AP Giannini fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco from 1979-84 and was involved in the early technology development in whole genome recombinant DNA library constructions. In 1984, he became a faculty member of the Department of Medicine.  Professor Lau is interested in understanding the functions of genes on the male-specific Y chromosome and their X-homologues in sex determination and sex differences in human diseases and cancers, using molecular genetics, genomics and transgenic strategies. Professor Lau has mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members throughout his academic career.  He has published over 140 research articles, scientific reviews and book chapters and edited two books in his fields.

Abstract
The human Y chromosome is the smallest and the most gene-poor chromosome in the human genome with ~40 functional genes. Traditionally, the Y chromosome had been postulated to simply determine the male sex, i.e. development of the testis. Recent advances in genomic and functional studies on the genes of the Y chromosome have shed significant insights on its roles in various developmental and physiological processes in males, the dysfunctions of which could contribute to sexual dimorphisms in development, physiology and pathogeneses. This seminar will discuss selected Y chromosome genes and their X-homologues in normal development and physiology and their contributions to human diseases and cancers and their potential translational applications in precision medicine.

ALL ARE WELCOME

Should you have any enquiries, please feel free to contact Miss Angela Wong at 3917 9216.