Second from right:
Dr Amy with the judges and finalists of the Young Scientist Award (cell
section)
Dr Amy Saik Yi Hsan, an academic
from the M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, received two
prestigious awards at the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) 2024 Annual
Conference held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 2 to 5 July 2024. She won
the runner-up prize for the Young Scientist Award (Cell Section) and first
prize for the Irene Manton Poster Prize (Cell Section). Dr Amy’s
achievements came with a total of £200 in cash prizes and certificates.
Dr Amy shared, “I would like to
share this honour and joy with my Master’s student, Kim Kit Li, who
diligently completed all the experiments, as well as my team members,
Academician Emeritus Prof Dr Cheong Soon Keng and Assoc Prof Dr Leong Pooi
Pooi, who continuously provided support and guidance.” She also expressed
sincere gratitude to the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) for
awarding her the Early Career Conference Grant, worth £2,000, which was
crucial in making her trip to Prague possible.
At the conference, Dr Amy
presented her work titled “Integration of reprogramming transgenes into
AML-M5-iPSC caused differentiated monocytic cells to be resistant to
doxorubicin” across three sessions: the Young Scientist Award session, a
poster presentation, and an invited talk.
Dr Amy during her
presentation at the Young Scientist Award session
She explained, “Acute monocytic
leukaemia (AML-M5) is a bone marrow disease that primarily affects young
children. Remarkably, the discovery of disease-specific induced pluripotent
stem cells (iPSCs) capable of recapitulating human pathogenesis allows us to
model this disease in vitro. We
had previously generated AML-M5-specific iPSCs (AML-M5-iPSCs) from THP-1
cells obtained from a patient. These AML-M5-iPSCs were then induced with
growth supplements to enter haematopoietic differentiation, producing
monocytic cells. During reprogramming, we discovered that the reprogramming
transgenes Oct3/4, Sox2 and c-Myc were unintentionally integrated into the
genome of AML-M5-iPSCs. Out of scientific interest, we investigated the
effects of this transgene integration on drug responses, focusing on the
commonly used chemotherapeutic drug for AML-M5—Doxorubicin.”
“Our results showed that the
integration of these transgenes caused the differentiated monocytic cells to
be resistant to Doxorubicin, despite the expectation that they should only
influence haematopoietic differentiation. Additionally, the apoptotic effect
of Doxorubicin was altered, leading to a switch from apoptosis to necrosis.
Interestingly, the transgene integration did not seem to affect the
morphology or phagocytic activity of the monocytic cells. We postulate that
the transgenes Oct3/4, Sox2 and c-Myc interfered with the intercalation of
Doxorubicin into the DNA, subsequently altering downstream pathways and
disrupting cell death via apoptosis. Further investigations are needed to
determine the mechanism of reprogramming transgene-induced drug resistance
in monocytic cells derived from AML-M5-iPSCs,” Dr Amy added.
Dr Amy’s recognition at the SEB
2024 Annual Conference highlights the impactful research conducted at M.
Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her findings contribute
valuable insights into the complexities of stem cell differentiation and
drug resistance in leukaemia, paving the way for further advancements in
cancer treatment.
Dr Amy displaying
her poster
Dr Amy’s
certificate
© 2023 UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN DU012(A).
Wholly owned by UTAR Education Foundation (200201010564(578227-M)) LEGAL
STATEMENT TERM
OF USAGE PRIVACY
NOTICE