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2010 ASBMB Award: Kwok Soon Wun
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Monash University
Kwok Wun had his first exposure to protein crystallography while undertaking his summer vacation training in the Biota Structural Biology Group at St Vincent’s Institute. Despite the relatively short stint, he successfully obtained crystals of proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease and was encouraged to pursue an Honours Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology within the group. Under the supervision of Dr William McKinstry and Professor Michael Parker, Wun graduated with a 1st Class Honours degree in 2004 and continued his research as a Research Assistant. His work during this period resulted in two publications in Journal of Molecular Biology and Acta Crystallographia Section F: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications.
Wun continued his interest in protein crystallography and subsequently moved to Professor Jamie Rossjohn’s Infection and Immunity group in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University to further his career. Together with Dr Natalie Borg, Wun worked on the innate immunity project involving the NKT T-cell receptor (NKT TCR) that recognises a glycolipid antigen (α-galactosylceramide) when presented by CD1d. Wun continued to investigate this topic as a PhD candidate and was able to define the minimal binding footprint of CD1d recognition. Currently, Wun is in the quest to determine crystal structures of different NKT TCR-CD1d-α-galactosylceramide analogues that are of clinical significance.
Despite having tasted success early in his career (second author Nature and co-first author Journal of Experimental Medicine publications), Wun maintains an earnest attitude towards learning and is deeply grateful to his supportive peers and, above all, to ASBMB for his award. The ASBMB fellowship will allow Wun to attend the 2010 Innate Immunity: Mechanisms Linking with Adaptive Immunity Symposia in Dublin.
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This page last modified: April 4, 2010.