Xiao YANG

Professor Xiao YANG

BSc.(Hons), PhD
Assistant Professor,
Department of Microbiology,
Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Professor Xiao YANG

xiaoyang@cuhk.edu.hk

Research

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3071-6531

Research interest
Discovery and development of first-in-class antimicrobial agents
AI-based drug design and discovery
Bacterial transcriptional regulation
Awards
2023Passion for Perfection Scheme, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
2023Winner, Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year Award in the Category of Science Start-ups, Falling Wall Venture, Berlin, Germany
2019TechConnect Global Innovation Award, TechConnect World Conference and Expo, USA
2018Faculty Innovation Award, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
2014Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence, The University of Newcastle, Australia
2011Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship (APD), Australian Research Council
2009Outstanding achievement PhD award, The University of Newcastle, Australia
2009Becton-Dickinson (BD) Student Award, Australian Society of Microbiology
2006Australian Postgraduate Award (APA), Australian Research Council
2005University Medal, The University of Newcastle, Australia
Postgraduate students
Information for Postgraduate Study in Department of Microbiology
Our Team
Staff
Student
External Competitive Grants
PI, Incu-Bio programme (TSSSU) 2022, “YnnoMed: a Platform for the Discovery and Development of Novel Drugs”, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP), $6,000,000 HKD, 02/2023-03/2027.
PI, Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) 2021, “Evaluation of Chemical Inhibitors Targeting the Interaction between Bacterial RNA Polymerase and Transcription Factor NusA as Novel Antimicrobial Agents against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)”, $ 1,198,728 HKD, 03/10/2022-02/10/2024.
PI, General Research Fund (GRF) 2022/23, “Discovering bacterial transcription inhibitors as novel antimicrobial agents”, $1,179,235 HKD, 01/01/2023-31/12/2025.
PI, Midstream Research Programme for Universities (MRP) 2021, “Development of First-in-class Antimicrobial Agents with Novel Mode of Action towards Antibiotic Drug Candidates”, Innovation and Technology Commission, $5,100,000 HKD, 01/04/2022-30/09/2024.
PI, Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU) 2021, “YnnoMed: a Platform for the Discovery and Development of Novel Drugs”, Innovation and Technology Commission, $1,190,000 HKD, 04/2022-03/2025.
PI, HMRF 2021, “Evaluation of Chemical Inhibitors Targeting the Interaction between Bacterial RNA Polymerase and Transcription Factor NusA as Novel Antimicrobial Agents against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)”, Food and Health Bureau, $1,198,728 HKD, Results pending.
Co-PI, The French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche)/RGC Joint Research Scheme 2021/22, “Design, Development of New Synthetic Strategies and Evaluation of Antimicrobial N-heterocycles”, Research Grants Council, $2,968,143 HKD, $1 M attributed to Co-PI Yang, CUHK), 01/03/2022-28/02/2026.
PI, HMRF 2020, “Antimicrobial activities of the Novel Bacterial Transcription Inhibitor against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)”, Food and Health Bureau, $1,198,728 HKD, 04/10/2021-02/10/2023.
PI, General Research Fund 2020/21, “Activity evaluation and mechanistic studies of nusbiarylins, bacterial ribosomal RNA synthesis inhibitors as novel antimicrobial agents”, Research Grants Council, $996,285 HKD, 01/01/2021-31/12/2023.
Co-PI, Collaborative Research Fund 2019/20, “Study of Inhibitors Targeting Bacterial RNA Polymerase Holoenzyme Formation as Novel Antimicrobial Agents”, Research Grants Council, $4,974,462 total ($2.95 M attributed to CUHK; $1 M attributed to Co-PI Yang) HKD, 01/06/2020-31/15/2023.
PI, HMRF 2019, “The Effects of Novel Synthetic Antimicrobial Agents on the Pathogenicity of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)”, Food and Health Bureau, $1,184,736 HKD, 05/10/2020-04/10/2022.
PI, General Research Fund 2019/20, “Evaluation and mechanistic characterization of bacterial transcription initiation inhibitors as novel antimicrobial agents”, Research Grants Council, $830,136 HKD, 01/01/2020-30/06/2022.
PI, HMRF 2017, “Development and Evaluation of Novel Synthetic Bacterial Ribosomal RNA Transcription Inhibitors as Antimicrobials against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)”, Food and Health Bureau, $1,180,400 HKD, 01/04/2018-31/03/2020.
PI, General Research Fund 2016/17, “Structure Determination of Bacterial Transcription Complex for Antimicrobial Development”, Research Grants Council, $947,389 HKD, 01/01/2018-31/12/2020.
Patents
Compounds with antimicrobial activities. U.S. Serial No. 62/615,418; PCT/IB2019/050137. Filed on 09/01/2018.
N-Substituted Oseltamivir Derivatives with Antimicrobial Activity. US Provisional Patent Application No. 62/865,347; PCT/CN2020/097602. Filed on 23/06/2020.
Publications (Representative*) *equal contribution

  1. Extent of Oral–Gut Transmission of Bacterial and Fungal Microbiota in Healthy Chinese Adults MK Cheung, SLY Tong, MCS Wong, JYK Chan, M Ip, M Hui, CKC Lai, Microbiology Spectrum 11 (1), e02814-22
  2. Inhibitory effect of lactobacilli supernatants on biofilm and filamentation of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis Y Poon, M Hui Frontiers in Microbiology 14, 1105949
  3. Overcoming the rising incidence and evolving mechanisms of antibiotic resistance by novel drug delivery approaches–an overview CKC Lai, RWY Ng, SSY Leung, M Hui, M Ip Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 181, 114078
  4. Longitudinal genomic characterization of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) reveals changing pattern of CPE Isolated in Hong Kong Hospitals C Zhu, C Li, CKC Lai, R Ng, KY Chau, KT Wong, NWS Lo, N Barua, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 58 (5), 106430
  5. One‐Pot Synthesis of a Cyclic Antimicrobial Peptide‐Conjugated Phthalocyanine for Synergistic Chemo‐Photodynamic Killing of Multidrug‐Resistant Bacteria JCH Chu, ML Chin, CTT Wong, M Hui, PC Lo, DKP Ng Advanced Therapeutics 4 (3), 2000204
  6. Longitudinal dynamics of gut bacteriome, mycobiome and virome after fecal microbiota transplantation in graft-versus-host disease F Zhang, T Zuo, YK Yeoh, FWT Cheng, Q Liu, W Tang, KCY Cheung, Nature communications 12 (1), 65

Start-up Company
Ynno Med Limited

www.ynnomed.com

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