Tom H. Cheung 張曉東

  • Innovation Award in 2015 at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Dr. Tom H. Cheung received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2006. He then completed his postdoctoral training in Prof. Thomas Rando's laboratory at Stanford University School of Medicine. In 2013, he joined the Division of Life Science at HKUST, currently serving as the S H Ho Associate Professor of Life Science. He is also the Director of Biotechnology Research Institute, the Director of the HKUST-Nan Fung Life Sciences Joint Laboratory, the Director of the HKUST-BGI Joint Research Center, the Associate Director of the Biosciences Central Research Facility, and the Associate Director of the HKUST-Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Joint Research Center for Brain Science. He is also the Assistant Center Director of Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. In addition, Dr. Cheung is the co-founder of Fountain Therapeutics, a startup company focusing on providing therapeutics for age-related diseases. 

Currently

The Cheung laboratory main research area focuses on somatic stem cell biology. His laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular regulation of stem cell quiescence and activation, and how these signaling pathways play a role in tissue regeneration as well as stem cell aging. Using skeletal muscle stem cell as a model system, his research team is currently attempting to decipher the molecular pathways that are essential for muscle stem cell function and regulating stem cell aging. The long-term goal of his laboratory is to achieve a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of why tissue regeneration is impaired during aging and devise therapies for aged-associated diseases.