Meet our Early Career Scientist Grant Winner Joseph Wong
Joseph is a researcher at the Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology Department at Cambridge University, in the UK. The $500 grant will be used to cover Joseph’s expenses for the virtual 18th International Meeting on Chemical Sensors in May 2021, where he is presenting his newly developed biologically translatable sensing platform.
Congratulations Joseph! First, can you tell us a bit more about what you're working on at the moment?
My research focuses on investigating the impact of low oxygen environments, also known as hypoxia, to the human brain, particularly focusing on the micro-scaled hypoxia in Alzheimer’s disease. We have developed a system for robustly generating localised hypoxia. This system has been applied to conventional culturing systems and microfluidics systems for generating focal hypoxia on human cortical neurons. We are trying to implement this system into healthy and patient iPSC-derived neurons and glial cells for further elucidating the impact of hypoxic stress in the intricate brain structure.
What is it about your field of research that gets you most excited?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia which has caused significant socioeconomic impact on societies and governments. It will increasingly affect more people in years to come due to the absence of cure and our lack of understanding. My field of research took a different angle by looking into the fundamental environment of the tissue. Its potential to benefit millions of people worldwide gives me motivation and the hope that it will inspire new therapeutic approaches in the future.
Which scientists working today do you most admire, and why?
I admire all passionate scientists who are dedicated to their field, so that it is very difficult for me to pick one. That being said, I would like to mention my PhD supervisor, Prof. Lisa Hall who is knowledgeable and always curious to investigate more. She inspires me to become a better researcher.
What do you think are the biggest challenges currently facing life scientists and their work?
One of the biggest challenges for life scientists is successfully translating their discoveries to improve the lives of those who need it. It requires the collaboration of scientists, governments and companies to allocate the resources accordingly. Also, the ever-evolving bacteria and viruses will remain challenging as long as human beings exist.
What’s your favourite science quote?
“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Albert Einstein
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Thank you so much Joseph! We wish you all the best with your presentation.
You can connect with Joseph on LinkedIn here.
Click here to read about our past winners or why not apply for the grant yourself?
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