Revision as of 20:35, 8 September 2013 editBiogerontology (talk | contribs)24 edits Created the biography page for the scientists, who discovered fetal circulating cell-free nucleic acids in maternal peripheral blood and invented a multibillion industry | Latest revision as of 18:05, 8 January 2025 edit undoQuarangle (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,014 edits update lead and added independent sourceTag: Visual edit | ||
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{{Short description|Hong Kong molecular biologist}} | |||
'''Yuk-Ming Dennis Lo''' is a professor of ] at the ].<ref name="aacc">{{cite web|url=http://www.aacc.org/about/awards/hall_of_fame/pages/yuk-ming07.aspx#|title=Yuk-Ming Dennis lo, MD: AACC-NACB Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry in a Selected Area of Research|publisher=American Association for Clinical Chemistry|accessdate=6 September 2013}}</ref> He is the director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences.<ref name="royalsociety">{{cite web|url=http://royalsociety.org/people/dennis-lo/|title=Professor Yuk Ming Dennis Lo FRS|publisher=The Royal Society}}</ref> Lo is a fellow of the ].<ref name="royalsociety" /><ref name="oxford">{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforduchina.org/dennis-lo.html|title=Encounters with Alumni from Greater China|publisher=Oxford University|date=August 2011|accessdate=6 September 2013}}</ref> | |||
{{Use British English|date=April 2023}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} | |||
{{family name hatnote|]|Dennis Lo|Lo Yuk-ming|lang=Hong Kong}} | |||
{{Infobox officeholder | |||
| honorific_prefix = ] | |||
| name = Dennis Lo | |||
| native_name = {{nobold|盧煜明}} | |||
| native_name_lang = zh-hk | |||
| image = Prof Dennis Lo Yuk Ming.jpg | |||
| caption = Lo attending an academic conference at ] on 20 April 2023 | |||
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=HKG|SBS|JP|size=100%}} {{postnominals|country=GBR|FRS|FRCP|FRCPath|size=100%}}<ref name="cuhkmed"/><ref name="ashk">{{cite web |title=Prof Dennis Y M LO |url=http://www.ashk.org.hk/en/ourMembers/details/29 |publisher=Hong Kong Academy of Sciences. |access-date=8 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908152322/http://www.ashk.org.hk/en/ourMembers/details/29 |archive-date=8 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|10|12}}<ref name="kingfaisal">{{cite web |title=Professor Yuk Ming Dennis Lo |url=https://kingfaisalprize.org/professor-yuk-ming-dennis-lo/ |publisher=] |access-date=8 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908150027/https://kingfaisalprize.org/professor-yuk-ming-dennis-lo/ |archive-date=8 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
| birth_place = ]<ref name="embryo">{{cite web |last1=Abboud |first1=Alexis |title=Dennis Lo (1963- ) |url=https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/dennis-lo-1963 |publisher=Embryo Project Encyclopedia |access-date=8 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908150301/https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/dennis-lo-1963 |archive-date=8 September 2021 |date=4 November 2014}}</ref> | |||
| death_date = | |||
| death_place = | |||
| order = | |||
| office = 9th Vice-Chancellor and President of the ] | |||
| term_start = 8 January 2025 | |||
| succeeding = ] | |||
| chancellor = ] | |||
| nationality = | |||
| religion = | |||
| spouse = Alice Siu Ling Wong<ref name="embryo"/> | |||
| partner = | |||
| children = | |||
| signature = | |||
| signature_alt = | |||
| website = | |||
| footnotes = | |||
| module = {{Infobox scientist | |||
| embed = yes | |||
| field = ] | |||
| work_institution = ] <br/> ] | |||
| education = ] (], ], ])<br/> ] (]) | |||
| doctoral_advisor = Kenneth Anthony Fleming | |||
| doctoral_students = | |||
| thesis_title = Genetic analysis of fetal cells in maternal blood | |||
| thesis_year = 1994 | |||
| thesis_url = https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/f/89vilt/oxfaleph015886280 | |||
| known_for = ] <br/> ] <br/> ] detection in ] | |||
| author_abbreviation_bot = | |||
| author_abbreviation_zoo = | |||
| prizes = ] in ] <small>(2014)</small> <br/> ] <small>(2021)</small> <br/> ] <small>(2021)</small> <br/> ] <small>(2022)</small> | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
{{Infobox Chinese | |||
== Personal life == | |||
| t = 盧煜明 | |||
Lo was born in ]. His father was a ] and his mother taught music. In 1983, at the age of 20, he attended ] and completed a pre-clinical degree before attending Oxford for clinical training.<ref name="clinichem">{{cite journal|url=http://www.clinchem.org/content/58/4/784.extract|title=Inspiring Minds: Yuk-Ming Dennis Lo|author=Misia Landau|publisher=Clinical Chemistry|volume=56|issue=4|page=784-786|date=April 2012|doi=10.1373/clinchem.2011.179069|accessdate=6 September 2013}}</ref> He later finished his PhD at Oxford. Lo has stated that he does not practice a religion but in his heart of hearts would have "to invoke something religious to explain everything right to the beginning."<ref name="guardian">{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/01/dennis-lo-prenatal-research-cancer|title=Dennis Lo: 'Should parents be told about a disease their child might get?'|publisher=The Guardian|date=31 August 2013|author=ZoÎ Corbyn|accessdate=6 September 2013}}</ref> | |||
| s = 卢煜明 | |||
| j = Lou<sup>4</sup> Juk<sup>1</sup> Ming<sup>4</sup> | |||
| y = Lòuh Yūk Mìhng | |||
}} | |||
'''Dennis Lo Yuk-ming'''<ref name="cuhkmed">{{cite web |title=Professor LO Yuk Ming, Dennis, SBS, JP |url=https://www.med.cuhk.edu.hk/staff/professor-lo-yuk-ming-dennis-sbs-jp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908151005/https://www.med.cuhk.edu.hk/staff/professor-lo-yuk-ming-dennis-sbs-jp |archive-date=8 September 2021 |access-date=8 September 2021 |publisher=]}}</ref> ({{zh|t=盧煜明|j=Lou4 Juk1 Ming4}}, born 12 October 1963) is a ] ] who has been serving as the vice-chancellor and president of the ] (CUHK) since 8 January 2025. His research focuses on the detection of ] in ],<ref name="cuhkchempath">{{cite web |title=Dennis Lo |url=https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/med/cpy/Research/AcademicProfiles.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910162351/https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/med/cpy/Research/AcademicProfiles.htm |archive-date=10 September 2021 |access-date=10 September 2021 |publisher=CUHK Faculty of Medicine}}</ref> and he is best known for his contributions to the development of ] | |||
At CUHK, Lo is also the ] (Research) and ] Professor of Medicine at ], the head of the department of ], and the director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences.<ref name="cuhkmed" /><ref name="cuhkchempath" /> | |||
== Early life and education== | |||
Lo was born in ] in 1964.<ref name="embryo"/> His mother taught music and his father, Lo Wai-hoi,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Special Issue: In Memory of the late Dr. Lo Wai-hoi |journal=Hong Kong Journal of Mental Health |date=2017 |volume=43 |issue=1 |url=https://www.mhahk.org.hk/index.php/journal2017s/ |access-date=20 September 2021 |archive-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920143207/https://www.mhahk.org.hk/index.php/journal2017s/}}</ref> who immigrated from ] to Hong Kong in 1946,<ref name="ajog">{{cite journal |last1=Romero |first1=Roberto |title=Giants in Obstetrics and Gynecology Series: A Profile of Dennis Lo, DM, DPhil, FRCP, FRCPath, FRS |journal=] |date=2018 |volume=218 |issue=4 |pages=371–378 |doi=10.1016/j.ajog.2018.01.027 |pmid=29598980 |archive-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210923143325/https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(18)30076-0/fulltext%23relatedArticles |url=https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(18)30076-0/fulltext |access-date=22 September 2021 |pmc=5987209}}</ref><ref name="clinchem">{{cite journal|title=Inspiring Minds: Yuk-Ming Dennis Lo|author=Misia Landau|journal=]|volume=56|issue=4|pages=784–786|date=April 2012|doi=10.1373/clinchem.2011.179069|pmid=22461516|doi-access=free}}</ref> was a ] and the former head of ].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=蕭 |first=曉華 |date=12 June 2017 |title=【當科學遇上醫療】一碗即食麵破解 血漿基因的秘密 |url=https://www.mpweekly.com/culture/%e7%95%b6%e7%a7%91%e5%ad%b8%e9%81%87%e4%b8%8a%e9%86%ab%e7%99%82-%e5%9f%ba%e5%9b%a0-%e6%af%8d%e9%ab%94%e8%a1%80%e6%bc%bf%e6%b8%ac%e8%a9%a6-36217 |magazine=Ming Pao Weekly |publisher=] |access-date=20 September 2021 |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226005058/https://www.mpweekly.com/culture/%e7%95%b6%e7%a7%91%e5%ad%b8%e9%81%87%e4%b8%8a%e9%86%ab%e7%99%82-%e5%9f%ba%e5%9b%a0-%e6%af%8d%e9%ab%94%e8%a1%80%e6%bc%bf%e6%b8%ac%e8%a9%a6-36217 |language=Chinese}}</ref> Lo also has a younger brother.<ref>{{cite web |title=卢煜明:与艺术结合的科学更有想象力 |url=http://www.futureprize.org/cn/nav/detail/7.html |publisher=Future Science Prize |access-date=22 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922133853/http://www.futureprize.org/cn/nav/detail/7.html |archive-date=22 September 2021 |language=Chinese}}</ref> | |||
Lo attended ] for his ]. After secondary school, he was accepted by ] for ], and by the ] and ] for ]. He selected to study medicine abroad.<ref name="ajog"/> In 1983, at the age of 20, Lo arrived at Cambridge, where he spent two years completing his preclinical medical training and a ] degree, and his third studying genetic cloning.<ref name="clinchem"/><ref name="ouhkhon">{{cite web |title=Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, SBS, JP |url=http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/PAU/Pressrelease/2020/201008/HonDoc2019_DennisLo_e.pdf |publisher=] |access-date=1 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205115724/http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/PAU/Pressrelease/2020/201008/HonDoc2019_DennisLo_e.pdf |archive-date=5 December 2020 }}</ref> In 1986,<ref name="ouhkhon" /> Lo moved to the ] for his clinical training, in part, he claimed, thanks to ] architectural works at Oxford.{{Clarify|date=October 2024|reason=Why is his move thanks to these architectural works? What does this mean?}}<ref name="ajog" /><ref name="clinchem" /> Lo completed his ] in 1989; he was at ] during this period.<ref name="ajog" /><ref name="oxfordchina">{{cite web |title=Encounters with Alumni from Greater China: Dennis Lo |url=http://www.oxforduchina.org/dennis-lo.html |publisher=] China Office |access-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603025644/http://www.oxforduchina.org/dennis-lo.html |archive-date=3 June 2021}}</ref> | |||
After obtaining his medical degree, Lo continued to study at Oxford, first obtaining a ] (during which he was at ]) in 1994, and then a ] (DM) degree in 2001.<ref name="ouhkhon" /> He was also a junior research fellow in natural sciences at Hertford College between 1990 and 1993, and the Wellcome Career Development Fellow in Clinical Medicine from 1993 to 1994.<ref name="kingfaisal" /> | |||
== Career == | == Career == | ||
Lo began his research career studying ] (PCR), a ] technique for rapidly generating millions of copies of a desired ] sequence. He first heard about the technique at a lecture by ], now ], at Oxford, and asked to learn the technique from Bell.<ref name="ajog"/><ref name="clinchem"/><ref name="pnas">{{cite journal |last1=Viegas |first1=Jennifer |title=Profile of Dennis Lo |journal=] |date=2013 |volume=110 |issue=47 |pages=18742–18743 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1317868110 |pmid=24145450 |pmc=3839783 |bibcode=2013PNAS..11018742V |doi-access=free }}</ref> Working with Kenneth Anthony Fleming, his future PhD advisor, Lo found the relatively new technique generated a lot of ] due to contamination.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lo |first1=Y-M. D. |last2=Mehal |first2=W. Z. |last3=Fleming |first3=K. A. |title=False-positive results and the polymerase chain reaction |journal=] |date=1988 |volume=332 |issue=8672 |page=679 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(88)90487-4 |pmid=2901532 |s2cid=34101803 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673688904874 |access-date=3 October 2021}}</ref> | |||
After learning about a new method to detect small amounts of DNA called ], Lo attempted to detect fetal DNA in blood from a pregnant mother.<ref name="guardian" /> In 1989, he published results that suggested fetal DNA did exist but only in low quantities.<ref name="guardian" /> However, in 1997, Lo was successful in detecting fetal DNA in the plasma of a pregnant mother by using the male chromosome as a maker.<ref name="aacc" /><ref name="guardian" /> He called the discovery like "finding your car's engine somewhere other than under the bonnet." This discovery has enabled a safer way for prenatal diagnosis of abnormalities in fetal development.<ref name="aacc" /> In 2011, he developed a sequencing-based technology to detect down-syndrome using this plasma-based fetal DNA as well as methods for determining the gender of the fetus earlier than an ultrasound.<ref name="aacc" /><ref name="guardian" /> | |||
Lo then wondered if ] DNA was detectable in mother's ]. Using PCR, he detected the ] in a mother bearing a baby boy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lo |first1=Y-M. D. |last2=Wainscoat |first2=J. S. |last3=Gillmer |first3=M. D. G. |last4=Patel |first4=P. |last5=Sampietro |first5=M. |last6=Fleming |first6=K. A. |title=Prenatal sex determination by DNA amplification from maternal peripheral blood |journal=The Lancet |date=1989 |volume=334 |issue=8676 |pages=1363–1365 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(89)91969-7 |pmid=2574306 |s2cid=26365991 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673689919697 |access-date=3 October 2021}}</ref> During his PhD, Lo wanted to develop his research into ], using fetal DNA from fetal ] in the mother's blood. This, however, was stymied by a number of factors, including low concentration of fetal cells, high false positive rate and the persistence of fetal cells after giving birth.<ref name="ajog"/><ref name="clinchem"/> | |||
== Awards == | |||
* State Natural Science Award from the ], 2005<ref name="cuhk">{{cite web|url=http://www.cpy.cuhk.edu.hk/Research/DennisLo.htm|title=Academic Profiles: Dennis Lo, Professor|publisher=The Chinese University of Hong Kong|accessdate=6 September 2013}}</ref> | |||
* International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 2006<ref name="cuhk" /> | |||
* Abbott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Molecular Dianosticas<ref name="cuhk" /> | |||
* US National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry Distinguished Scientist Award, 2006<ref name="cuhk" /> | |||
* Sigi Zeiring Award from the American Association of Clinical Chemistry, 2009<ref name="cuhk" /> | |||
* Fellow of the Royal Society, 2011<ref name="cuhk" /> | |||
* Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences, 2013<ref name="cuhk" /> | |||
After obtaining his PhD, Lo became a ] in ] and a fellow at ], ] (now part of ]).<ref name="kingfaisal"/><ref name="ouhkhon"/> He was also an honorary consultant ] at ], the major ] for Oxford.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dennis Lo |url=https://scholars.croucher.org.hk/scholars/dennis-lo |publisher=Croucher Foundation |access-date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006155256/https://scholars.croucher.org.hk/scholars/dennis-lo |archive-date=6 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Professor Dennis Lo |url=https://cpm.well.ox.ac.uk/person/professor-dennis-lo |publisher=Centre for Personalised Medicine, University of Oxford |access-date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006155528/https://cpm.well.ox.ac.uk/person/professor-dennis-lo |archive-date=6 October 2021}}</ref> | |||
== External links == | |||
* {{official|http://www.cpy.cuhk.edu.hk/Research/DennisLo.htm}} | |||
In 1997, again using the Y chromosome as a marker in mothers bearing baby boys, Lo reported the presence of cell-free fetal DNA in most of the test subjects.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lo |first1=Y. M. Dennis |last2=Corbetta |first2=Noemi |last3=Chamberlain |first3=Paul F. |last4=Rai |first4=Vik |last5=Sargent |first5=Ian L. |last6=Redman |first6=Christopher W. G. |last7=Wainscoat |first7=James S. |title=Presence of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum |journal=The Lancet |date=1997 |volume=350 |issue=9076 |pages=485–487 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(97)02174-0 |pmid=9274585 |s2cid=14234791 |url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)02174-0/fulltext |access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref> This was after he read that ] were detectable in cancer patients' ] and switched strategy to search for ] in mother's blood.<ref name="ajog"/> | |||
Lo, who by the time was married, returned to ] the same year with his wife, as the city was preparing its ] to ]. He became a senior lecturer in the Department of ] at the ] (CUHK) in January 1997.<ref name="clinchem"/> In an interview years later, he called this discovery was like "finding your car's engine somewhere other than under the bonnet."<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last1=Corbyn |first1=Zoë |title=Dennis Lo: 'Should parents be told about a disease their child might get?' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/01/dennis-lo-prenatal-research-cancer |access-date=3 October 2021 |work=] |date=1 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017015808/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/01/dennis-lo-prenatal-research-cancer |archive-date=17 October 2020}}</ref> | |||
One of the first disorders for which Lo developed ] using cell-free fetal DNA was ], a type of ] that occurs when the foetus is ]-positive but the mother is Rh-negative.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lo |first1=Y. M. Dennis |last2=Hjelm |first2=N. Magnus |last3=Fidler |first3=Carrie |last4=Sargent |first4=Ian L. |last5=Murphy |first5=Michael F. |last6=Chamberlain |first6=Paul F. |last7=Priscilla M.K. |first7=Poon |last8=Christopher W.G. |first8=Redman |last9=Wainscoat |first9=James S. |title=Prenatal diagnosis of fetal RhD status by molecular analysis of maternal plasma |journal=] |date=1998 |volume=339 |issue=24 |pages=1734–1738 |doi=10.1056/NEJM199812103392402 |pmid=9845707 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Separately, Lo also detected fetal ] in mother's blood, which indicated what ] were ].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Poon |first1=Leo L. M. |last2=Leung |first2=Tse N. |last3=Lau |first3=Tze K. |last4=Lo |first4=Y. M. Dennis |title=Presence of Fetal RNA in Maternal Plasma |journal=Clinical Chemistry |date=2000 |volume=46 |issue=11 |pages=1832–1834 |doi=10.1093/clinchem/46.11.1832 |pmid=11067820 |url=https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/46/11/1832/5641416 |archive-date=10 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010151142/https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/46/11/1832/5641416 |access-date=8 October 2021|doi-access=free }}</ref> He then sought novel methods to isolate fetal DNA from mother's blood, which in 2002 came in the form of difference in ] between the mother and foetus.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Poon |first1=Leo L. M. |last2=Leung |first2=Tse N. |last3=Lau |first3=Tze K. |last4=Chow |first4=Katherine C. K. |last5=Lo |first5=Y. M. Dennis |title=Differential DNA Methylation between Fetus and Mother as a Strategy for Detecting Fetal DNA in Maternal Plasma |journal=Clinical Chemistry |date=2002 |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=35–41 |doi=10.1093/clinchem/48.1.35 |pmid=11751536 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008151406/https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/48/1/35/5641529 |archive-date=8 October 2021 |url=https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/48/1/35/5641529 |access-date=8 October 2021|doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
Lo's research into non-invasive prenatal testing was interrupted in 2003 by the ]. An infected patient was treated at the ], the teaching hospital for ], turning the hospital into one of the epicenters in Hong Kong.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Expert Committee |title=SARS in Hong Kong: from Experience to Action |date=2 October 2003 |url=https://www.sars-expertcom.gov.hk/english/reports/reports/files/e_chp3_21.pdf |access-date=10 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413071340/https://www.sars-expertcom.gov.hk/english/reports/reports/files/e_chp3_21.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2021 |chapter=The SARS Epidemic: The Prince of Wales Hospital Outbreak}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tomlinson |first1=Brian |last2=Cockram |first2=Clive |title=SARS: experience at Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong |journal=The Lancet |date=2003 |volume=361 |issue=9368 |pages=1486–1487 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13218-7 |pmid=12737853 |pmc=7134636 }}</ref> His group was one of the first to sequence the ]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tomlinson |first1=Peta |title=Watch this face - Dennis Lo Yuk-ming |url=https://www.scmp.com/article/441278/watch-face-dennis-lo-yuk-ming |access-date=10 October 2021 |work=] |date=15 January 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010150159/https://www.scmp.com/article/441278/watch-face-dennis-lo-yuk-ming |archive-date=10 October 2021}}</ref> and to discover the existence of multiple ] ].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tsui |first1=Stephen K. W. |last2=Chim |first2=Stephen S. C. |last3=Lo |first3=Y. M. Dennis |title=Coronavirus Genomic-Sequence Variations and the Epidemiology of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome |journal=The New England Journal of Medicine |date=2003 |volume=349 |issue=2 |pages=187–188 |doi=10.1056/NEJM200307103490216 |pmid=12853594 |doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
Lo returned to studying detection of cell-free fetal DNA after the SARS outbreak. In 2008, he reported the use of ] (NGS), which has a much higher ] than traditional PCR and was a relatively new technology at the time.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chiu |first1=Rossa W. K. |last2=Chan |first2=K. C. Allen |last3=Gao |first3=Yuan |last4=Lau |first4=Virginia Y. M. |last5=Zheng |first5=Wenli |last6=Leung |first6=Tak Y. |last7=Foo |first7=Chris H. F. |last8=Xie |first8=Bin |last9=Tsui |first9=Nancy B. Y. |last10=Lun |first10=Fiona M. F. |last11=Zee |first11=Benny C. Y. |last12=Lau |first12=Tze K. |last13=Cantor |first13=Charles R. |last14=Lo |first14=Y. M. Dennis |title=Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal chromosomal aneuploidy by massively parallel genomic sequencing of DNA in maternal plasma |journal= Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|date=2008 |volume=105 |issue=51 |pages=20458–20463 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0810641105 |pmid=19073917 |pmc=2600580|bibcode=2008PNAS..10520458C |doi-access=free }}</ref> When used to detect ], which is caused by an extra ], this method was later shown to have a 100% ] and a nearly 98% ],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chiu |first1=Rossa W. K. |last2=Akolekar |first2=Ranjit |last3=Zheng |first3=Yama W. L. |last4=Leung |first4=Tak Y. |last5=Sun |first5=Hao |last6=Chan |first6=K. C. Allen |last7=Lun |first7=Fiona M. F. |last8=Go |first8=Attie T. J. I. |last9=Lau |first9=Elizabeth T. |last10=To |first10=William W. K. |last11=Leung |first11=Wing C. |last12=Tang |first12=Rebecca Y. K. |last13=Au-Yeung |first13=Sidney K. C. |last14=Lam |first14=Helena |last15=Kung |first15=Yu Y. |last16=Zhang |first16=Xiuqing |last17=van Vugt |first17=John M. G. |last18=Minekawa |first18=Ryoko |last19=Tang |first19=Mary H. Y. |last20=Wang |first20=Jun |last21=Oudejans |first21=Cees B. M. |last22=Lau |first22=Tze K. |last23=Nicolaides |first23=Kypros H. |last24=Lo |first24=Y. M. Dennis |title=Non-invasive prenatal assessment of trisomy 21 by multiplexed maternal plasma DNA sequencing: large scale validity study |journal=] |archive-date=12 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012132348/https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7401.long |date=2011 |volume=342 |page=c7401 |doi=10.1136/bmj.c7401 |pmid=21224326 |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7401.long |access-date=12 October 2021 |pmc=3019239}}</ref> prompting its introduction into clinics in 2011.<ref name="ajog"/> | |||
The next year, while watching a '']'' movie in ], the flying "H" reminded him of 2 ] and gave him an idea on how to sequence the fetal ]: to separately sequence the 2 halves of DNA that the foetus inherited from the father and the mother.<ref name="pnas"/> For the father's half, they searched for DNA sequences present only in the father but not the mother; for the mother's half, they counted the DNA sequences from the mother to deduce the sequences inherited by the foetus, which would be found in excess in the mother's blood plasma. This discovery created a non-invasive method to detect fetal ].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lo |first1=Y. M. Dennis |last2=Chan |first2=K. C. Allen |last3=Sun |first3=Hao |last4=Chen |first4=Eric Z. |last5=Jiang |first5=Peiyong |last6=Lun |first6=Fiona M. F. |last7=Zheng |first7=Yama W. |last8=Leung |first8=Tak Y. |last9=Lau |first9=Tze K. |last10=Cantor |first10=Charles R. |last11=Chiu |first11=Rossa W. K. |title=Maternal Plasma DNA Sequencing Reveals the Genome-Wide Genetic and Mutational Profile of the Fetus |journal=] |date=2010 |volume=2 |issue=61 |page=61ra91 |doi=10.1126/scitranslmed.3001720 |pmid=21148127 |s2cid=206677298 |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.3001720 |access-date=12 October 2021}}</ref> In 2013, his group showed that the fetal ] could also be determined from mother's blood plasma.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lun |first1=Fiona M. F. |last2=Chiu |first2=Rossa W. K. |last3=Sun |first3=Kun |last4=Leung |first4=Tak Y. |last5=Jiang |first5=Peiyong |last6=Chan |first6=K. C. Allen |last7=Sun |first7=Hao |last8=Lo |first8=Y. M. Dennis |title=Noninvasive prenatal methylomic analysis by genomewide bisulfite sequencing of maternal plasma DNA |journal=Clinical Chemistry |date=2013 |volume=59 |issue=11 |pages=1583–1594 |doi=10.1373/clinchem.2013.212274 |pmid=23857673 |s2cid=9742965 |doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
Apart from non-invasive prenatal testing, Lo started investigating cancer ], profiling and ] from ] using NGS in 2012, when he reported the genetic profiling of cancer in patients' blood plasma.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chan |first1=K. C. Allen |last2=Jiang |first2=Peiyong |last3=Zheng |first3=Yama W. L. |last4=Liao |first4=Gary J. W. |last5=Sun |first5=Hao |last6=Wong |first6=John |last7=Siu |first7=Shing Shun N. |last8=Chan |first8=Wing C. |last9=Chan |first9=Stephen L. |last10=Chan |first10=Anthony T. C. |last11=Lai |first11=Paul B. S. |last12=Chiu |first12=Rossa W. K. |last13=Lo |first13=Y. M. D. |title=Cancer genome scanning in plasma: detection of tumor-associated copy number aberrations, single-nucleotide variants, and tumoral heterogeneity by massively parallel sequencing |journal=Clinical Chemistry |date=2013 |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=211–224 |doi=10.1373/clinchem.2012.196014 |pmid=23065472 |s2cid=5164201 |doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
As of October 2021, Lo is an associate editor of ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Editorial Board |url=https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/pages/Editorial_Board |publisher=Clinical Chemistry |access-date=29 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030114117/https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/pages/editorial_board |archive-date=30 October 2021}}</ref> | |||
Lo is the co-founder of 2 biotechnology companies, both established in 2014. Using funding from the ] firm Decheng Capital, he co-founded Cirina with his longtime CUHK collaborators Rossa Chiu and Allen Chan.<ref name="company">{{cite news |title=Dennis Lo's three-decade journey to science's greatest prizes |url=https://projects.croucher.org.hk/news/dennis-lo-s-three-decade-journey-to-science-s-greatest-prizes |access-date=26 October 2021 |publisher=Croucher Foundation |date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026152359/https://projects.croucher.org.hk/news/dennis-lo-s-three-decade-journey-to-science-s-greatest-prizes |archive-date=26 October 2021}}</ref> The company focuses on cancer detection with circulating tumor DNA.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cheung |first1=Eric |title=How did 2 Hong Kong innovative pioneers turn ideas into reality that can change the world? |url=https://www.scmp.com/native/tech/start-ups/topics/hong-kong-innovators/article/3113413/how-did-2-hong-kong-innovative |access-date=23 October 2021 |work=South China Morning Post |date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023160554/https://www.scmp.com/native/tech/start-ups/topics/hong-kong-innovators/article/3113413/how-did-2-hong-kong-innovative |archive-date=23 October 2021}}</ref> The company was acquired by ] in 2017,<ref>{{cite press release |date=31 March 2017 |title= GRAIL and Cirina Combine to Create Global Company Focused on Early Detection of Cancer |url=https://grail.com/press-releases/grail-and-cirina-combine-to-create-global-company-focused-on-early-detection-of-cancer/ |publisher=] |access-date=23 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023161028/https://grail.com/press-releases/grail-and-cirina-combine-to-create-global-company-focused-on-early-detection-of-cancer/ |archive-date=23 October 2021}}</ref> which, in turn, was acquired by ] in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Espinoza |first1=Javier |title=Illumina pushes ahead with closing $8bn Grail merger in defiance of EU probe |url=https://www.ft.com/content/df9bf7bc-e839-420f-9905-fdfadfeb6bd1 |access-date=23 October 2021 |work=] |date=19 August 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The 3 of them also co-founded Xcelom, which commercialised their research in non-invasive prenatal testing.<ref name="company"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Reassurance without Risk |url=https://hkmb.hktdc.com/en/1X0A4IRR/venture-hong-kong/Reassurance-without-Risk |publisher=] |access-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026152832/https://hkmb.hktdc.com/en/1X0A4IRR/venture-hong-kong/Reassurance-without-Risk |archive-date=26 October 2021 |date=10 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Revolutionary Prenatal Test |url=https://www.hkstp.org/our-partner-companies/our-partners-stories/success-stories/xcelom/ |publisher=] |access-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026153040/https://www.hkstp.org/our-partner-companies/our-partners-stories/success-stories/xcelom/ |archive-date=26 October 2021}}</ref> | |||
In the ], Lo was a registered elector in the ] of ] and the ] of ].<ref name="2021lego">{{cite news |last=FactWire |date=2021-12-15 |title=Factwire: 41 privileged voters have 7,200 times greater power than a regular Hong Kong voter following election revamp |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2021/12/16/factwire-41-privileged-voters-have-7200-times-greater-power-than-a-regular-hong-kong-voter-following-election-revamp/ |access-date=2021-12-16 |work=] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220107164108/https://hongkongfp.com/2021/12/16/factwire-41-privileged-voters-have-7200-times-greater-power-than-a-regular-hong-kong-voter-following-election-revamp/ |archive-date=7 January 2022}}</ref> The State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology at CUHK, with which he is affiliated, is also a ] (an elector that is a ], as opposed to a ]) at the same functional constituency.<ref>{{cite web |title=Schedule 1D Composition of the Technology and Innovation Functional Constituency |url=https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap542!en-zh-Hant-HK/sch1D.pdf?FILENAME=%E9%99%84%E8%A1%A81D.pdf&DOC_TYPE=E&PUBLISHED=true |publisher=], Government of Hong Kong |access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Hong Kong ordinance|name=Legislative Council Ordinance|542|20Z}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Registration in the Technology and Innovation Functional Constituency ("FC") |url=https://www.reo.gov.hk/pdf/fc/TI_E.pdf |publisher=Registration and Electoral Office, Government of Hong Kong |access-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202035221/https://www.reo.gov.hk/pdf/fc/TI_E.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2022}}</ref> As Lo is also a member of the ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Results: Second Sector, Technology And Innovation |url=https://www.elections.gov.hk/ecss2021/eng/results_s2.html |publisher=Registration and Electoral Office, Government of Hong Kong |access-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201235804/https://www.elections.gov.hk/ecss2021/eng/results_s2.html |archive-date=1 February 2022}}</ref> making him eligible to vote in the ], he was one of the 41 voters who held 4 votes and whose voting power would be approximately 7,215 times of an ordinary citizen.<ref name="2021lego"/> | |||
On 22 September 2024, Lo was nominated as a candidate to succeed ] as CUHK president and vice-chancellor. He was the sole candidate,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hong Kong molecular biologist Dennis Lo 'sole candidate' to become CUHK head |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3279477/hong-kong-molecular-biologist-dennis-lo-sole-candidate-become-cuhk-president |work=South China Morning Post |date=22 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref> and his nomination was approved unanimously on 27 September 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hong Kong scientist Dennis Lo approved as next head of Chinese University |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3280142/hong-kong-scientist-dennis-lo-approved-serve-next-head-chinese-university |work=South China Morning Post |date=27 September 2024 }}</ref> He assumed office on 8 January 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heung |first=Sammy |date=2025-01-08 |title=Dennis Lo takes over Chinese University of Hong Kong, vows to boost global standing |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3293850/dennis-lo-inaugurated-cuhk-president-vows-boost-its-global-standing |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> | |||
== Honours and awards == | |||
* 2000 - Ten Outstanding Young Person of Hong Kong<ref>{{cite web |title=Past HK TOYP Awardees |url=http://toyp1.jcihk.org/en/past-hk-toyp-awardees/ |publisher=Junior Chamber International of Hong Kong |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118103816/http://toyp1.jcihk.org/en/past-hk-toyp-awardees/ |archive-date=18 January 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2001 - ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Past World TOYP from HK |url=http://toyp1.jcihk.org/en/past-world-toyp-from-hk/ |publisher=Junior Chamber International of Hong Kong |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914143940/http://toyp1.jcihk.org/en/past-world-toyp-from-hk/ |archive-date=14 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2005 - State Natural Science Award, Second-class, ], ]<ref>{{cite press release |title= Local scientists receive State Science and Technology awards |url=https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200601/09/P200601090120.htm |publisher=] |access-date=13 September 2021 |date=9 January 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913141932/https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200601/09/P200601090120.htm |archive-date=13 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2005年度国家自然科学奖目录 |url=http://www.most.gov.cn/cxfw/kjjlcx/kjjl2005/200604/t20060421_31675.html |publisher=] |language=Chinese |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913140442/http://www.most.gov.cn/cxfw/kjjlcx/kjjl2005/200604/t20060421_31675.html |archive-date=13 September 2021 |date=21 April 2006}}</ref> | |||
* 2006 - Award for Significant Contributions in Molecular Diagnostics, ]<ref name="ifcclm">{{cite web |title=Awards Committee |url=http://www.ifcc.org/executive-board-and-council/eb-committees/awards-committe/ |publisher=] |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913142837/http://www.ifcc.org/executive-board-and-council/eb-committees/awards-committe/ |archive-date=13 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2007 - Award for Outstanding Contribution for a Publication in the International Journal '']'', ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Yuk-Ming Dennis Lo, MD |url=https://www.aacc.org/community/merit-awards/hall-of-fame/bios/t-to-z/yuk-ming |publisher=] |access-date=14 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914142451/https://www.aacc.org/community/merit-awards/hall-of-fame/bios/t-to-z/yuk-ming |archive-date=14 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2011 - ] of the ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Dennis Lo |url=https://royalsociety.org/people/dennis-lo-11830/ |publisher=] |access-date=14 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914144612/https://royalsociety.org/people/dennis-lo-11830/ |archive-date=14 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2013 - ] of the ]<ref name="pnasmember">{{cite web |title=Yuk-Ming Dennis Lo |url=http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/20030497.html |publisher=] |access-date=14 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914144916/http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/20030497.html |archive-date=14 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2013 - Fellow of ]<ref>{{cite news |title=Fifty-two new TWAS members |url=https://twas.org/article/fifty-two-new-twas-members |access-date=15 September 2021 |publisher=] |date=2 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915143743/https://twas.org/article/fifty-two-new-twas-members |archive-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2014 - ] in ]<ref name="kingfaisal"/> | |||
* 2016 - ] Life Science Prize<ref>{{cite web |title=2016 The Life Science Prize Laureate |url=http://www.futureprize.org/en/laureates/detail/24.html |publisher=Future Science Prize |access-date=15 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915144222/http://www.futureprize.org/en/laureates/detail/24.html |archive-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2020 - Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics, ]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Past Recipients |url=https://www.amp.org/membership/awards-grants-honors/amp-award-for-excellence-in-molecular-diagnostics/past-recipients/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Association for Molecular Pathology |language=en}}</ref> | |||
* 2021 - ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Yuk Ming Dennis Lo |url=https://breakthroughprize.org/Laureates/2/L3894 |publisher=] |access-date=15 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915145220/https://breakthroughprize.org/Laureates/2/L3894 |archive-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2021 - ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Royal Medal winners 2021 |url=https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/awards/royal-medal/ |publisher=] |access-date=15 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915145532/https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/awards/royal-medal/ |archive-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
* 2022 - ]<ref>{{cite web |title=2022 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award |url=https://laskerfoundation.org/winners/noninvasive-prenatal-testing-using-fetal-dna/ |publisher=] |access-date=20 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420035336/https://laskerfoundation.org/winners/noninvasive-prenatal-testing-using-fetal-dna/ |archive-date=20 April 2023}}</ref> | |||
== Personal life == | |||
Lo is married to Alice Siu Ling Wong. They met each other while Lo was pursuing his ] at the ], where Wong was completing her DPhil in ] ].<ref name="embryo"/> They got married in 1994.<ref>{{cite news |title=探射燈:膝下猶虛視科研為兒女 |url=https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20110612/00176_098.html |access-date=11 September 2021 |work=] |date=12 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911135033/https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20110612/00176_098.html |archive-date=11 September 2021 |language=Chinese}}</ref> | |||
As of 2016, Wong is an ] and the head of the former Division of ] and ], Faculty of Education at the ].<ref>{{cite magazine |date=19 December 2016 |title=好奇心泛起了漣漪——專訪盧煜明 |url=https://ubeat.com.cuhk.edu.hk/127_lo/2/ |magazine=U-Beat Magazine |access-date=11 September 2021 |language=Chinese |publisher=Chinese University of Hong Kong |archive-date=11 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911140503/https://ubeat.com.cuhk.edu.hk/127_lo/2/}}</ref> She is no longer on the faculty list as of 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Faculty Academics |url=https://web.edu.hku.hk/staff/academic |publisher=Faculty of Education, ] |access-date=11 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911141504/https://web.edu.hku.hk/staff/academic |archive-date=11 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
It was reported in 2021 that Lo bought a ] at ] in ], ] for ]$210 million.<ref>{{cite news |title=「無創產前檢測之父」2.1億購名鑄 實呎逾7萬創新高 |url=https://www.mpfinance.com/fin/instantp2.php?node=1621587584147&issue=20210521 |access-date=17 September 2021 |work=Ming Pao |date=21 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917140900/https://www.mpfinance.com/fin/instantp2.php?node=1621587584147&issue=20210521 |archive-date=17 September 2021 |language=Chinese}}</ref> | |||
Lo is one of the initiators of the Hong Kong Coalition, co-founded by two former ] ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |title=組織架構 |url=https://www.hkcoalition.com/info/organization |publisher=Hong Kong Coalition |access-date=31 January 2022 |language=Chinese |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131022635/https://www.hkcoalition.com/info/organization |archive-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> | |||
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Latest revision as of 18:05, 8 January 2025
Hong Kong molecular biologistIn this Hong Kong name, the surname is Lo. In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style name is Dennis Lo and the Chinese-style name is Lo Yuk-ming.
ProfessorDennis LoSBS JP FRS FRCP FRCPath | |
---|---|
盧煜明 | |
Lo attending an academic conference at University of Cambridge on 20 April 2023 | |
9th Vice-Chancellor and President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong | |
Assuming office 8 January 2025 | |
Chancellor | John Lee |
Succeeding | Rocky Tuan |
Personal details | |
Born | (1963-10-12) October 12, 1963 (age 61) British Hong Kong |
Spouse | Alice Siu Ling Wong |
Education | University of Oxford (DPhil, DM, BM BCh) University of Cambridge (MA) |
Known for | Non-invasive prenatal testing Liquid biopsy Cell-free fetal DNA detection in blood plasma |
Awards | King Faisal Prize in Medicine (2014) Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2021) Royal Medal (2021) Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award (2022) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Molecular biology |
Institutions | Chinese University of Hong Kong University of Oxford |
Thesis | Genetic analysis of fetal cells in maternal blood (1994) |
Doctoral advisor | Kenneth Anthony Fleming |
Dennis Lo | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 盧煜明 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 卢煜明 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Dennis Lo Yuk-ming (Chinese: 盧煜明; Jyutping: Lou4 Juk1 Ming4, born 12 October 1963) is a Hong Kong molecular biologist who has been serving as the vice-chancellor and president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) since 8 January 2025. His research focuses on the detection of cell-free fetal DNA in blood plasma, and he is best known for his contributions to the development of non-invasive prenatal testing
At CUHK, Lo is also the Associate Dean (Research) and Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine at Faculty of Medicine, the head of the department of chemical pathology, and the director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences.
Early life and education
Lo was born in Hong Kong in 1964. His mother taught music and his father, Lo Wai-hoi, who immigrated from Chaozhou to Hong Kong in 1946, was a psychiatrist and the former head of Castle Peak Hospital. Lo also has a younger brother.
Lo attended St Joseph's College for his primary and secondary education. After secondary school, he was accepted by Stanford University for electrical engineering, and by the University of Hong Kong and University of Cambridge for medicine. He selected to study medicine abroad. In 1983, at the age of 20, Lo arrived at Cambridge, where he spent two years completing his preclinical medical training and a BA degree, and his third studying genetic cloning. In 1986, Lo moved to the University of Oxford for his clinical training, in part, he claimed, thanks to Christopher Wren's architectural works at Oxford. Lo completed his medical degree (BM BCh) in 1989; he was at Christ Church College during this period.
After obtaining his medical degree, Lo continued to study at Oxford, first obtaining a DPhil (during which he was at Hertford College) in 1994, and then a Doctor of Medicine (DM) degree in 2001. He was also a junior research fellow in natural sciences at Hertford College between 1990 and 1993, and the Wellcome Career Development Fellow in Clinical Medicine from 1993 to 1994.
Career
Lo began his research career studying polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a molecular biological technique for rapidly generating millions of copies of a desired DNA sequence. He first heard about the technique at a lecture by John Bell, now Regius Professor of Medicine, at Oxford, and asked to learn the technique from Bell. Working with Kenneth Anthony Fleming, his future PhD advisor, Lo found the relatively new technique generated a lot of false positives due to contamination.
Lo then wondered if fetal DNA was detectable in mother's blood. Using PCR, he detected the Y chromosome in a mother bearing a baby boy. During his PhD, Lo wanted to develop his research into prenatal diagnostic test, using fetal DNA from fetal cells in the mother's blood. This, however, was stymied by a number of factors, including low concentration of fetal cells, high false positive rate and the persistence of fetal cells after giving birth.
After obtaining his PhD, Lo became a lecturer in clinical biochemistry and a fellow at Green College, University of Oxford (now part of Green Templeton College). He was also an honorary consultant chemical pathologist at John Radcliffe Hospital, the major teaching hospital for Oxford.
In 1997, again using the Y chromosome as a marker in mothers bearing baby boys, Lo reported the presence of cell-free fetal DNA in most of the test subjects. This was after he read that circulating tumor DNA were detectable in cancer patients' blood plasma and switched strategy to search for cell-free fetal DNA in mother's blood.
Lo, who by the time was married, returned to Hong Kong the same year with his wife, as the city was preparing its handing back to China. He became a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical Pathology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in January 1997. In an interview years later, he called this discovery was like "finding your car's engine somewhere other than under the bonnet."
One of the first disorders for which Lo developed non-invasive prenatal testing using cell-free fetal DNA was Rh disease, a type of anaemia that occurs when the foetus is Rh-positive but the mother is Rh-negative. Separately, Lo also detected fetal RNA in mother's blood, which indicated what genes were expressed. He then sought novel methods to isolate fetal DNA from mother's blood, which in 2002 came in the form of difference in DNA methylation between the mother and foetus.
Lo's research into non-invasive prenatal testing was interrupted in 2003 by the SARS outbreak. An infected patient was treated at the Prince of Wales Hospital, the teaching hospital for CUHK Faculty of Medicine, turning the hospital into one of the epicenters in Hong Kong. His group was one of the first to sequence the SARS virus and to discover the existence of multiple viral strains.
Lo returned to studying detection of cell-free fetal DNA after the SARS outbreak. In 2008, he reported the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS), which has a much higher throughput than traditional PCR and was a relatively new technology at the time. When used to detect Down syndrome, which is caused by an extra chromosome 21, this method was later shown to have a 100% sensitivity and a nearly 98% specificity, prompting its introduction into clinics in 2011.
The next year, while watching a Harry Potter movie in 3D, the flying "H" reminded him of 2 homologous chromosomes and gave him an idea on how to sequence the fetal genome: to separately sequence the 2 halves of DNA that the foetus inherited from the father and the mother. For the father's half, they searched for DNA sequences present only in the father but not the mother; for the mother's half, they counted the DNA sequences from the mother to deduce the sequences inherited by the foetus, which would be found in excess in the mother's blood plasma. This discovery created a non-invasive method to detect fetal mutations. In 2013, his group showed that the fetal epigenome could also be determined from mother's blood plasma.
Apart from non-invasive prenatal testing, Lo started investigating cancer diagnosis, profiling and prognosis from circulating tumor DNA using NGS in 2012, when he reported the genetic profiling of cancer in patients' blood plasma.
As of October 2021, Lo is an associate editor of Clinical Chemistry.
Lo is the co-founder of 2 biotechnology companies, both established in 2014. Using funding from the venture capital firm Decheng Capital, he co-founded Cirina with his longtime CUHK collaborators Rossa Chiu and Allen Chan. The company focuses on cancer detection with circulating tumor DNA. The company was acquired by GRAIL in 2017, which, in turn, was acquired by Illumina in 2021. The 3 of them also co-founded Xcelom, which commercialised their research in non-invasive prenatal testing.
In the 2021 Hong Kong legislative election, Lo was a registered elector in the functional constituency of Technology and Innovation and the geographical constituency of Kowloon West. The State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology at CUHK, with which he is affiliated, is also a corporate elector (an elector that is a legal entity, as opposed to a natural person) at the same functional constituency. As Lo is also a member of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, making him eligible to vote in the Election Committee constituency, he was one of the 41 voters who held 4 votes and whose voting power would be approximately 7,215 times of an ordinary citizen.
On 22 September 2024, Lo was nominated as a candidate to succeed Rocky Tuan as CUHK president and vice-chancellor. He was the sole candidate, and his nomination was approved unanimously on 27 September 2024. He assumed office on 8 January 2025.
Honours and awards
- 2000 - Ten Outstanding Young Person of Hong Kong
- 2001 - Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World
- 2005 - State Natural Science Award, Second-class, Ministry of Science and Technology, China
- 2006 - Award for Significant Contributions in Molecular Diagnostics, International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
- 2007 - Award for Outstanding Contribution for a Publication in the International Journal Clinical Chemistry, American Association for Clinical Chemistry
- 2011 - Fellow of the Royal Society
- 2013 - Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences
- 2013 - Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences
- 2014 - King Faisal Prize in Medicine
- 2016 - Future Science Prize Life Science Prize
- 2020 - Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics, Association for Molecular Pathology
- 2021 - Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
- 2021 - Royal Medal
- 2022 - Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
Personal life
Lo is married to Alice Siu Ling Wong. They met each other while Lo was pursuing his DPhil at the University of Oxford, where Wong was completing her DPhil in semiconductor physics. They got married in 1994.
As of 2016, Wong is an associate professor and the head of the former Division of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. She is no longer on the faculty list as of 2021.
It was reported in 2021 that Lo bought a flat at The Masterpiece in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong for HKD$210 million.
Lo is one of the initiators of the Hong Kong Coalition, co-founded by two former Chief Executives of Hong Kong Tung Chee-hwa and Leung Chun-ying.
References
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- 1963 births
- Living people
- Alumni of the University of Cambridge
- Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
- Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford
- Recipients of the Silver Bauhinia Star
- Chemical pathologists
- Academic staff of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
- Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
- Hong Kong scientists