Jamie obtained his BSc in applied chemistry from City University of Hong Kong in 2018. He subsequently worked as a technical assistant and research assistant at the university’s Department of Biology and Chemistry. After that, he completed his PhD in life science at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany.
The genetic code of life relies on four nucleobases that form two stable pairs. Advances in organic chemistry have expanded this natural system with synthetic base pairs that can work alongside their natural counterparts. However, two key challenges remain: natural polymerases struggle to incorporate these synthetic pairs efficiently, and conventional sequencing methods cannot reliably detect them.
Jamie's research addresses these limitations through a novel chemical sequencing approach. This method aims to achieve single-nucleotide resolution for both natural and synthetic base pairs. Success could advance synthetic biology by facilitating the developments of polymerase engineering for an expanded genetic code.
Selected Publications:
Chan, C.-Y., Singer, J. & Carell, T. Membrane bound geranylated RNAs establish a primitive peptide synthesis system. bioRxiv, 2024.2008.2002.606298 (2024) DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.02.606298.
Umar, M.I., Chan, C.-Y. & Kwok, C.K. Development of RNA G-quadruplex (rG4)-targeting L-RNA aptamers by rG4-SELEX. Nat. Protoc. 17,1385-1414 (2022)
Chan, C.-Y. & Kwok, C.K. Specific Binding of a D-RNA GQuadruplex Structure with an L-RNA Aptamer. Angew.Chem. Int. Ed. 59,5293-5297 (2020)
Chan, C.-Y., Umar, M.I., & Kwok, C.K. Spectroscopic analysis reveals the effect of a single nucleotide bulge on G-quadruplex structures. Chem. Commun.55, 2616-2619 (2019)
Umar, M.I., Ji, D., Chan, C.-Y. & Kwok, C.K. G-Quadruplex-Based Fluorescent Turn-On Ligands and Aptamers: From Development to Applications. Molecules24, 2416 (2019)
Photo credit: Elayne Barre
