Outstanding Researcher Award

Associate Professor HONG Yunhan

PhD (University of Goettingen), MSc (Wuhan), BSc (Huazhong Teachers University)
Department of Biological Sciences

“ Stem cell and fish models are the two major focuses of biomedical research in Singapore. ”

Research Interests
  • Fish models for embryonic cells (ES cells) and gene targeting;
  • Stem cell biology; totipotency and differentiation of ES and germ cells;
  • Spermatogonial stem cells and spermatogenesis in vivo and vitro;
  • Mechanism of homologous recombination;
  • Molecular reproduction and transgenic fish;

Research Achievements
  • recognized internationally as heading the first team that developed non-mammalian embryonic stem (ES) cell lines from the medaka fish;
  • created SG3, a first vertebrate cell line of normal spermatogonia from the adult fish testis without going through any genetic transformation;
  • developed the first "test tube" sperm from SG3 cells after 2 years of culture.

Research Strengths
  • utilising the medaka fish, that produces sperm in a similar way to mammals, as a vertebrate model for the development of platform technologies;
  • pursuing a multi-disciplinary approach to elucidate fundamental biomedical issues.

Publication Credits
first author of 2 articles published in the Proceedings National Academy of Sciences, United States. (1) Production of medakafish chimeras from a stable embryonic stem cell line, 1998 and (2) Establishment of a normal medaka fish spermatogonial cell line capable of sperm production in vitro, 2004.

International Standing
  • member, editorial board, Zebrafish;
  • member, editorial board, Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica;
  • member, editorial board, Acta Zoologica Sinica;
  • his papers on ES cells have been cited 123 times;
  • media reports of his breakthrough in cultivating test-tube sperms have appeared in more than 100 newspapers worldwide.

Awards and Accolades
  • "This cell line is a major breakthrough for the scientific community and especially for all of us working in this field" Sophie Pison-Rousseauz, French researcher, Institute Albert Bonniot, 2004;
  • DAAD-Scholarship of the German Academic Exchange Program, 1988-1992.

Research Aspiration
to replicate his work on fish to mammals so that sperms can be grown in the laboratory for treating male infertility.