Kien Lam Ung receives a starting grant for young research teams from the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale

Kien Lam UNG earned his PhD from Montpellier University, focusing on the structural and biochemical characterization of Mycobacterium abscessus proteins, including transporters and enzymes involved in antibiotic resistance. After completing his PhD, he joined the Pedersen lab at Aarhus University, where he advanced his skills in cryo-EM. He made significant contributions to understanding the structure and function of plant hormone transporters, particularly the PIN-FORMED auxin transporter, which regulates plant growth. His work resulted in high-impact publications, including a first-author paper in Nature and several review articles. He also secured a Novo Nordisk postdoctoral grant and led a sub-team focused on plant transporters.

Thanks to support from the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Kien Lam will establish an emerging research group at IPBS in February 2025.

His project aims to investigate how specific modifications of surface glycans (complex sugars) influence interactions between hosts (like humans) and pathogens (bacteria). Glycans play a vital role in immune recognition and pathogen survival. This research focuses on a particular modification called O-acylation, which can affect pathogen virulence, immune evasion, and antibiotic resistance.

 

The study will explore two main areas: (1) understanding how certain bacteria modify their cell walls using glycan acetylation to resist immune attacks and antibiotics, and (2) investigating how human cells modify surface sugars, which can influence viral infections, such as those from coronaviruses, or cancer cell survival. The project uses advanced structural biology techniques, like cryo-electron microscopy, to visualize these modifications at a molecular level and identify potential drug targets to disrupt harmful interactions. This work could lead to new therapeutic strategies for bacterial infections, viral diseases, and some cancers.

Kien Lam Ung receives a starting grant for young research teams from the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale