Research Interest
Abiotic stress
I am currently working on projects that combine proteomics and molecular approaches to understand the regulatory mechanism of transcription factors in drought-stressed banana. This has also entailed developing drought-tolerant banana. Recently, I have been awarded a Royal Society-Newton Advanced Fellowship to join Gordon Simpson’s lab to investigate how plant gene expression is controlled under drought stress by using new technologies, such as nanopore direct RNA sequencing (http://gre.dundee.ac.uk/news/boon-chin-tan-joins-simpson-lab-royal-society-newton-advanced-fellowship/) or(http://www.lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/news/2018/may/14/boon-chin-tan-joins-simpson-lab-royal-society-newton-advanced-fellowship). Metabolic engineering In another collaboration in UM, we are trying to enhance the production of some useful secondary metabolites in ginger through metabolic engineering. Much of these works involve functional gene analysis and genetic transformation. High-value feed ingredient for livestock The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has projected that cropland-based food production will see a 60% increase by 2050 due to population growth and increases in per capita consumption of more livestock products. The competition between humans and animals for existing agricultural resources creates an urgent challenge for efficient and optimal utilisation of those resources. Current livestock feeding practices that depend on high-value feed ingredients, such as soya, maize and wheat, are not sustainable due to limited agricultural resources and high importation costs in developing countries. Since insects represent a potential feed ingredient that contains key nutrients, especially high quality proteins, the research team from CEBAR and University of Nottingham, UK and Malaysia, plans to utilise microbial fermentation technology to convert low nutrient crop residues into high nutritional quality insect meal, which can then be used as a high-value feed ingredient for terrestrial livestock and farmed fish. The research team envisages this approach will be applicable in many developing countries, enabling them to sustainably increase the availability of feed ingredients of high nutrient quality. Teaching
I teach Instrumentation (SHEN2345), Genetic Manipulation of Plants and Animals (SHEN2344) and Current Topics in Genetics and Molecular Biology (SIL3015) to Undergraduate students at Division of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Institutes of Biological Sciences. I also teach the Current Concepts in Plant Biotechnology (SHGB6304) and Plant and Animal Improvements (SOC7004) for Master of Biotechnology at Institutes of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya.
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