Bio
Professor Lok is a recipient for the prestigious National Research Foundation (NRF) fellowship (2009) and NRF Investigatorship (2016).
The research in her laboratory focuses on understanding the pathology of flavivirus and alphavirus infections and the mechanism of neutralization by antibodies and other molecules so as to facilitate the development of suitable vaccines and therapeutics. A combination of molecular, immunological, biochemical and structural techniques (x ray crystallography and cryoEM image reconstruction techniques) are used to achieve these aims.
Lok lab uses structural methods such as x-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscope to study viruses in particular, flaviviruses (dengue and Zika viruses) and alphavirus (Sindbis and Chikungunya viruses). We study the
Interactions and structural changes of viruses during their infection process, for example:
How virus binds to its host cell receptor(s)
How virus fused with its endosomal membrane
How newly synthesized virus in the cell is assembled
How virus undergo maturation in the cell.
Understand how therapeutics such as antibodies could inhibit various stages of the infection process.
Look at the different possible morphologies of flaviviruses and alphaviruses. This has important implications in the development of vaccine.
All these knowledge will contribute to therapeutics and vaccine development.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Master of Science
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Bachelor of Applied Science Hons (Life Sc) 2nd Cl Hons Div A
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Bachelor of Applied Science
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Diploma (Biotechnology)
Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore