Victor Yu Chun Kong PhD

Prof. Victor Yu obtained his B.Sc. Pharm. from University of Houston and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he spent five years to study molecular pharmacology of morphine. He subsequently undertook post-doctoral training in molecular biology at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). During this period, he made the discovery that the nuclear receptor protein RXR is the common co-regulator for retinoic acid (Vitamin A), vitamin D and thyroid hormone receptors. The discovery paved the way for rapid progress in understanding the molecular basis of the pleiotropic effect of nuclear hormones on gene transcription in multiple organs and cell types. He came to Singapore in 1993 to join the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) as a Principal Investigator. In 2009, he joined the Department of Pharmacy, NUS, as tenured Associate Professor.