Chengkun Ma

EDUCATION

College / University

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Highest Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Subjects

Biochemistry and Cell Biology

Country

P.R. China

Lab Experience

Nucleic Acid extraction, PCR, electrophoresis, western blot, mammalian cell culture, molecular cloning techniques, mammalian cell culture, microinjection, transformation and transfection

Projects / Research

2021 – 2022: Final Year Project, Regulation of muscle stem cells, supervised by Prof Zhenguo Wu
2020 – 2021: Undergraduate Research Project, The rules of packaging fat in cells, supervised by Prof Ho Yi Mak
2020: Undergraduate Research Project, A study of zebrafish behavior with respect to water temperature gradient, supervised by Prof Andrew Leitch Miller

Scholarships / Awards

2022 – 2023:	Stipend by the International Max Planck Research School
2022:	The Joseph Lau Luen Hung Charitable Trust Scholarship
2018 – 2022:	Dean’s List of the School of Science, HKUST
2020 – 2021:	The D. H. Chen Foundation Life Science Scholarship
2019 – 2021:	University’s Scholarship Scheme for Continuing Undergraduate Students, HKUST

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND GOALS

I am interested in studying how stem cells are controlled by different signaling pathways during differentiation. I studied how muscle stem cells (MuSCs) transit from the quiescent state to the activated state upon injury in my previous project. The present understanding of the regulation of MuSC activation remains incomplete. This process is crucial for skeletal muscle maintenance, repair, and regeneration. Elucidating the molecular mechanism of the transitions will help develop novel treatments against various muscle disorders. In the future, I also would like to explore the regulation of differentiation in other stem cell population.