Education

Current Positions

• Professor, School of Life Sciences, CUHK
• Associate Programme Director, Cell and Molecular Biology Programme, School of Life Sciences, CUHK
• Associate Dean (Education), Faculty of Science, CUHK
• Programme Director, Natural Sciences Programme, CUHK
• Fellow and Cabinet member, SHHO College, CUHK

Research Interests

• Genetic manipulation by transgenic and gene knockout technology
• Study of Organogenesis using mouse as model organism
• Neural development and neuronal cell biology
• Stem cell research

Representative Publications

• Ma SY, Kwan KM. (2022) Size anomaly and alteration of GABAergic enzymes expressions in cerebellum of a valproic acid mouse model of autism. Behav Brain Res. 428:113896. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113896.
• Vong KI, Ma TC, Li B, Leung TCN, Nong W, Ngai SM, Hui JHL, Jiang L, Kwan KM. (2021) SOX9-COL9A3-dependent regulation of choroid plexus epithelial polarity governs blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier integrity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 118(6):e2009568118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2009568118.
• Dong X, Kwan KM. (2020) Yin Yang 1 is critical for mid-hindbrain neuroepithelium development and involved in cerebellar agenesis. Mol Brain. 13(1):104. doi: 10.1186/s13041-020-00643-z
• Ma TC, Vong KI,Kwan KM. (2020) Spatiotemporal Decline of BMP Signaling Activity in Neural Progenitors Mediates Fate Transition and Safeguards Neurogenesis. Cell Rep. 30(11): 3616-3624.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.089.
• Lui NC, Tam WY, Gao C, Huang JD, Wang CC, Jiang L, Yung WH, Kwan KM. (2017) Lhx1/5 control dendritogenesis and spine morphogenesis of Purkinje cells via regulation of Espin. Nat Commun. 8:15079. doi: 10.1038/ncomms15079.
• Wang L, Luo JY, Li B, Tian XY, Chen LJ, Huang Y, Liu J, Deng D, Lau CW, Wan S, Ai D, Mak KK, Tong KK, Kwan KM, Wang N, Chiu JJ, Zhu Y, Huang Y. (2016). Integrin-YAP/TAZ-JNK cascade mediates atheroprotective effect of unidirectional shear flow. Nature. doi: 10.1038/nature20602.
• Zhu J, Kwan KM, Mackem S. (2016) Putative oncogene Brachyury (T) is essential to specify cell fate but dispensable for notochord progenitor proliferation and EMT. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 113(14), 3820-3825.
• Vong KI, Leung CK, Behringer RR, Kwan KM. (2015). Sox9 is critical for suppression of neurogenesis but not initiation of gliogenesis in the cerebellum. Mol Brain. 8, 25.
• Tong KK, Kwan KM (2013). Common partner Smad-independent canonical bone morphogenetic protein signaling in the specification process of the anterior rhombic lip during cerebellum development. Mol Cell Biol. 33(10), 1925-1937.
• Wong YL, Behringer RR, Kwan KM (2012). Ventral limb ectoderm Smad1/Smad5 signaling functions redundantly and is required in interdigital programmed cell death. Dev Biol. 363(1), 247-257.
• Tam WY, Leung CK, Tong KK, Kwan KM (2011). Foxp4 is essential in maintenance of Purkinje cell dendritic arborization in the mouse cerebellum. Neuroscience. 172, 562-571.
• Zhao Y*, Kwan KM*, Mailloux CM, Lee WK, Grinberg A, Wurst W, Behringer RR and Westphal H (2007). LIM-homeodomain proteins Lhx1, Lhx5, and their cofactor Ldb1 control Purkinje cell differentiation in the developing cerebellum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 104, 13182-13186. * equal contribution as first author
• Kwan KM. (2002). Conditional alleles in mice: practical considerations for tissue-specific knockouts. Genesis. 32, 49-62.
• Kwan KM, Pang MK, Zhou S, Cowan SK, Kong RY, Pfordte T, Olsen BR, Sillence DO, Tam PP and Cheah KS. (1997). Abnormal compartmentalization of cartilage matrix components in mice lacking collagen X: implications for function. J Cell Biol. 136, 459-471.

Research Grants

Research Grants Council (RGC) Hong Kong: General Research Fund

• 2025-2027, Genetic study of Yy1 in cerebellum development: Roles of Wnt Signaling network in developing Purkinje cells – HKD 1,554,570 (as PI)
• 2022-2024, Functional analysis of BMP signaling in the choroid plexus functioning and regulation of cerebrospinal fluid extracellular vesicle biogenesis- HKD 1,175,592 (as PI)
• 2019-2021, Functional analysis of Sox9 in choroid plexus development and regulation of cerebrospinal fluid secretion – HKD$ 971,368 (as PI)
• 2013-2015, Functional analysis of Foxp4 in exocrine pancreas development and homeostasis in mouse – HKD$ 850,000 (as PI)
• 2011-2013, GRF, Functional analysis of Foxp4 in Purkinje neurons of cerebellum in mice, HKD$ 1,133,900 (as PI)
• 2010-2012, GRF, Functional analysis of Sox9 in neural progenitor cells of cerebellum in mice, HKD$ 1,195,046 (as PI)
• 2009-2011, GRF, Functional analysis of Smad genes in granule neurons of cerebellum in mice, HKD$ 1,064,049 (as PI)
• 2008-2010, GRF, Functional analysis of Lhx1 and Lhx5 in Purkinje neurons of cerebellum in mice, HKD$ 1,146,611 (as PI)

Research Grants Council (RGC) Hong Kong: Collaborative Research Fund

• 2022-2025, The First Integrated State-of-the-Art Live Cell Imaging Platforms to Timely Promote Interdisciplinary and Advanced Life Sciences Research in Hong Kong and Beyond – HKD 10,000,000 (as Co-I)
• 2020-2023, The First Integrated State-of-the-Art Sample Preparation System for Cryo-Electron Microscopy/Tomography Analysis to Promote Advanced Cellular and Structural Biology Research in Hong Kong – HKD$ 7,439,308 (as Co-I)
• 2017-2020, The First Integrated cyco-EM and cryo-ET Shared Facility for Life Sciences Research in Hong Kong – HKD$ 9,500,000 (as Co-I)
• 2014-2017, Targeting RNA and protein toxicities of polyglutamine diseases using peptidylic inhibitors – HKD$ 7,044,220 (as Co-I)
• 2013-2016, Physical Exercise Promotes Vascular Health: Impact of Mechano-Transduction and Novel endothelium-derived Regulators – HKD$ 7,700,000 (as Co-I)
• 2012-2015, EXPO (Exocyst-positive Organelle): Dynamics, Biogenesis and Function in Plants – HKD$ 8,459,400 (as Co-I)

Research Grants Council (RGC) Hong Kong: Area of Excellence

• 2014-2020, Center for Organelle Biogenesis and Function – HKD$ 47,250,000 (as Co-I)

Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF)

• 2015-2017, Investigation on ataxia disorder by using a novel genetically-modified mouse model – HKD$ 999,880 (as PI)

Awards

Professional Activities

• Editorial Broad: genesis: The Journal of Genetics and Development:
• Vice President: Hong Kong Society for Developmental Biology
• Panel member, Biology and Medicine Panel (Joint Research Schemes) of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• Honorary Scientific Consultant, Hong Kong Spinocerebellar Ataxia Association, Hong Kong