Gary Lau
| Senior Member of Technical Staff, Medical Countermeasures (Biological) Laboratory, DMERI |
As part of our commitment to cross-pollinate knowledge and ideas for innovative research, DSO embarks on joint collaborative efforts with renowned research institutions beyond our shores.
Gary Lau Yuk Fai, Senior Member of Technical Staff from the Medical Countermeasures (Biological) Laboratory, Defence Medical and Environmental Research Institute @ DSO (DMERI), was attached to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), an institute under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, in 2008, as part of a joint research effort to develop a vaccine against the highly virulent H5N1 influenza virus, or more commonly known as the bird flu virus.
For his contribution to the development of live attenuated influenza vaccines, Gary was honoured with the 2008 NIAID Merit award on 10 December 2008.
The collaborative efforts between DSO and NIAID were seeded two years back, when NewBiomed PIKA - a local biotechnology company established to commercialise a propriety adjuvant technology - approached DSO to evaluate the potency of their propriety adjuvant PIKA (an adjuvant is a substance added to enhance the effect of a particular medical treatment).
Describing the motivation behind the partnership, Gary explains that research into pandemic influenza has always been placed high on DSO’s priority list, and a key area of interest is to maximise vaccine coverage with a limited supply of bird flu vaccine. “After conducting initial tests on PIKA using a model set up in DMERI, our test results showed that PIKA is indeed a very good adjuvant and is able to significantly reduce the dose administered to each person to a fraction of the unadjuvanted vaccine required, and achieve the same level of immunity with the help of the adjuvant.”
He further elaborates: “So even with a limited pool of the vaccine, we can vaccinate a lot more people with the adjuvant, and this directly challenges the assumption that we need 4 million doses of flu vaccine in a pandemic situation. In addition, we discovered that PIKA can act as an anti-viral drug as well. Tests showed that it stimulates the immune systems of mice and enhances their resistance against the flu virus, and prevents multiple strains of the virus from replicating in the lungs of mice.”
Due to the lack of local access to the viruses, DSO was invited by NIAID collaborator, Dr Kanta Subbarao, to the United States to conduct the test experiments. The NIAID oversees and supports applied research to treat and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases, and is one of the Institutes comprising the NIH - one of the world's foremost medical research centres, and the Federal focal point of medical research in the United States.
Gary’s core work currently focuses on determining if PIKA can be an effective treatment against the highly virulent bird flu virus. His attachment at NIAID also allows him to evaluate the adjuvanting and anti-viral properties of PIKA against a number of wild-type flu viruses currently not available in Singapore. The results allow them to provide a realistic forecast on the efficacy of PIKA, should one of these viruses become the causative strain of the next flu pandemic.
An immunologist by training, Gary’s secondary task at NIAID is to take part in research projects at NIAID to gain more experience in the Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) area, which involves training in handling virulent and potentially lethal agents, as part of the collaboration effort.
As the main focus of Dr Subbarao’s laboratory is to develop live attenuated influenza vaccines in preparation for a possible pandemic, Gary analyses the immune responses generated by these vaccines in various animal models (such as mice, ferrets and monkeys) to look for ways to improve the efficacy of these vaccines.
For his contribution to the development of live attenuated influenza vaccines, Gary received the 2008 NIAID Merit Award from NIAID’s director, Dr Anthony Fauci, on 10 December 2008. “The award I received on the live-attenuated influenza vaccine has been developed through the contribution of many researchers over a number of years, and I am fortunate to be a member of the team.”
Attached to the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) for the past one year, Gary spends most of his time in the C.W. Bill Young Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases - an integrated research facility which includes laboratories and animal care areas specially designed for BSL3 operations, such as experiments involving highly virulent flu viruses.
He says: “Because we are working with viruses that can lead to fatal illness, extra safety practices are put in place for our protection. We often spend 7 to 8 hours in the laboratory with face masks and respirators for experimentations, followed by a mandatory shower.”
Gary shares that even though work can be stressful from time to time, the institute’s open environment sees post-doctoral and research fellows often discussing their research or exchanging ideas over lunches. “With many post-docs coming from other countries, you can imagine that our laboratory is also a ‘mixing bowl’ for many different cultures. In our lab, we have Indians, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, Brazilians and of course, Singaporeans. It’s not hard to imagine the different kinds of cuisine that we have during our Christmas party!”
He adds: “In terms of work, most experiments were planned out before coming over and my colleagues in DSO have been excellent in providing logistic support, ensuring that the reagents reach me before the beginning of the experiments. My Programme Director, Dr Ooi Eng Eong, and Dr Subbarao also gave me plenty of freedom and support in conducting the experiments, so I was able to make good progress. The BSL3 training I received in DSO also allowed me to start the research project soon after my arrival at NIAID.”
Being part of a team conducting groundbreaking research, Gary has found it an exciting and beneficial journey thus far, especially in working with Dr Subbarao, who has vast experience in the research area of influenza virus and SARS coronavirus. “I have the opportunity to work with her team to examine the immune responses induced by live attenuated pandemic influenza vaccines in mice and monkeys. These vaccines are now in the evaluation stage with clinical human trials. It is a very fulfilling experience in knowing that our research might one day be used as a tool in fighting against possible future pandemics.”
Photo Caption
Gary (second from right) in a visit to the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. with post-doctoral fellows from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).