Kenneth Pang

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Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar

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“The sequencing of the human genome was completed in 2001 amid much fanfare. However, even today, scientists remain a long way from unravelling its mysteries. One of the greatest puzzles we face is that the vast majority of the genome seems to have no function. Could all this so-called ‘junk DNA’ really be useless?”

Dr Ken Pang has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarship to conduct research at Harvard University’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Ken, a medical and PhD graduate from the University of Melbourne, is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Melbourne.

“During my doctoral research we found that ‘junk DNA’ does in fact serve a purpose - that purpose is to make a molecule called ribonucleic acid (RNA). What remains unclear is what most of this RNA is doing in our bodies.”

At Harvard, Ken will work with Professor Craig Hunter’s laboratory on the project Intercellular RNA transport in mammals: function and significance. Professor Hunter’s laboratory has played a leading role in the discovery and characterisation of proteins involved in the transport of RNA between cells.

“No other lab has the necessary resources, expertise and intellectual environment to allow me to effectively carry out my proposed research. My project will study whether cells are sending RNA signals to one another, and will explore the biological significance of this previously unrecognized form of communication.”

Ken also explains that RNA potently turns off genes once inside cells: “This raises the exciting possibility of using synthetic RNA as a new treatment for a wide range of diseases, but we still do not properly understand how best to deliver RNA into cells. I will use mouse models to study how RNA is transported across cells, and ultimately this should aid the development of effective RNA-based drugs.”

Ken completed his PhD (2007), his Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (1998), and his Bachelor of Medical Science (1995), all at the University of Melbourne. He has a number of achievements to his name, including being Valedictorian of his medical class at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1998 and becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2008.

During his PhD, Ken made significant discoveries in the fields of genetics and immunology, published 14 articles (including two in the prestigious journal Science), and received multiple awards, including the 2006 Victorian Premier’s Commendation for Medical Research.