Dr. Judy Wai-ping YAM

Award Citation

Professor YAM Judy Wai-ping currently holds a position of Professor at the Department of Pathology at The University of Hong Kong. She is also a Principal Investigator at the State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, which is affiliated with the same university. With a primary focus on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis, she employs a multidisciplinary approach to integrate basic science research with clinical studies to investigate the intricate dynamics of HCC metastasis. Her recent research involves the study of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), which play a significant role in intercellular communication. She has made substantial contributions to the understanding of the mechanistic role of sEVs in liver cancer. Her research has revealed previously unrecognized functions and pathways associated with sEVs, shedding light on their importance in HCC progression. She has also successfully identified sEV cargos that hold promise as diagnostic markers for HCC. Leveraging her findings, she has developed an inhibitory reagent to block sEV activity, presenting a potential therapeutic strategy to mitigate the malignant characteristics of liver cancer. Her accomplishments in the field have been recognized through various awards and honors. In 2010, she received the Outstanding Young Researcher Award from The University of Hong Kong, followed by the Faculty Outstanding Research Output Award in 2022. Most recently, she has been awarded the RGC Research Fellow. Professor YAM is currently leading an RFS project that focuses on investigating the role of exomere, a subset of non-membranous extracellular nanoparticles, in HCC development and metastasis. This project aims to unravel the contributions of cancer cell-derived exomere in driving HCC and may provide crucial insights for early detection, prevention, and effective treatment of HCC patients.