Prof. Won Fen Wong: Mitochondrial & Bioenergetic Impairment in Exhausted CD8 T Cells in HIV Viremia

Описание: Prof. Wong explores how T cell metabolism drives immune function, focusing on CD8⁺ T cells during HIV infection. She explains how energy generation via mitochondria and glycolysis supports T cell activation, and how chronic infection can lead to T cell exhaustion with impaired mitochondrial and glycolytic function. The presentation highlights differences between treatment responders and non-responders, emphasizing the challenge of restoring exhausted T cells. Potential strategies to reinvigorate these cells for better antiviral immunity are also discussed.

Biography:
Won Fen Wong received a Monbukagakusho: MEXT scholarship and completed her Master’s (2007) and Ph.D. (2010) in immunology at Tohoku University, Japan, under supervision of Professor Masanobu Satake. She did postdoctoral research under Japanese Society Promotion of Science (JSPS) fellowship before serving as faculty member at the Department of Medical Microbiology, Universiti Malaya. She was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar (2018) and has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, with an h-index of 35 and more than 5,200 citations. Prof. Wong’s research focuses on the human immune system, particularly in host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation, and inflammation. Her work integrates molecular and cellular techniques to investigate immunopathogenesis in bacterial infections particularly Chlamydia trachomatis. She is also deeply involved in exploring T and B cell biology, immune activation and exhaustion, and autoimmune mechanisms, with the aim of developing novel immunotherapeutic strategies.