Dr. Phyllis Siuwai TSANG

• NIDDK fellowship service awards (2008-2009 and 2009-2010), National Institutes of Health, USA
• Bronze Medal of the 1st Asia Exhibition of Inventions of Hong Kong (2018)
• Second Prize in The Innovation Nanshan “Entrepreneurs Star Contest” (2019)
• Silver Medal at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions 2022
• Excellence Award in IPIC Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Competition 2024

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Physiology
• Pathophysiology
• Microbiology

• Pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of acute and chronic pancreatitis
• Diabetes
• Fibrosis
• Raised scars
• Drug discovery and development of small molecules and herbal compounds

• PI: 04/2021-03/2022 [TSSSU/HKBU/20/02/2] Optimization of phytonutrient-based remedial fluid for the management of hypertrophic and keloidal scars 
• PI: 04/2020-03/2021 [TSSSU/HKBU/20/02/1] Phytonutrient-based remedial nano mist for the removal of hypertrophic scars 
• PI: 01/2019-12/2020 [GRF12101718] Modulation of membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase by 3,5,4`-trihydroxybibenzyl, an aromatic dihydrostilbene, against perpetual pancreatic stellate cell activation in pancreatogenic diabetes 
• PI: 08/2017-12/2019 [HMRF14150471] Use of ephemeranthoquinone, a naturally occurring phenanthraquinone, in the treatment of pancreatic fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis 
• PI: 01/2017-12/2020 [NSFC81673476] Use of rhein/gemcitabine combinatory treatment in suppressing the progression and metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma 
• PI: 06/2016-05/2018 [HMRF13144281] Use of dihydro-resveratrol, a natural stilbenoid, in the treatment of acute pancreatitis and associated pulmonary injury 
• PI: 01/2015-12/2017 [NSFC81400666 young scientists project] Eruberin A suppresses the activation of pancreatic stellate cells and chronic pancreatitis via down-regulating sonic hedgehog signaling 
• Co-I: 12/2018-11/2020 [RC-IG-FNRA/17-18/12 HKBU] To synthesize a compound library based on diterpenes from Isodon plants for control of colorectal carcinoma progression and metastasis 
• Co-I: 09/2017-08/2019 [ITS/254/16] Synthesis of acetal analogs of 11- oxo -flexicaulin A for control of cancer progression and metastasis Co-I: 09/2017-08/2019 [RC-IRMS/16-17/02 HKBU] Lanthanide folding single-chain polymeric nanoparticles-A smart drug delivery system for natural products

Publications (Selected from recent 5 years)

• So DHF, Chan JCY, Tsui MG, Tsang PSW , Yao KM* (2020) Secreted PDZD2 exerts an insulinotropic effect on INS-1E cells by a PKA-dependent mechanism. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 518: 111026
• Sarwar MS, Xia YX, Liang ZM, Tsang SW , Zhang HJ* (2020) Mechanistic pathways and molecular targets of plant-derived anticancer ent -kaurane diterpenes. Biomolecules 10(1): pii: E144
• Xia Y, Lam CS, Li W, Sarwar MS, Liu K, Lee KM, Zhang HJ*, Tsang SW * (2019) Flexicaulin A, an ent -kaurane diterpenoid, activates p21 and inhibits the proliferation of colorectal carcinoma cells through a non-apoptotic mechanism. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20(8): pii: E1917
• Xu XY # , Tsang SW # , Guan YF # , Liu KL, Pan WH, Lam CS, Lee KM, Xia YX, Xie WJ, Wong WY, Lee MML, Tai WCS, Zhang HJ* (2019) In vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of plant-derived miliusanes and their induction of cellular senescence. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 62(3): 1541-1561
• Wong HLX # , Qin HY # , Tsang SW , Zuo X, Che S, Chow CFW, Li X, Xiao HT, Zhao L, Huang T, Lin CY, Kwan HY, Yang T, Longo FM, Lyu A, Bian ZX* (2019) Early life stress disrupts intestinal homeostasis via NGF-TrkA signaling. Nature Communications 10(1): 1745
• Xia Y # , Xiao HT # , Liu KL, Zhang HJ*, Tsang SW * (2018) Resveratrol ameliorates the severity of fibrogenesis in mice with experimental chronic pancreatitis. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research 62(16): e1700561
• Zhu Y # , Pan WH # , Ku CF, Zhang HJ*, Tsang SW * (2018) Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel dihydrostilbene derivatives as potential anti-melanogenic skin-protecting agents. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 143: 1254-1260
• Sarwar MS, Zhang HJ, Tsang SW * (2018) Perspectives of plant natural products in inhibition of cancer invasion and metastasis by regulating multiple signaling pathways. Current Medicinal Chemistry 25(38): 5057-5087
• Guo L # , Tsang SW # , Zhang TX, Liu KL, Guan YF, Wang B, Sun HD, Zhang HJ*, Wong MS* (2017) Efficient semisynthesis of (−)-pseudoirroratin A from (−)-flexicaulin A and assessment of their antitumor activities. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters 8(3): 372-376.

Patents (Selected from recent 5 years)

• US10493056B2 (12/2019) Method of use of diterpenoid derivatives as anticancer agents – CIP 
• US10351500B2 (07/2019) Method of using dihydro-resveratrol or its stilbenoid derivatives and/or chemical variants as antimicrobial agents
• US10188590B2 (01/2019) Skin-protection composition containing Dendrobium-based ingredients – CIP 
• US10017442B2 (07/2018) Method of using dihydro-resveratrol or its stilbenoid derivatives and/or chemical variants in treatment of tumorous pathologies
• US9956152B2 (05/2018) Skin-protection composition containing Dendrobium-based ingredients HK1206618 (05/2018) 一种用于治疗炎症性肠病的中草药配方及其制备方法
• CN201410210304.0 (04/2018) 黄烷醇糖苷在抑制星状细胞活化上的应用
• US9877931B2 (01/2018) Method of using dihydro-resveratrol or its stilbenoid derivatives and/or chemical variants in treatments of fibrotic and diabetic conditions – CIP

• Project reviewer (2018 and 2019) of NSFC (China) - Young Scientists Projects