News

Under the support of the National Medical Research Council (NMRC), A/Prof. Victor Yu and his research team have been investigating the function of Modulator of Apoptosis-1 (MAP-1, but is now referred to as MOAP-1) protein, which was first identified by his team in 2001, using mouse model systems. His team recently reported MOAP-1 is a critical regulator for acute hepatitis triggered by activation of a cell suicide program. A/Prof. Yu has just secured a further $1.3 million grant from the NMRC to support their research programme on MOAP-1.

With this grant, A/Prof. Yu and his team intend to further explore the roles of MOAP-1 in regulating the physiological functions of the liver and to study its effect on the pathological development of certain liver diseases. Specifically, they will undertake studies to examine the roles of MOAP-1 in acute liver failures which are triggered by different classes of liver toxins. They will also be studying the roles of MOAP-1 in liver cancer development. As MOAP-1 is regulated by enzyme-linked mechanisms, cell-based screens can be devised to identify small chemical compounds that can modulate protein levels of MOAP-1 in the liver.

(Source: https://www.science.nus.edu.sg/research-highlights/1716-hope-for-liver-failure-patient)