Yin Hoon Chew (she/her)

Postdoctoral Researcher

About

Yin Hoon initially trained in Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering where she learned how to model chemical plants and bioreactors. While working as a research assistant, she developed an interest in modelling biological systems, i.e. nature's very own biochemical plants. Since then, her research has been focused on integrating models of different formalisms to connect across processes and scales in biology, with the aims of understanding emergent behaviours and facilitating biodesign. As a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, she developed the Arabidopsis Framework Model that links the circadian gene network to carbon uptake and allocation, organ growth, and whole-plant development. Following that, she moved to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where she prototyped a whole-cell model of human embryonic stem cells that represents multiple subcellular processes. Her latest research at the University of Birmingham extends to integrating gene signalling and cell/tissue mechanics.

Research Themes

Research Projects

Living cells have the ability to sense their environment and respond by changing various properties including cell morphology. This is achieved through signalling pathways where series of biochemical reactions occur to eventually (de)activate the expression of genes that regulate the properties. Recent studies analysing single-cell image data have found a relationship between cell morphology and drug resistance in cancer cells but how they relate is largely unknown. Yin Hoon’s project aims to provide some mechanistic understanding of the relationship above so that we could improve drug efficacy. Specifically, she is developing a mathematical model that represents the relevant pathways and processes governing morphology and cell death.

Qualifications

Publications