About Professorship Program
Tanoto Foundation partners with SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre to establish Professorships and Research Initiatives in the areas of Diabetes, Medical Oncology and Cardiovascular Medicine.
Current Awardees
Professorship in Medical Oncology: Professor Lim Soon Thye
Professor Lim Soon Thye’s research focuses on T-cell and NK-cell lymphomas because they are more common in Asia compared to the West and are more fatal than B-cell lymphomas, yet they are less well studied and treatment options are currently limited.
His discovery of genetic mutations associated with T and NK-cell lymphomas has opened up a potential new treatment that targets genetic mutations and reactivates the body’s natural defenses to fight lymphoma cells. He will also continue with epidemiological studies where several of his diagnostic and algorithmic platforms, when validated, can be incorporated into routine clinical workflows in hospital systems.
Professorship in Diabetes Research: Professor Wang Yibin
Professor Wang Yibin’s research on genetic and molecular mechanisms of complex diseases has led to the discovery of key regulators in branched-chain amino acid metabolism, offering novel therapeutic strategies for diabetes, heart failure, and metabolic disorders. His findings have contributed to new clinical trials and drug development efforts targeting these conditions.
Professor Wang Yibin specializes in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, with a focus on the genetic basis of heart failure, obesity, and fatty liver disease. His lab has uncovered stress-induced molecular networks that drive the progression of fatty liver, a major diabetes risk factor in Asian populations.
Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine: Professor Stuart Cook (November 2012 – March 2025)
A recipient of the President’s Technology Award in Singapore in 2018, Professor Stuart Cook is a leading cardiovascular research expert, having done extensive work in human genetics, heart muscle disease and cardiac imaging. His research has led to the identification of new genes and pathways for heart disease, for better therapeutic targets.
Professor Stuart Cook led a study in Singapore to find out whether mutations in the titin gene are responsible for heart muscle weakness in Asians. This discovery catalyzed the development of a commercially available, next-generation test kit. The heart-testing device he helped to create in Singapore is used by 10,000 patients a year all over the world.
