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Richard Yan-Do

I am a pharmacologist formally trained in islet biology and type 2 diabetes. I have industrial experience as a former Novo Nordisk-Oxford postdoctoral fellow, where I bridged computational biology with wet lab genetics. Applying my expertise in electrophysiology, molecular biology, and imaging, I cut my teeth in biomedical engineering by developing novel RNA biotechnologies, most recently for cancer therapy. I am a startup founder however my passion is for science and research.

Education

PhD in Pharmacology

University of Alberta, Canada
2013 - 2018

Patrick MacDonald Lab.

BSc with Specialization in Pharmacology

University of Alberta, Canada
2009 - 2013

Matthias Braun Lab.

Languages

  • English (Native)
  • Cantonese (Proficient)
  • Mandarin (Basic)

Interest

  • Pharmacology & Chemical Biology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Genetic Engineering
  • Calcium imaging & cellular networks
  • Islet biology & type 2 diabetes
  • Deep learning & computer vision

hobbies

  • 3D printing
  • Swimming
  • Climbing

Experiences

Postdoctoral Fellow

2021 - Present
Centre for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering (COCHE), HK

Peng Shi lab. Worked jointly between COCHE and the City University HK Department of Biomedical Engineering.

  • Engineered a RNA origami method to selectvely express pore proteins in cancer cells to enhance doxorubicin therapy.
  • Submitted a patent for a high speed, quantitative COVID mRNA detection method. Founded a start up company and secured start up funding from HKTECH 300 (100 000 HKD) and HKSTP IDEATION (100 000 HKD).
  • Contributed to biotechology/bioengineering projects related to DNA/RNA detection, siRNA delivery, and electrophysiology.

Novo Nordisk – Oxford Postdoctoral Fellow

2019 - 2021
University of Oxford, UK

Cecilia Lindgren Lab. Worked jointly between the Big Data Institute (BDI), the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, and the Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford (NNRCO).

Certifications

Fundamentals of Deep Learning for Computer Vision

2019
NVidia
NVidia

Hands-on workshop on training deep learning models from scratch.

Research

RNA origami biotechnology for alpha hemolsyin pore mediated doxorubicin cancer therapy

Designed RNA origami to selectively express alpha hemolysin in cancer cells to assist in doxorubicin mediated cell death.

Loss of function genetic screen

Initated CRISPR knockout screens to discover novel obesity genes. Contributed to siRNA screen to discover key cancer gene combinations .

Receptor/ion channel pharmacology for human pancreatic islets (Glycine and ATP receptors)

Investigated P2X and P2Y mechanism for stimulating insulin in human beta cells. Discovered glycine receptors in human beta cells and elucidated its mechanism in insulin secretiion. Received the Med Star Award (1000 CAD) for best publication.

Whole islet imaging from human donors

Investigate the calcium signalling dynamics in human pancreatic islets. This work was featured on the cover of Diabetes.

Patent

Highly Sensitive Micropore Assay for Rapid and Amplification Free Detection of COVID-19 mRNA - US Patent Application. No.63/716,325. Filed on 5 November 2024.

Selected Publications

*=co-first author

  • Single-cell encoded gene silencing for high-throughput combinatorial siRNA screening.
    • Guo F*, Ji X*, Xiong C, Sun H, Liang Z, Yan-Do R, Gai B, Gao F, Huang L, Li Z, Kuang BY, Shi P.
    Nature Communications. 2024 Nov 19;15(1):9985.
  • Self-Healing Electronics for Prognostic Monitoring of Methylated Circulating Tumor DNAs.
    • Fang P*, Ji X*, Zhao X, Yan-Do R, Wan Y, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Shi P.
    Advanced Materials. 2023 Feb;35(5):e2207282.
  • Ca2+ Oscillations, Waves, and Networks in Islets From Human Donors With and Without Type 2 Diabetes.
    • Gosak M*, Yan-Do R*, Lin H, MacDonald PE, Stožer A.
    Diabetes. 2022 Dec 1;71(12):2584-2596.
  • A Glycine-Insulin Autocrine Feedback Loop Enhances Insulin Secretion From Human β-Cells and Is Impaired in Type 2 Diabetes.
    • Yan-Do R, Duong E, Manning Fox JE, Dai X, Suzuki K, Khan S, Bautista A, Ferdaoussi M, Lyon J, Wu X, Cheley S, MacDonald PE, Braun M.
    Diabetes. 2016 Aug;65(8):2311-21.
  • Autocrine activation of P2Y1 receptors couples Ca (2+) influx to Ca (2+) release in human pancreatic beta cells.
    • Khan S*, Yan-Do R*, Duong E, Wu X, Bautista A, Cheley S, MacDonald PE, Braun M.
    Diabetologia. 2014 Dec;57(12):2535-45.

    Skills & Proficiency

    Electrophysiology

    Microscopy

    Molecular Biology

    Python & HPC

    Mouse handling

    Pymol & protein modeling