Chris Sham

Dr. Chris Sham is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the National University of Singapore (NUS), affiliated with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of capsular polysaccharide (CPS) synthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major respiratory pathogen. Key areas include glycan biosynthesis, bacterial cell envelope biogenesis, and antibiotic resistance mechanisms.

Dr. Sham holds a PhD from Indiana University Bloomington (USA), and M.Phil. and B.Sc. degrees from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His lab, the Bacterial Cell Envelope and Antibiotic Development (BCEAD) Laboratory, investigates CPS synthesis pathways, flippase functions, and systems biology approaches to identify therapeutic targets.

Current projects involve high-throughput screening for CPS biosynthesis inhibitors, flippase substrate specificity, and spatiotemporal coordination between cell wall and capsule assembly. The lab employs genetics, biochemistry, and cell biology techniques to address these questions.

Team members include postdoctoral fellows (Justin Joseph Zik, Chua Wan Zhen), graduate students (Ng Jun Wei Clement, Fu Zeyu, Tan Si Yin), and undergraduate researchers. The lab is located at MD4, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore.

Research outputs emphasize translational potential, aiming to develop novel vaccines and antimicrobial strategies against pneumococcal infections. Ongoing work explores glycoengineering applications and systems biology insights from genetic interaction studies.