CSI Congratulates the Recipients of the ASH Abstract Achievement Award!

Congratulations to Dr. Nurulhuda Binte Mustafa, a CSI Senior Research Fellow and Ms. Sinan Xiong, a CSI PhD student on receiving the ASH Abstract Achievement Award!

The American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world’s largest professional society of hematologists, presents awards during its annual meetings to support hematologists in their careers and to honour those who have helped advance the field of hematology. The ASH Abstract Achievement Award is a merit-based award for trainees who are the first author and presenter of a high-scoring annual meeting abstract.

Dr. Nurulhuda from Prof. Chng Wee Joo’s group shares the inspiration behind her team’s work:

“At the beginning, we sought to pre-clinically evaluate if Daratumumab, a CD38 monoclonal antibody which demonstrates deep and durable clinical responses in Multiple Myeloma can also be effectively applied in NK/T Cell Lymphoma – a rare and aggressive malignancy predominant in the Asian region. This study led to the understanding of the determinants of response to the antibody as well as uncovered the potential role of exosomes in mediating therapeutic resistance.”

Ms. Sinan Xiong, a CSI PhD student under the mentorship of Prof. Chng Wee Joo and Dr. Zhou Jianbiao, had previously been conferred the IMS Young Investigator Award at the 18th International Myeloma Workshop (IMW 2021) by the International Myeloma Society for the same abstract.

She shares her experience on her research journey:

“Studying a novel oncogene in multiple myeloma has been a challenging yet rewarding experience for me, as my mentors encourage me to think critically about the research questions while appreciating my every step forward.”

The 63rd ASH Annual meeting will be held at Atlanta, Georgia from 11-14 Dec 2021.