Three Distinguished SKLMP Scientists Awarded 2024 NSFC Funding

Congratulations to the three distinguished scientists who have been awarded funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for 2024. They are SKLMP Members Prof. Wenxiong Wang and Prof. Chun Kit Kwok, as well as our research associate Dr. Mengyang Liu.

Prof. Wenxiong Wang's project "The biokinetic behaviors and environmental toxicity effects of micro-/nano-plastics in typical biological functional groups" has been granted funding as a "Key Programme". Microplastic pollution has emerged as one of the significant environmental issues nowadays. Prof. Wang will develop various innovative technologies to investigate microplastics in typical marine organisms of different functional groups and look into the environmental risks posed by these microplastics in marine ecosystems.

Prof. Chun Kit Kwok's project "Development of novel RNA GQuadruplex (rG4)-PROTAC chimeras for rG4 binding protein degradation and gene regulation" has been funded as a "General Programme." Prof. Kwok aims to develop a series of chemical and molecular tools to interfere with rG4-G4BP interactions. This study will promote the development of PROTAC technology based on the secondary structure of nucleic acid, and provide a new avenue to study rG4-G4BP interaction and diseases caused by dysregulated rG4-binding protein.

Dr. Mengyang Liu's project " Processes and Mechanisms of Ocean-Current Regulation on the Fate of PAHs in the Upper Western Pacific Ocean", has received the "Young Scientist Fund". Dr. Liu focuses on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of toxic semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). This study endeavors to investigate the role of ocean currents in regulating PAH behaviors, enhance the understanding of the oceanic source-sink dynamics of PAHs with hydrological processes, and contribute to the development of marine carbon sinks.