Biography:

Rossa Chiu is currently Professor at the Department of Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is also an Honorary Consultant Chemical Pathologist at the New Territories East Cluster of Hospitals. Prof Chiu attended medical school at the University of Queensland, Australia and was awarded Doctor of Philosophy by The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, the Hong Kong College of Pathologists and the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Pathology).

Prof Chiu’s research interests lie in the analysis of circulating nucleic acids found in human plasma. She has made significant contributions to the development of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis which led to the worldwide introduction of non-invasive plasma DNA tests for Down syndrome screening. Recently, she has been investigating the detection of cancer-derived DNA in human plasma with an aim to develop non-invasive blood tests for cancer detection.

To date, Prof Chiu has published over 120 peer-reviewed research articles and has 20 granted patents or patent applications. Prof Chiu has received a number of awards for her research, including the 2011 International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Young Investigator Award, the 2011 Professors’ Prize endowed by the Association of Academic Heads of Clinical Biochemistry Departments in the UK, the 2012 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education, the 2012 China Women in Science Fellowship, the 2013 Science and Technology Award for Chinese Youth and the 2013 American Association of Clinical Chemistry Outstanding Scientific Contributions for a Young Investigator. She was the President of the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Chemistry between 2003 and 2004.

Specialised Research Area(s):

• Development of non-invasive prenatal diagnostic approaches by maternal plasma DNA analysis• Development of cancer diagnostics by plasma nucleic acid analysis• Clinical applications of circulating nucleic acid analysis• Understanding of the biology of circulating nucleic acids• Development of novel molecular diagnostic strategies and innovative applications of molecular analysis tools

1. Lun, F. M., Chiu, R. W., Sun, K., Leung, T. Y., Jiang, P., & Chan, K. C. et al. (2013). Noninvasive prenatal methylomic analysis by genomewide bisulfite sequencing of maternal plasma DNA. Clinical Chemistry, 59(11), 1583-1594.

2. Stephanie, C. Y., Jiang, P., Choy, K. W., Chan, K. C., Won, H. S., Leung, W. C., …, & Chiu, R. W. (2013). Noninvasive prenatal molecular karyotyping from maternal plasma. Plos One, 8(4), 60968.

3. Qu, J. Z., Leung, T. Y., Jiang, P., Liao, G. J., Cheng, Y. K., Sun, H. & Chiu, R. W. et al. (2013). Noninvasive prenatal determination of twin zygosity by maternal plasma DNA analysis. Clinical Chemistry, 59(2), 427-435.

4. Chiu, R. W., Akolekar, R., Zheng, Y. W., Leung, T. Y., Sun, H., Chan, K. C., Lun, F. M., Go, A. T., Lau, E. T., To, W. W., Leung, W. C., Tang, R. Y., Au-Yeung, S. K., Lam, H., Kung, Y. Y., Zhang, X., van Vugt, J. M., Minekawa, R., Tang, M. H., Wang, J., Oudejans, C. B., Lau, T. K., Nicolaides, K. H., & Lo, Y. M. (2011). Non-invasive prenatal assessment of trisomy 21 by multiplexed maternal plasma DNA sequencing: large scale validity study. British Medical Journal, 342, c7401.

5. Lo, Y. M., Chan, K. C., Sun, H., Chen, E. Z., Jiang, P., Lun, F. M., Zheng, Y. W., Leung, T. Y., Lau, T. K., Cantor, C. R., & Chiu, R. W. (2010). Maternal plasma DNA sequencing reveals the genome-wide genetic and mutational profile of the fetus. Science Translational Medicine, 2(61), 61ra91.

6. Chiu, R. W., Chan, K. C., Gao, Y., Lau, V. Y., Zheng, W., Leung, T. Y., Foo, C. H., Xie, B., Tsui, N. B., Lun, F. M., Zee, B. C., Lau, T. K., Cantor, C. R., & Lo, Y. M. (2008). Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal chromosomal aneuploidy by massively parallel genomic sequencing of DNA in maternal plasma. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(51), 20458-20463.

7. Lo, Y. M., Tsui, N. B., Chiu, R. W., Lau, T. K., Leung, T. N., Heung, M. M., Gerovassili, A., Jin, Y., Nicolaides, K., Cantor, C. R. & Ding, C. (2007). Plasma placental RNA allelic ratio permits noninvasive prenatal chromosomal aneuploidy detection. Nature Medicine, 13(2), 218-223.

8. Ding, C., Chiu, R. W., Lau, T. K., Leung, T. N., Chan, L. C., Chan, A. Y., Charoenkwan, P., Ng, I. S., Law, H. Y., Ma, E. S., Xu, X., Wanapirak, C., Sanguansermsri, T., Liao, C., Ai, M. A., Chui, D. H., Cantor, C. R. & Lo, Y. M. (2004). MS analysis of single-nucleotide differences in circulating nucleic acids: Application to noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences of the United States of America, 101(29), 10762-10767.

9. Chinese SARS Molecular Epidemiology Consortium (2004). Molecular evolution of the SARS coronavirus during the course of the SARS epidemic in China. Science, 303(5664), 1666-1669.

10. Chiu, R. W., Lau, T. K., Leung, T. N., Chow, K. C., Chui, D. H. & Lo, Y. M. (2002). Prenatal exclusion of beta thalassaemia major by examination of maternal plasma. Lancet, 360(9338), 998-1000.