School of Biomedical Sciences
生物醫學學院
The Chinese University of Hong Kong 香港中文大學

Prof. FOK Kin Lam Ellis


Ellis FokAssociate Professor

Telephone:  3943 9986 

Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Address:

 624A, Lo Kwee-Seong Integrated Biomedical Sciences Building, Area 39, CUHK

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3038-1337

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biography

Prof. FOK Kin Lam Ellis (霍建霖) obtained his Ph.D. in physiology from the School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS), The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2009. He continued his research after graduation and then moved to the Department of Medicine, McGill University in Canada as Post-doc Fellow in 2012. He joined SBS as a Research Assistant Professor in 2015, and he became an Assistant Professor in 2017. 

Dr. Fok’s research mainly focuses on male reproduction and germline stem cell biology. His previous researches have uncovered the functions of a number of genes in spermatogenesis. He has also studied the sperm maturation process in detail and uncovered the dual role of a small peptide human β-defensin 1 in regulating the motility and bactericidal activity of sperm. During his training at McGill University, Dr. Fok has also looked into the biology of spermatogonial stem cells and revealed the involvement of a ubiquitin ligase in regulating the establishment and maintenance of spermatogonial stem cells. Over the years, Dr. Fok has published over 30 peer-review articles in decent journals including Science Translational Medicine and Cell Research. Dr. Fok has served as an invited reviewer for international journals and a grant reviewer for overseas funding bodies. He is also the review editor for the Frontiers journals.

 

Notice:

Dr. Fok’s lab is seeking an enthusiastic postgraduate student to work on projects related to reproductive biology and male infertility. The candidate will join a vibrant school that offers state-of-the-art facilities for research and all-round training for different career paths. Interested candidate should send a CV to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

  1. Biology of spermatogonial stem cells, spermatogenesis and sperm functions.
  2. Etiology and therapeutic regimen of male infertility and related diseases.
  3. Male contraception.
  1. Li, X.#, Yuan, C.#, Shi, J.#, Kang, H., Chen, Y., Duan, Y., Jin, J., Cheung, L.P., Li, T.C., Liu, Y., Cui, Y., Ruan, Y.C., Jiang, X., Cai, Z., Chan, H.C., Liu, J*, Zeng X*, Chen H*, & Fok, K.L.* (2022). β-defensin 19/119 mediates sperm chemotaxis and is associated with idiopathic infertility. Cell Reports Medicine, 20;3(12):100825, doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100825.
  2. Chan, C.Y., Wan, C.W.T., Law, T.Y.S., Chan, D.Y.L.*, & Fok, K.L.* (2022). The Sperm Small RNA Transcriptome: Implications beyond Reproductive Disorder. International Journal of Molecular Science, 23(24), 15716; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415716.
  3. Jin, J.#, Li, X.#, Ye, M., Qiao, F., Chen, H.*, & Fok, K.L.* (2022). Defb19 regulates the migration of germ cell and is involved in male fertility. Cell & Bioscience, 22; 12(1) 188. PMID: 36414976.
  4. Choy, K.H.K.#, Chan, S.Y.#, Lam, W.#, Jin, J., Zheng, T., Yu, S.S., Wang, W., Li, L., Xie, G., Chen, H., & Fok, K.L. (2022). The repertoire of testicular extracellular vesicles cargoes and their involvement in inter-compartmental communication associated with spermatogenesis. BMC Biology, 20:(1), 1-16. PMID: 35351114.
  5. Chen, H.#*, Shi, X.#*, Diao, R., Jin, J., Qiu, Z., Li, C., Yu, M.K., Li, X., Wang, C., Li, X., Li, F., Chan, D.Y.L., Zhao, A.Z., Gui, Y., Cai, Z., Chan, H.C., & Fok, K.L.* (2022). CD147 deficiency is associated with impaired sperm motility/acrosome reaction and offers a therapeutic target for asthenozoospermia. Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids, 2021 26:1374-1386. PMID: 34900396.
  6. Shi, J.#, Fok, K.L.#, Dai, P.#, Qiao, F., Zhang, M., Liu, H., Sang, M., Ye, M., Liu, Y., Zhou, Y., Wang, C., Sun, F. *, Xie, G.*, & Chen, H.* (# equal contributions). (2021) Spatial-temporal landscape of mouse epididymal cells and specific mitochondria-rich segment defined by large-scale single-cell RNAseq. Cell Discovery, 18;7(1):34. PMID: 34001862.
  7. Chen, Z., Li, X., Jin, J, Zhou, W., Chen, J., & Fok, K.L. (2020) Connective tissue growth factor mediates spermatogonial migration associated with differentiation. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (Molecular Cell Research, 1867(7): 118708. PMID: 32240712.
  8. Li, F., Han J., Cao, T., Lam, W., Fan, B., Tang, W., Chen, S., Fok, K.L.*, & Li, L.* (2019). Design of self-assembly dipeptide hydrogels and machine learning via their chemical features. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 116 (23), 11259-11264.
  9. Li, X.#, Fok, K.L.#, Guo, J., Wang, Y., Liu, Z., Chen, Z., Wang, C., Ruan, Y.C., Yu, S.S., Zhao, H., Wu, J., Jiang, X., & Chan, H.C. (2018). Retinoic acid promotes stem cell differentiation and embryonic development by transcriptionally activating CFTR. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1865(4), 605-615.
  10. Fok, K.L.#, Bose, R.#, Sheng, K., Chang, C.W., Katz-Egorov, M., Culty, M., Su, S., Yang, M., Ruan, Y.C., Chan, H.C., Iavarone, A., Lasorella, A., Cencic, R., Pelletier, J., Nagano, M., Xu, W., & Wing, S.S. (2017). Huwe1 Regulates the Establishment and Maintenance of Spermatogonia by Suppressing DNA Damage Response. Endocrinology, doi: 10.1210/en.2017-00396. PMID:28938460.
  11. Diao, R.＃, Fok, K.L.＃, Chen, H., Yu, M.K., Duan, Y., Chung, C.M., Li, Z., Wu, H., Li, Z., Zhang, H., Ji, Z., Zhen, W., Ng, C.F., Gui, Y., Cai, Z., & Chan, H.C. (2014). Deficient human β-defensin 1 underlies male infertility associated with poor sperm motility and genital tract infection. Science Translational Medicine, 6(249), 249ra108. PMID:25122636.
  12. Guo, J.H., Chen, H., Ruan, Y.C., Zhang, X.L., Zhang, X.H., Fok, K.L., Tsang, L.L., Yu, M.K., Huang, W.Q., Sun, X., Chung, Y.W., Jiang, X., Sohma, Y., & Chan, H.C. (2014). Glucose-induced electrical activities and insulin secretion in pancreatic islet β-cells are modulated by CFTR. Nature Communications, 5, 4420. PMID:25025956.
  13. Fok, K.L., Chen, H., Ruan, Y.C., & Chan, H.C. (2014). Novel regulators of spermatogenesis (Review). Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 29, 31-42. PMID:24594193.
  14. Fok, K.L.＃, Chung, C.M.＃, Yi, S.Q., Jiang, X., Sun, X., Chen, H., Chen, Y.C., Kung, H.F., Tao, Q., Diao, R., Chan, H., Zhang, X.H., Chung, Y.W., Cai, Z., & Chang, Chan H. (2012). STK31 maintains the undifferentiated state of colon cancer cells. Carcinogenesis, 33(11), 2044-2053. PMID:22828137.
  15. Ruan, Y.C., Guo, J.H., Liu, X., Zhang, R., Tsang, L.L., Dong, J.D., Chen, H., Yu, M.K., Jiang, X., Zhang, X.H., Fok, K.L., Chung, Y.W., Huang, H., Zhou, W.L., & Chan, H.C. (2012). Activation of the epithelial Na+ channel triggers prostaglandin E₂ release and production required for embryo implantation. Nature Medicine, 18(7), 1112-1117. PMID:22729284.
  16. Lu, Y.C.＃, Chen, H.＃, Fok, K.L.＃, Tsang, L.L., Yu, M.K., Zhang, X.H., Chen, J., Jiang, X., Chung, Y.W., Ma, A.C., Leung, A.Y., Huang, H.F., & Chan, H.C. (2012). CFTR mediates bicarbonate-dependent activation of miR-125b in preimplantation embryo development. Cell Research, 22(10), 1453-1466. PMID:22664907.
  17. Chen, H.＃, Fok, K.L.＃, Jiang, X., Jiang, J., Chen, Z., Gui, Y., Chan, H.C., Cai, Z. (2012). CD147 regulates apoptosis in mouse spermatocytes but not spermatogonia. Human Reproduction, 27(6), 1568-1576. PMID:22451502.


    18. * Co-corresponding author 
    # Co-first author
  1. TRS-RGC- General Research Fund [Co-PI; 01-Jan-22 to 31-Dec-26]: "Stem cell-niche interactions in tissue maintenance and engineering" (HK$66,438,000).
  2. HMRF- Health and Medical Research Fund [Co-Applicant; 01-Sep-20 to 31-Aug-22]: "A pilot study on semen metagenomics, and spent culture media of patients undergoing conventional IVF treatment" (HK$1,207,102).
  3. Health and Medical Research Fund [PI; 31-Sep-19 to 30-Sep-21]: "Extracellular CD147 as a Diagnostic Marker for Defective Acrosome Reactin in Asthenozoospermia Men and Idopathic Infertility" (HK$1,324,076).
  4. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [PI; 1-Jan-18 to 31-Dec-19]: "泛素E3連接酶HUWE1維持精原幹細胞的作用機制研究" (RMB250,000).
  5. RGC - General Research Fund [PI; 01-Jan-17 to 31-Dec-19]: "Novel Role of CD147 in Sperm Functions and the Underlying Mechanism" (HK$701,195).
  6. RGC - General Research Fund [PI; 01-Jan-17 to 30-Jun-20]: "Involvement of CFTR in the retinoic acid-induced differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells" (HK$929,050).
  7. RGC - General Research Fund [PI; 01-Oct-15 to 30-Sep-18]: "CCR6 as a CatSper-associated protein in mediating progesterone-induced Ca2+ influx in human sperm and its association with male infertility" (HK$1,197,061).