Catherine Hong Huan Hor

Dr. Hor’s first scientific training began as a research assistant at the National University of Singapore, working in a molecular neurobiology lab under the guidance of Professor Bor Luen TANG. She then pursued her PhD majoring in developmental genetics at The University of Hong Kong, studying mouse hindbrain neural tube patterning and Hedgehog signaling under the supervision of Professor Mai Har SHAM and Professor Chi Chung HUI at the Department of Biochemistry. Upon graduation, she joined Dr. Eyleen Goh LK's lab at Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore as a postdoctoral research fellow, pursuing research topics in the realm of developmental and regenerative neuroscience.

In 2018, Dr. Hor obtained her first independent research grant, which is a prestigious and competitive national level research fund for young investigator-Young Individual Research Grand (YIRG) funded by the Ministry of Health, Singapore. In 2019, Catherine joined HKBU and established her lab at HKBU as a faculty member of the Department of Chemistry. In 2020, Dr. Hor was awarded one of the most competitive major research grant in Hong Kong, Collaborative Research Fund (CRF), in which she leads a team of international scientists from Hong Kong, Singapore and mainland China to investigate the cellular and neurobiology of viral infection.

Her research strives to understand the molecular and cellular pathology of hereditary neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, with particular interest in deciphering the neurochemistry and neurological roles of an under-appreciated but instrumental cell-cell signaling organelle, the primary cilium. Her current projects involve mouse disease models, and human induced-pluripotent stem cells disease modeling of ciliopathy-like disorders. Her cross-disciplinary collaborative projects with local and international scientists focus on the development of non-invasive biomarkers and therapeutics targeting pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders.

Educational Background

• B.Sc.(Hons), UTAR
• Ph.D., The University of Hong Kong
• Postdoctoral: Duke-NUS Medical School

Selected Publications

• CHH Hor*, JCW Lo, ALS Cham, WY Leong, and ELK. Goh* (2021). Multifaceted functions of Rab23 on primary cilium and Hedgehog signaling-mediated granule cell proliferation. Journal of Neuroscience.41(32), 6850-6863 *Co-corresponding author. Cover page article.
• CHH Hor and EL Goh (2019) Small GTPases in Hedgehog signaling: emerging insights into the disease mechanism of ciliopathies. Current Opinion in Genetics & Development. 56, 61-68
• CW Tan, CHH Hor, SS Kwek, IC Sam, YF Chan, EL Goh, EE Ooi, LF Wang. (2019) Cell surface α2,3-linked sialic acid facilitates Zika virus internalization. Emerging Microbes and Infections. 8 (1), 426-437
• CHH Hor and BL Tang. (2019) Beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN) as a genetically simple model of multifaceted neuropathology resulting from defects in autophagy. Reviews in the neurosciences. 30(3), 261-277
• CHH Hor and EL Goh (2018) Rab23 regulates radial migration of projection neurons via N-cadherin. Cerebral Cortex, 28(4), 1516-1531. Cover page article.
• CHH Hor*, BL Tang and EL Goh* (2018) Rab23 and developmental disorders. Reviews in the neurosciences. 29 (8) 849-860 *Co-corresponding author
• W Pan, HH Hor, CC Hui, MH Sham (2017) Regulation of mammalian hindbrain neural progenitor proliferation and differentiation by Suppressor of fused and β-catenin. Mechanisms of Dev 145, S123
• CHH Hor, H Liou and EL Goh (2017) Rab23 Regulates Radial Migration of Projection Neurons via PDGFRα-Mediated Expression of N-cadherin. Mechanisms of Dev 145, S118.
• T Ng, CH Hor, B Chew, J Zhao, Z Zhong, JR Ryu, and EL Goh (2016) Neuropilin 2 signaling is involved in cell positioning of adult-born neurons through GSK3b. J Biol. Chem., 291(48): 25088-25095.
• Y Chen, HH Hor and BL Tang (2012) AMIGO is expressed in multiple brain cell types and may regulate dendritic growth and neuronal survival. J Cell Physiol. 227(5), 2217-2229.
• CH Hor and BL Tang (2010) Sonic hedgehog as a chemoattractant for adult NPCs. Cell Adh Migr. 4(1), 1-3.
• FYH Teng, CHH Hor and BL Tang BL. (2009) Emerging cues mediating astroglia lineage restriction of progenitor cells in the injured/diseased adult CNS. Differentiation 77, 121–127.