Thomas Fung

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT THOMAS FUNG

I am an accomplished academic and industry research scientist with 12+ years of experience in cellular immunology, immune-oncology and microbiome. In my PhD work, I discovered that defined members of the gut microbiome can trigger host-beneficial, dendritic cell- and T cell-mediated immune pathways. These findings are directly applicable to chronic inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. As a post-doctoral fellow, I identified a relationship between the gut microbiome, serotonergic system, and systemic lipid homeostasis. My findings have important therapeutic implications for metabolic dysfunction in humans. Following academic training, I continued my passion for host-microbiome research in the drug development industry. At Federation Bio, I identified approaches using engineered gut and skin microbes to modulate the host immune system for therapeutic benefit. As the biology team lead, I worked closely with synthetic microbiologists to develop key cellular assays to assess the immunomodulatory potential of various engineered microbes. Currently, I am a research immunologist at Nurix Therapeutics, working in a multi-disciplinary setting with medicinal chemists, cancer biologists and bioinformaticians to develop small molecule therapeutics that promote targeted protein degradation. My goal is to harness the host ubiquitin-proteasome and immune systems develop potent and safe treatments for chronic human conditions.