Wai-Hong Tham

Britishfinance: Adding short description: "Malaysian microbiologist" (Shortdesc helper)

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'''Wai-Hong Tham''' is a [[Malaysia|Malaysian]] associate professor at the [[University of Melbourne]] and the [[Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research]] ('''WEHI'''), and joint head of the division of [[Infectious Disease]] and [[Immune defense|Immune Defense]].<ref name=":0">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name=":4">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> She researches the [[molecular biology]] of the [[malaria]] parasite ''[[Plasmodium vivax]]''.

==Biography==

Tham was awarded her BA at [[University of California, Berkeley]] and her PhD at [[Princeton University]] with [[Virginia Zakian]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

In 2018, Tham's lab proved that the ''P. vivax'' reticulocyte-binding protein binds the human [[transferrin receptor 1]] protein in order to invade early [[Red blood cell|red blood cells]] ([[Reticulocyte|reticulocytes]]).<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref></ref> The same year, following on from this work, Tham's lab published a [[Cryogenic electron microscopy|cryo-EM]] structure of the two proteins complexed together.<ref name=":2">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name=":3"></ref><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 2, expected 1)</ref> This structure showed where [[antibody]] binding sites can obstruct the interaction and prevent host cell invasion.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

Tham was named a [[Howard Hughes Medical Institute]]-[[Wellcome Trust]] International Research scholar in 2017.<ref name=":1" /><ref></ref><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> In 2018 the WEHI institute awarded Tham the Burnet Prize for work on the binding of ''P. vivax'' parasites and [[Red blood cell|red blood cells]], and the University of Melbourne awarded her the [[David Syme Research Prize]].<ref name=":4" /><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> In 2019 Tham was a member of a team of ''P. vivax'' researchers from WEHI awarded the [[Eureka Prizes|Australian Museum Eureka Prize]].<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The 2020 International Prize from the [[Biochemical Society]] was awarded to Tham.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

== References ==





[[Category:Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research staff]]
[[Category:Princeton University alumni]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]]
[[Category: Malariologists]]
[[Category:Malaysian women scientists]]
[[Category:Malaysian parasitologists]]

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