Rate My Professor Chen-Yi (James) Cheung

Chen-Yi (James) Cheung serves as an Assistant Research Fellow in the Cook Laboratory within the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Division of Health Sciences, at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He earned his Master of Science in Microbiology and Postgraduate Diploma in Science from the University of Otago, completing his MSc thesis titled 'Sodium Channel Blocking Activity in Coliforms' from March 2009 to May 2010. Cheung was appointed as a Senior Teaching Fellow in 1994 within the School of Biomedical Sciences, where he has contributed to teaching microbiology and immunology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for nearly three decades. Transitioning into research-focused roles, he has served as a Fellow since January 2012 in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, with expertise in laboratory techniques such as cell culture, DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis, protein purification, SDS-PAGE, Western blot analysis, and immunofluorescence.

Cheung's research focuses on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms of action and new drug development targeting mycobacteria, particularly examining bacterial energetics, respiratory complexes, and drug efflux pumps in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. His investigations utilize advanced methodologies including cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), CRISPR interference, and remission spectroscopy. Key publications include 'Remission spectroscopy resolves the mechanism of action of bedaquiline within living mycobacteria' (Nature Communications, 2025), 'Cryo-EM of native membranes reveals an intimate connection between the Krebs cycle and aerobic respiration in mycobacteria' (2025), 'The evolution of antibiotic resistance is associated with collateral sensitivity to pyrazinamide' (Nature Communications, 2023), 'A dual-targeting succinate dehydrogenase and F1Fo-ATP synthase inhibitor rapidly sterilizes replicating and non-replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis' (Cell Chemical Biology, 2023), 'Phenotypic-based Discovery and Exploration of a Resorufin Scaffold with Activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis' (2024), 'Utilization of CRISPR interference to investigate the contribution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis respiratory complexes to intrinsic drug tolerance' (Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2021), and 'Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Aurachin D Analogues as Inhibitors of the Mycobacterial Respiratory Cytochrome bd Oxidase' (ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2022). As a member of the Otago Bacterial Energetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Group, which received the 2017 University of Otago Research Group Award, Cheung's work provides critical insights into mycobacterial physiology and novel antitubercular strategies.