Rate My Professor Elly Ngan

Professor Elly Sau-Wai Ngan is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 1995 and her PhD from The University of Hong Kong in 2000. After completing postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA, under a Croucher Foundation fellowship, she joined the Department of Surgery at HKU in 2004. She progressed through the ranks, serving as Assistant Professor from 2009 to 2015, Associate Professor from 2015, and was appointed full Professor. Ngan has been principal investigator on 15 major research grants totaling HK$12.84 million and co-principal investigator on collaborative grants worth HK$74.96 million, including the Theme-based Research Scheme and University-Industry Collaboration Programme.

Her research specializes in molecular and cellular biology, disease modeling, and neural crest cell development, with a focus on Hirschsprung disease and neuroblastoma. She has developed human pluripotent stem cell-based models, including iPSC and organoids, to investigate the functional impacts of Hirschsprung-associated mutations on enteric nervous system development. Key publications include 'Correction of Hirschsprung-associated Mutations in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells via CRISPR/Cas9, Restores Neural Crest Cell Function' (Gastroenterology, 2017), 'Identification of GLI Mutations in Patients with Hirschsprung Disease That Disrupt Enteric Nervous System Development in Mice' (Gastroenterology, 2015), 'Prokineticin signaling is required for the maintenance of a de novo population of c-KIT+ cells to sustain neuroblastoma progression' (Oncogene, 2015), and 'Hedgehog/Notch-induced premature gliogenesis represents a new disease mechanism for Hirschsprung disease in mice and humans' (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2011). With 63 publications in high-impact journals such as PNAS, JCI, and Oncogene, her work has garnered over 3,000 citations. Ngan serves as an editor for Scientific Reports, chairs international meetings, reviews for over 20 journals and grant agencies, and delivered a keynote lecture at the Nobel Forum of Karolinska Institute.