Rate My Professor Kevin Ly

Dr. Kevin Ly is a Research Fellow in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine within the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago. He holds an MSc and a PhD from the University of Otago, where he completed his doctoral research in 2018 with a thesis titled 'Investigation of RING domain E3 ubiquitin ligases in regulation of delta epithelial sodium channel (δENaC) activity.' During his graduate studies, Dr. Ly contributed to research on the regulation of epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) through mechanisms such as ubiquitination, trafficking, and protein interactions. Key publications from this period include 'COMMD1 regulates the delta epithelial sodium channel (δENaC) through trafficking and ubiquitination' (2011), 'Functional interaction of COMMD3 and COMMD9 with the epithelial sodium channel' (2013), and 'Regulation of the Delta and Alpha Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC) by Ubiquitination and Nedd8' (2013). These works explored the roles of proteins like COMMD family members and Nedd4-2 in ENaC function.

Dr. Ly's current research centers on the role of p53 isoforms, particularly a Δ133p53-like isoform, in modulating anti-tumour immunotherapy responses. His investigations examine p53 isoforms in the contexts of cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and obesity, with the goal of establishing Δ133p53 as a predictive biomarker for patient responses to immunotherapy and enhancing immune-targeted therapies for solid tumors such as colorectal cancer. This work is funded by a Cancer Society of New Zealand Postdoctoral Fellowship. Recent publications reflect his shift toward immunology and cancer therapy, including 'Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for metastatic melanoma: What should we focus on to improve the clinical outcomes?' co-authored with S.M. Hossain, A. Braithwaite, and K. Li (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(18), 10120, 2024) and 'Importance of crosstalk between the microbiota and the neuroimmune system for tissue homeostasis' with K. Li, S. Mehta, and A. Braithwaite (Clinical & Translational Immunology, 11, e1394, 2022). Additional contributions include studies on human papillomavirus (HPV) impacts on immune cells, such as 'Microparticles produced by human papillomavirus type 16 E7-expressing cells impair antigen presenting cell function and the cytotoxic T cell response' (Scientific Reports, 8, 2373, 2018). Dr. Ly is affiliated with the Maurice Wilkins Centre New Zealand and is a member of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Immunology.