WIC APAC EXCO and Board Members
Joe Yeong
MD, PhD
Dr. Joe Yeong’s main research focus is to understand and overcome the resistance of cancer immunotherapy, by using advanced technologies and Al. As an immunopathologist, his key vision is to bridge immunologists and pathologists. He is a pioneer in spatial technologies, translated assays to clinic, and has published > 130 papers in the field (Top 2% Scientist) (>100 invited talks internationally).
His works on cancer immunology are included in multiple National & international funded studies as well as industry sponsored projects (>20 million dollars since 2017). He served as a committee member in the World Immunotherapy Council, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and is one of the organizers for its 2019, 2023 & 2025 WIC Global Symposium as well as multiplex IF expert consensus meetings. He also serves as one of the founding-Program Chair of one of the largest Al medical Imaging conferences, CLINICCAI-MICCAI and serves as founding board member of MICCAI SIG-ComPath. He is also having editorial roles of Nature Springer, JITC, JCO (ASCO) and World Scientific (Chief Editor). Не serves as a Secretary (Executive) in Singapore Society of Oncology – Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium, Co-lead in Education/Diagnostic of Singhealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre as well as Advisor (Spatial Technology), Cancer Discovery Hub, National Cancer Centre. In 2023, he co-founded World Immunotherapy Council Asian Chapter for promoting tumor immunology and advancing cancer immunotherapy education, information and research across Asia. He is also a regular reviewer for top journal such as JITC, Mod Path, Lancet and Nature.
Kelvin Yan
PhD
Dr Kelvin Yan trained as a clinical oncologist in the UK having worked in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Boston, Paderborn and Hong Kong. He has been an NIHR Fellow at Oxford and remains on the honorary faculty at Imperial. He is interested in the development of novel therapeutics and the use of radiotherapy in the metastatic setting.
Jyoti Bajpai
MD, DM
Dr. (Prof.) Jyoti Bajpai is a leading Medical and Precision Oncologist with over two decades of experience, majorly at Tata Memorial Centre, where she served nearly 15 years as Professor of Medical Oncology, Sarcoma Lead, and Breast DMG Convener. She currently heads Medical and Precision Oncology at Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai & Maharashtra Region. Trained at AIIMS, MSKCC, and Johns Hopkins, she specializes in precision medicine, immunotherapy, and complex cancers with a focus on supportive care and quality of life. She has contributed to ESMO-PAGA, EURACAN, ABC guidelines, ESMO, and SITC, authored ~200 publications, and is Founder and President Elect of the Immuno-Oncology Society of India, advocating AYA and equitable cancer care.
Hiroaki Ikeda
MD, PhD
Dr. Hiroaki Ikeda, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Oncology at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University. A physician-scientist specializing in cancer immunology, his research focuses on immunotherapy, cell therapy, and gene therapy to advance innovative cancer treatments.
Dr. Ikeda received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Nagasaki University and completed research training at Washington University School of Medicine in the United States. He has held academic appointments at Hokkaido University and Mie University before joining Nagasaki University in 2016. With extensive clinical and research experience, Dr. Ikeda is committed to translating scientific discoveries into next-generation therapies for cancer patients.
Koji Tamada
MD, PhD
Dr. Koji Tamada acquired a Ph. D. in cancer immunology research. He then traveled to the United States and has engaged in R&D (research and development) for state-of-the-art cancer immunotherapy for the next 13 years. After devoting himself to study at Dr. Lieping Chen’s research laboratory at Mayo Clinic’s department of immunology, he gained independence at Johns Hopkins University as an assistant professor.
He later became the leader of the basic research department for the cancer immunotherapy program at Maryland State University’s Cancer Center. He has performed cloning and functionality analysis of PD-L1 (B7-H1) with Dr. Lieping Chen and contributed to the application of cancer immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibition. He is currently actively advancing the development of functional control technology of immune-related molecules and the development of new cancer immunotherapy using genetically modified technology.
Changhoon Yoo
MD, PhD
I am a medical oncologist who specializes in the care of patients with gastrointestinal cancers, particularly, pancreatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and neuroendocrine tumors. I have participated in multiple clinical trials and translational research for the development of novel agents for patients with these cancers, and have authored and co-authored many research articles. My research initiatives include the integration of novel targeted and immune-based therapy into the treatment of hepatobiliary-pancreas cancers, and neuroendocrine tumors.
Lim Kue Peng
PhD
Dr. Lim Kue Peng is a leading Malaysian scientist specializing in cancer immunology. She currently serves as the Head of the Cancer Immunology & Immunotherapy (CII) Unit at Cancer Research Malaysia.
Sophia Wong Yien Ning
PhD
Dr Sophia Wong trained as a Medical Oncologist at University College London Hospital and Royal Free Hospital (London), with a PhD in Cancer Immunology from University College London, where she trained under Professor Sergio Quezada. After completing her specialist training in London, she pursued a post-training fellowship in solid cancer cellular therapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital (London) and the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Her clinical and research focus is on translational immunotherapy, particularly in advancing cell therapies for solid tumours.
Dr Sophia started at the National Cancer Centre Singapore in 2024, where she treated and led the first solid cancer cellular TIL therapy trial in Asia. She serves as Principal Investigator for ongoing clinical trials and has been awarded the NMRC Transition Award and STDR Grant to support her research in T cell therapy. Alongside her clinical and academic work, she remains actively involved in teaching and global oncology collaborations, with a goal to expand access to innovative therapies across Asia.
Chiao-En (Peter) Wu
MD, PhD
Peter (Chiao-En) Wu, MD, PhD, is a professor-level attending physician in the division of medical oncology at New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. He holds a dual degree in medicine and traditional chinese medicine from Chang Gung University and a PhD from Newcastle University, UK. Board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology, Dr. Wu serves as President of the Taiwan Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (TSITC) and as a Director of the Taiwanese Society of Molecular Medicine and the Taiwan Lung Cancer Society. He is the author of multiple peer-reviewed studies, with research interests in molecular oncology, p53 biology, and lung, gastrointestinal, melanoma, and thyroid cancers.
Nattiya Hirankar
MD, PhD
Prof. Nattiya Hirankarn, MD, PhD, is the Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, where she also earned her medical degree. A Georgetown-trained immunologist, she is a leading architect of Thailand’s immunotherapy ecosystem, driving postgraduate research and specialized technical training. As Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Excellence Center and founder of the Thailand Hub of Talents in Cancer Immunotherapy (TTCI), she oversees the R&D and manufacturing pipelines for hospital-based CAR T-cell therapy and personalized cancer vaccines. Her work bridges the gap between laboratory discovery and clinical implementation, focusing on building a sustainable workforce and innovative infrastructure for advanced therapies across the APAC region.
Haoyu, Sun
MD, PhD
Dr. Haoyu Sun, professor at the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, and research fellow at the Cell and Gene Therapy Center, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. She focuses on the discovery of immune checkpoints related to NK cell-based immunotherapy and their correlation with the tumor microenvironment. She has been granted with several fundings from National Science Foundation of China and National Key R&D Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology. She has published over 20 articles as first author and/or corresponding author in journals such as Science Advances, Nature Communications, Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, Journal of Hematology and Oncology, etc. She serves as an editorial member of Cellular & Molecular Immunology, Vice Chair of the Cell and Gene Therapy Committee of the China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association, Vice Chair of the Gene and Cell Therapy Branch of the China Medicinal Biotechnology Association, Member of the Infection Immunology Branch of the Chinese Society of Immunology, and Council Member of the Shanghai Society for Immunology.