Pangenia Inc (“Pangenia Group” or “The Group”) is a leading molecular diagnostics (MDx) group in Hong Kong founded by Professor Joseph Wing-On Tam. Since the establishment in 2006 of DiagCor Bioscience Incorporation Limited (the founding member company), Pangenia Group has been working hard towards promoting a healthier society by researching, developing and commercializing MDx innovations.
Through the dedication of an elite group of forefront biotech scientists and executives, Pangenia Group’s patented DNA and RNA analysis techniques allow us to offer a wide variety of services and solutions to our valuable customers. Our laboratory services are specialized in genetic testing, including prenatal diagnosis, parentage investigation, cancer testing, infectious disease identification, and various hereditary risk assessments.
Pangenia Group actively works with commercial, institutional and governmental organizations across the world, remaining at the forefront of advanced molecular diagnostics, and educating the general public about the benefits of molecular diagnostics.
Professor Joseph Wing-On Tam is the Founder and the Chief Scientific Officer of Pangenia Group, and the Chairman of the Board. Professor Tam is a research pioneer with over 30 years of teaching and research experiences in the biotechnology and diagnostics sector. Professor Tam was a Visiting Professor at UCSF School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Medical College of Georgia. He was also a Scientist of National Institute of Health and an Honorary Associate Professor at School of Biomedical Sciences of The University of Hong Kong. He is the Founder and President of the Hong Kong Biochemistry Association.
Professor Tam has been working in the field of DNA research in Hong Kong since the late 1970s. With the support of UNESCO, Professor Tam organized a research programme and trained the first group of scientists in China and Asia-Pacific Region on recombinant DNA research in 1983. Professor Tam invented the “flow-through hybridization technology” (patented in the USA), which is currently the fastest hybridization process that is applied in DNA macro- and microarray.
Following his passion for Molecular Diagnostics, Professor Tam established DiagCor Bioscience Incorporation Limited in 2006, which is the core member company of Pangenia Group. He strives to influence and inspire the next generation talents in Hong Kong’s biotechnology industry.
Dr. Desmond Hau obtained his Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Department of Biochemistry from The University of Hong Kong and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Research & Development Division of School of Chinese Medicine from Hong Kong Baptist University. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Pangenia Inc. and also the Founder of Bio-Gene Technology Limited. Dr. Hau has more than 30 years of experience in business development, specialising in scientific and clinical laboratory markets in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China.
Dr. Hau has also served as External Grant Assessor at the Knowledge Transfer Office of City University of Hong Kong and was a member of the Faculty of Science Advisory Committee of Hong Kong Baptist University. Working with the School of Chinese Medicine of Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr. Hau developed and introduced a series of Chinese medicinal health food products into the market through the branding “BU Health”.
Mr. Anthony Wong was trained in Medical
Laboratory Sciences at the Institute of Pathology in Hong Kong and obtained a
degree in Genetics and Biochemistry at University of Leeds UK and Master of
Science in Clinical Chemistry at CUHK. He received post-graduate training in
Cytogenetics at the Paediatric Research Unit at Guy’s Hospital in London. After
he returned to Hong Kong, he took the position of Scientific Officer (Medical)
at Tsan Yuk Hospital, where he led the laboratory team for prenatal diagnosis.
With the great accomplishments, Mr. Wong was the Director of Medical Genetics
Laboratory Limited in provision of prenatal genetic laboratory services. He
also contributed an integral part in establishing the first non-hospital base
assisted reproductive laboratory in Hong Kong.
Mr. Francis Tam is currently the Vice President of Pangenia Group and is in charge of Sales and Marketing Strategy. He is also board member of a few affiliates’ biotechnology companies in Hong Kong and China.
Mr. Tam studied Landscape Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of California Davis and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSLA) there. He continued his studies at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, receiving his Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Executive Master of Innovation Leadership (EMIL).
Prof. Chan is a specialist in Paediatric Haematology, Oncology and Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. He obtained his Diploma in Palliative Medicine at the University of Wales in 1997, then received his master’s degree in Hospital & Healthcare Management at the University of Birmingham in 1999. After that, he obtained his DMD and his M.D. in 1981 and 1985 respectively at the University of the East. He is currently a Tsao Yen-Chow Endowed Professor and Head of Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. He is also the Chief of Service of Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine at Hong Kong Children's Hospital, HKU-Shenzhen Hospital and Gleneagles Hospital. Besides, he work as a Deputy Director of Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Consortium and as a Chief Commission Service Coordinator (Paediatric Oncology) at Hong Kong Children's Hospital.
Prof. Chan’s group have been studying
the biology of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), dendritic cells (DCs) and
neuroblastoma cells (NB), in particularly how they interact with each other. In
clinical setting, Prof. Chan’s focus is on finding new treatment modalities for
neurogenic tumors such as neuroblastoma and brain tumors. Prof. Chan’s group is
among the first groups to start using anti-GD2 in metastatic neuroblastoma
since 1999.
Dr. Kit Lam was born in Hong Kong, obtained his B.A. in Microbiology in 1975 at the University of Texas at Austin. He obtained his Ph.D. in Oncology in 1980 from McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin, and his M.D. in 1984 from Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine residency training and Medical Oncology Fellowship training at the University of Arizona. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He was on the faculty of the University of Arizona until June 1999, when he joined UC Davis School of Medicine as the Division Chief of Hematology/Oncology, a position he continues to hold until very recently. Beginning April 1, 2010, he became the Chair of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. He is both a practicing medical oncologist and a laboratory investigator.
Dr. Lam is recognized as one of the pioneers who started the field of synthetic combinatorial chemistry in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He invented the “one-bead one-compound” (OBOC) combinatorial library method, which was first published in Nature in 1991. The article has since been cited over 1,200 times. He is a founding scientist of the Selectide Corporation, one of the first start-up companies to specialize in combinatorial chemistry. He has published over 238 scientific publications and is an inventor on 12 patents. He was a Council member of the American Peptide Society from 2003-2009, and has served as a member of National Cancer Institute review panels for cancer center support grants and program project grants relating to drug discovery. He is currently serving on the editorial board of the following journals: Peptide Science, Journal of Combinatorial Sciences, Combinatorial Chemistry & High-throughput Analysis, Chemical Biology & Drug Design, Current Pharmaceutical Design, Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, and IDrugs-the Ivestigational Drugs Journal. He has also been a Leukemia Scholar and Stohlman Scholar of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America. He received the Cathay Award in 1998 and the Combinatorial Science Award in 2007. In addition to contributing to the development of the field of combinatorial chemistry, he was active in disseminating the technology in its early days. He was the Conference and Program Chairman of the First and Second International Conference on Combinatorial Library Methods for Basic Research and Drug Discovery in 1995 and 1999, both in Tucson, with over 250 participants from all over the world.