Teaching Areas

• Human Physiology
• Endocrinology
• Nutritional Biochemistry

Research Interests

• Roles of myokines in aging and metabolic diseases
• Regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver
• Mechanisms of post-exercise recovery

Current Research

• Metabolic role of BDNF-TrkB signaling
• Hepatic functions of SBK1
• Post-mitotic functions of p21
• Protective mechanisms against hepatotoxicity

Research Team

Technician:

• Mr. Andy Yuan Ying Kuo

PhD students:

• Ms Susan Sheung Yu Guo (HKPF awardee)
• Ms Yaowen Hai
• Ms Catherin Yunfei Huang
• Ms Elsie Chit Yu Iu (HKU-PS awardee, Dissertation Year Fellowship)       
• Ms Teresa Xinci Ooi (HKPF awardee)
• Ms Ekaterina Trusova (HKPF awardee)
• Ms Iris Ching Yee Yii (Belt and Road Scholarship awardee)
• Ms Jenny Lin Zhang (SZBL-HKU joint PhD program)

Selected Publications

1. Tse M.C.L., Pang B.P.S., Bi X., Ooi T.X.C., Chan W.S. Zhang J., and Chan C.B. Estrogen regulates mitochondrial activity through inducing brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in skeletal muscle. Journal of Cellular Physiology 2025 240: e31483.
2. Ma J., To S.K.Y., Wang K., Fung K.S.W., Zhang J., Ngan A.H.W., Chan T.M., Wong C.C.L., Ip P.P.C., Peng L., Guo H.Y., Chan C.B.*and Wong A.S.T.* P-cadherin mechanoactivates tumor-mesothelium metabolic coupling at the peritoneal metastatic niche. Cell Reports 2025 44: 115096. (*Co-corresponding author)
3. Pang B.P.S., Chan W.S., Tse M.C.L., Yeung C.T.Y., Wang M., Siu P.M., Lee C.W., Ye K., So H. and Chan C.B. Deficiency of BDNF in muscle causes inflammatory myopathy by inducing necroptosis and pyroptosis in skeletal muscle. Redox Biology2024 78: 103418
4. Chan W.S., Ng C.F., Pang B.P.S., Tse M.C.L., Iu E.C.Y., Xin C.O., Yang X., Kim J.K., Lee C.W. and Chan C.B. Exercise-induced BDNF promotes peroxisome PPARδ-dependent reprogramming of lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle during exercise recovery. Science Signaling 2024 17: adh2783. (Cover Story) (News report)
5. Ahuja P., Bi X, Ng C.F., Tse M.C.L., Hang M., Pang B.P.S, Iu E.C.Y., Chan W.S., Ooi X.C., Sun A., Herlea-Pana O., Liu Z., Yang Y., Jiao B., Ma X., Wu K.K.L., Lee L.T.O., Cheng K.K.Y., Lee C.W. and Chan C.B. Src homology 3 domain binding kinase 1 protects against hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance through the Nur77-fibroblast growth factor pathway. Hepatology2023 77: 213-229. (News Report)
6. Ahuja P., Ng C.F., Pang B.P.S., Chan W.S., Tse M.C.L., Bi X., Kwan H.L.R., Brobst D., Herlea-Pana O., Yang X., Du G., Saengnipanthkul S., Noh H.L., Jiao B., Kim J.K., Lee C.W., Ye K. and Chan C.B. Muscle-generated BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) maintains mitochondrial quality control in diet-induced obesity. Autophagy 2022 18: 1367-1384. (News report)
7. Yang X., Brobst D., Chan W.S., Tse M.C.L., Herlea-Pana O., Ahuja P., Bi X., Zaw A.M., Kwong Z.S.W., Jia W., Zhang Z., Zhang N., Chow S.K.H., Cheung W.H., Louie J.C.Y., Griffin T.M., Nong W., Hui J.H.L., Du G., Noh H.L., Saengnipanthkul S., Chow B.K.C., Kim J.K., Lee C.W. and Chan C.B. Muscle-generated BDNF is a sexually dimorphic myokine that controls metabolic flexibility Science Signaling 2019 12: eaau1468.
8. Wood J., Tse M.C.L., Yang X., Brobst D., Liu Z., Pang B.P.S., Chan W.S., Zaw A.M., Chow B.K.C.C., Ye K., Lee C.W. and Chan C.B. BDNF mimetic alleviates body weight gain in obese mice by enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle. Metabolism – Clinical and Experimental 2018 87: 113-122.
9. Tse M.C.L., Herlea-PanaO., Brobst D., YangX., Wood J., Hu X., Liu Z., Lee C.W., Zaw A.M., Chow B.K.C., YeK. and Chan C.B.­ Tumor necrosis factor α promotes phosphoinositide 3-kinase enhancer A and AMP-activated protein kinase interaction to suppress lipid oxidation in skeletal muscle. Diabetes 2017 66: 1858-1870.

Complete list of publications

Awards and Honours

• High-end Foreign Experts Recruitment Plan (Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC)
• NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) Early Investigator Award (USA)
• MMPC Scientific Merit Award (USA)

More details of our group can be found at https://cbchan.wixsite.com/cbchanlab