Poon, Kar Lai

Kar Lai Poon received her B.Sc (Hons) in Biochemistry from the National University of Singapore in 2004. Under the supervision of A/P Vladimir Korzh at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore, she obtained her PhD in 2010 in which she works on the characterization of zebrafish transgenic enhancer trap (ET) lines. These ET lines GFP-tagged different anatomical components of the embryonic and adult zebrafish heart, including the epicardium and the cardiac conduction system, which enable them to be used as tools for heart development and disease studies. In addition, her work on the role of an uncharacterized RNA-binding protein rbm24a uncovered its role in sarcomere assembly and heart contractility. Her research interest lies in the understanding of the molecular development and functioning of the cardiac conduction system (CCS), which governs the rhythmic pumping of the heart.