Tze Chang (Justin) Ng | 伍 思 畅 🔊
Ph.D. Student | MSc BSc Biomedical Science
Last updated: December 13th, 2023
👋🏻 Welcome! I'm Justin, a prospective Ph.D. student who enjoys exploring biological mechanisms for aging and developing interventions to delay the onset of age-related diseases while promoting healthy aging.
In Malaysia, I was raised with the cultural belief of “生老病死” (Sheng lao bing si), highlighting life's stages of birth, aging, illness, and death. This philosophy became personal when I began caregiving for my grandmother from 2015-2017. Her gradual yet irrevocable decline from lung cancer exposed the harsh realities of caregiving, marked by emotional stress, physical exhaustion, and loneliness. Adapting our lives to accommodate her needs incurred significant financial burdens from medical consultations, palliative care, and bereavement.
Astonishingly, caregiving for my grandmother costs (USD 25,682.20/year) more than the mean income (USD 21,775/year) of Malaysian households (Malaysian Household Income Survey 2022). Concerningly, Malaysian caregivers dedicate ~5.2 years to caring, often making career sacrifices while enduring physical and psychological challenges (Malaysian Healthcare Demand Report 2019). Coupled with declining birth rates, future families may struggle to afford caregiving or allocate time for ill family members, turning a comfortable death into a luxury in the developing world. As the world's aging population doubles by 2050, more people will live longer but may spend those extra years suffering morbidities and infirmities, as evident by our lifespan-healthspan gap (~10 years).
This demographic shift challenges us to rethink the aging experience. Rather than accepting the inevitability of age-related diseases, we could delay the onset or mitigate the burden of these conditions by addressing aging itself.
As a proponent of the “Geroscience” and “Compression of Morbidity” hypotheses, I wish to understand how biological pathways contribute to aging and age-related diseases. Using model organisms like D. melanogaster or C. elegans, I aim to establish causal relationships and explore the interconnectedness between aging and prevalent health challenges in developing countries, like air pollution and malnutrition. Through biogerontology research, I aspire to contribute discoveries that narrow our lifespan-healthspan gap and reshape societal perceptions surrounding aging.
As such, I recognized the importance of pursuing a Ph.D. as it offers rigorous laboratory training, mentors who share my vision, and an extensive interdisciplinary network. My last research project explored the intersections between gut commensals and evolutionarily conserved biological pathways (insulin signaling). Here, I introduced commensal bacteria from C. elegans to D. melanogaster with impaired insulin signaling, studying for changes with age. Prior to that, I worked on other projects in asthma genetics, breast cancer, and systematic review research.
Collectively, I developed my skills in:
Microbiology
D. melanogaster experimentation
Molecular biology
Statistical analysis
Academic writing
Supplementary to my career in Biomedical Science, I have:
Cofounded a social enterprise that promotes healthy eating (Self-employed)
Tutored English to over 520 non-native speakers worldwide (Freelance/Duolingo)
Hosted/organized over 40 public events (Freelance EMCEE)
Empowered marginalized communities in Malaysia through social justice advocacy and outreach (North South Initiative)