Assistant Professor of Biology
School of Natural, Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Phone: ext. 2409
Email: yeonlang.cha@CentenaryUniversity.edu

Academic Accomplishments

• Ph.D., National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2004
• M.S., University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK, 1996
• B.S., Ewha Womens University, 1993

Biography

Dr. Cha received her Bachelor of science in pharmacy from Ewha University in Seoul, South Korea.  After working in the pharmaceutical industry for 2 years, she decided to continue her education in Medical Science and received M.S in Immunology and Allergy from the University of Nottingham, UK. Her master’s research investigated allergens of house dust mite and sensitivity in populations to develop a new diagnostic method for allergy patients.  Her passion for medical research led to the National University of Singapore where she obtained her Ph.D. in Medicine.  Her doctoral research examined the effects of atropine on scleral fibroblasts in vitro and in vivo.

Dr. Cha had a very active research career receiving the “Chew Sek Jin Award” by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (U.S.A 2001) and the “Young Investigator Award” by Singapore National Eye Research Meeting (2000). She was awarded Wellcome Trust postdoctoral fellowship to continue genetic eye research at Imperial College, London, UK from 2000 to 2004.

Her work took her to many parts of the world across the globe and she joins Centenary University as an Assistant Professor in Biology in 2022. She hopes to share her diverse cultural experience as well as her biomedical research experience with the Centenary University community.

Publications

YL Cha. Effect of muscarinic agents on sclera fibroblasts and their role in myopia.
PhD thesis, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2001.

Y Hu, YL Cha, RW Beuerman. Atropine treatment of myopic chick eye affects level of fibroblast growth factor-2 in retina and sclera.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, March 15,2000, vol 41. No 4, B56

YL Cha, Y Hu, RW Beuerman. Increased level of metalloproteinase in vitro cultured sclera fibroblasts. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, Abstract no.4639, 41(4):B586, 2000.

YL Cha. The impact of Biotechnology on Allergy.
Singapore Microbiology Society Newsletter Review article, Singapore, 1998.

YL Cha. How important is glutamic acid decarboxylase(GAD) as an autoantigen in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus(IDDM),
M.S Library dissertation, University of Nottingham, UK, 1996.

YL Cha. Biochemical and cellular studies on CD23 cleavage by Der p I, a major house dust mite allergen with cysteine protease activity.
M.S thesis, University of Nottingham, UK, 1996.

Presentations

YL Cha, Y Hu, RW Beuerman. Atropine modulates the growth of chick scleral fibroblasts (SF) and the level of bFGF.
Oral presentation at 19^th Malaysian-Singapore Ophthalmology Congress 15^th-17 June 2001

YL Cha, RW Beuerman, D Tan, CH Lee. Effect of 5 Fluorouracil and dipyridamole on cultured rabbit subconjunctival fibroblasts.
2nd Singapore National Eye Research Meeting in conjunction with 34th Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine/Combined Hospitals Medical & Dental Scientific Meeting, Poster no 8, 2000.

Y Hu, YL Cha, RW Beuerman. Atropine treatment of myopic chick eye affects level of fibroblast growth factor-2 in retina and sclera. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, poster no 681, 41(4): B56, 2000.

YL Cha, Y Hu, RW Beuerman. Increased level of metalloproteinase in vitro cultured sclera fibroblasts. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, poster no.4639, 41(4):B586, 2000.