Research Highlight
Dr. Wongpalee explains his most recent research, which involves engineering CRISPR-Cas12a for specific and rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria, Streptococcus suis. His project is funded by the Murata Science Foundation.
Somsakul "Pop" Wongpalee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
pop.wongpalee@gmail.com
Office
50th Anniversary building, Room 720, Faculty of Medicine
Research interest
The laboratory of Dr. Somsakul Wongpalee (Pop) applies molecular biology approaches to address both fundamental and translational questions in microbiology and immunology.
Dr. Wongpalee and his team investigate the virulence mechanisms of the highly pathogenic bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp), an intracellular pathogen responsible for melioidosis. Bp invades host cells, replicates intracellularly, and spreads directly to adjacent cells. Numerous virulence factors contribute to this lifecycle, particularly those associated with intracellular survival and dissemination. His research focuses on two key factors: BsaN and VgrG5.
BsaN is a master transcriptional regulator that coordinates the expression of multiple virulence genes, including those involved in the type III and type VI secretion systems, which are essential for pathogenicity. However, the mechanisms by which BsaN recognizes its DNA targets and interacts with co-regulatory factors remain poorly understood. In contrast, VgrG5 functions as a structural and effector component of the type VI secretion system, acting as a puncturing device that facilitates cell-to-cell spread. Notably, VgrG5 contains a unique C-terminal domain specific to Burkholderia species, and deletion of this domain results in loss of virulence. Dr. Wongpalee’s laboratory aims to elucidate the molecular and structural basis of this domain using structural biology approaches.
In parallel, Dr. Wongpalee has developed a CRISPR-based diagnostic platform, CRISPR-BP34, for rapid detection of Bp in patients with melioidosis. This system utilizes CRISPR-Cas12a and demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity, including in clinical samples. Importantly, it reduces diagnostic time to less than 4 hours, compared to the 3–4 days required for conventional culture-based methods. This rapid turnaround has significant potential to improve clinical outcomes, as timely diagnosis is critical for patient survival.
More recently, his research has expanded into antibody engineering, particularly the development of nanobodies—single-domain antibodies derived from camelids. Nanobodies offer several advantages, including small size, enhanced tissue penetration, high stability, and ease of production, while retaining strong target specificity. His group is developing nanobody-based therapeutics targeting CD19 and CD20, which are highly expressed in many hematologic malignancies. To achieve this, the laboratory is constructing synthetic nanobody libraries and employing ribosome display technology for in vitro selection of high-affinity binders. Lead candidates will be developed either as recombinant biologics produced in E. coli or as components of chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapies.
Short biography
Dr. Somsakul Wongpalee, known as Pop, was a recipient of the DPST scholarship (Development and Promotion of Science and Technology Talent Project of Thailand). After graduating from high school, he was awarded the Royal Thai Government Scholarship to pursue his studies in biology in the United States.
Dr. Wongpalee attended the University of Virginia (UVa) as an undergraduate, where he conducted a thesis that led to the discovery that a non-coding RNA can regulate the cell cycle in cancer cells. He received a B.S. degree in Biology with Highest Distinction from UVa before continuing his graduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
At UCLA, he trained in the laboratory of Professor Douglas Black, a leading scientist in the RNA field. His research focused on characterizing the mechanisms of splice site pairing across introns and the assembly of the exon definition complex, using reconstituted spliceosomal systems and quantitative mass spectrometry. During this time, Dr. Wongpalee received the 2014 Paul D. Boyer Teaching Award, which recognizes excellence in teaching among graduate students. He was awarded his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in 2015.
Following his Ph.D., Dr. Wongpalee joined the laboratory of Professor Steven Jacobsen, a renowned plant epigeneticist, as a postdoctoral scholar. Driven by his interest in ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, he investigated the molecular mechanisms of RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in plants. In collaboration with Professor Hong Zhou, he determined cryo-EM structures and proposed the assembly pathway of the DDR complex, a key protein complex required for initiating RdDM.
After 14 years in the United States, Dr. Wongpalee returned to Thailand and joined the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, as a faculty member. His laboratory focuses on the molecular biology of Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, as well as the development of CRISPR-based diagnostics for infectious diseases and the discovery of therapeutic nanobodies.
In addition to his research, Dr. Wongpalee is dedicated to teaching and mentoring medical and graduate students, with an emphasis on integrating cutting-edge life science concepts beyond traditional curricula.
Field of research
Molecular biology, Structural biology, Microbiology, CRISPR technology, Immunotherapy
Current projects
1) Molecular characterization of a transcription factor BsaN
2) Molecular characterization of a virulence factor VgrG5
3) Development of CRISPR-Cas12a based assay for detection of B. pseudomallei
4) Development of CRISPR-Cas12a based assay for detection of S. suis
5) Production of recombinant nanobodies in E. coli
6) Discovery of novel nanobodies against cancer cells using Ribosome Display Technology
7) Engineering CAR-NK cells