Prof Lim Kah Leong

Prof Lim Kah Leong is Distinguished Visiting Academic (Research) at the National Neuroscience Institute.

Prof Lim is an expert in the areas of neuroscience and neurodegeneration, particularly in the field of Parkinson’s Disease. With a long-term goal to elucidate the molecular events underlying Parkinson’s Disease and to effectively treat the disease, his research centres on mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, which will reveal targets for neuroprotection. He is also developing new research technologies in the area of stem cells and neurorestoration as well as in diagnostics and neurotechnology, where he collaborates extensively with chemists, materials scientists and engineers. His laboratory uses a broad range of disease models including Drosophila, rodents, human neurons and brain organoids generated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells and non-human primates (marmosets).

• Postdoctoral Fellow, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 2001-2002
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 2000-2001
• Ph.D. (Molecular and Cell Biology), Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore, 1993-1999
• B.Sc. Honors (Cell and Molecular Biology), National University of Singapore, 1992-1993
• B.Sc., National University of Singapore, 1989-1992

• Distinguished Visiting Academic (Research), National Neuroscience Institute
• Professor and Associate Vice President (Biomedical and Life Sciences), President's Office, Nanyang Technological University
• Director, Neuroscience and Mental Health Programme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University
• President's Chair in Translational Neuroscience, Nanyang Technological University
• Visiting Professor, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

• ​Stanford list of World Top 2 % Scientists (2017-current)
• Singapore National Academy of Science (SNAS) Fellowship, 2024
• Asian Scientist 100, 2019
• “Overseas High-level Talents” award under the Shanxi Province “Hundred Talents Program” in the People’s Republic of China, 2019
• President Science Award (Team), 2018
• Singapore Neuroscience Association Distinguished Neuroscientist Award, 2018
• CeLS Safety Award (GOLD) for outstanding laboratory safety performance, 2017
• GCEO Outstanding Administrator Award, 2016
• SingHealth Excellence Award (Distinguished Team Award), 2015
• Profile featured in ALUMNUS (Alumni Magazine of NUS) under the cover story “The making of a research university”, 2013
• Khoo Discovery Award, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 2008
• Outstanding Mentor Award, Science Mentorship Program, Ministry Of Education, 2008
• Poster Award (Corresponding Author), Gordon Research Conference on Autophagy in stress, development and disease, CA, USA, 2008
• First IMCB alumnus to be featured on IMCB News Website (April 1st 2008) under the series entitled “Where are they now?”, 2008
• Merit Award (Poster), 4th Combined Scientific Meeting. NUS, 2003
• National Science Scholarship International Fellowship, A*STAR, 2002

• Neurodegenerative diseases, particularly in the field of Parkinson’s Disease
• Neurorestoration

Link to Google Scholar Profile for Full List of Publications: ‪Lim Kah Leong - ‪Google Scholar

• Ren, M., Lim, G.G.Y., Tang, W., Lim, K.L. (2026) Glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase exacerbates α-Synuclein-induced toxicity by increasing lipid peroxidation. Nature Communications Jan 19. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-68325-3. Online ahead of print.
• Koh, D.H.Z., Naito, T., Na, M., Yeap, Y.J., Rozario, P., Zhong, F., Lim, K.L., Saheki, Y. (2023) Visualization of accessible cholesterol using a GRAM domain-based biosensor. Nature Communications Oct 25;14(1):6773.
• Ren, M., Yang, Y., Heng, K.H.Y., Ng, L.Y., Chong, C., Ng, Y.T., Gorur-Shandilya, S., Lee. R.M.Q., Lim, K.L., Zhang, J., Koh, T.W. (2022) MED13 and glycolysis are conserved modifiers of α-synuclein-associated neurodegeneration. Cell Reports Dec 20;41(12):111852.
• Jo, J., Yang, L., Tran, H., Yu, W., Yang, L., Sun, A., Chang, Y.Y., Jung, B.C., Lee, S.J., Saw, T.Y, Xiao, B., Khoo, A.T.T., Yaw, L.P., Xie, J.J., Lokman, H., Ong, W.Y., Lim, G.Y., Lim, K.L.*, Tan, E.K., Ng, H.H., Je, S. (*co-corresponding) (2021) Lewy-body like Inclusions in Human Midbrain Organoid Carrying Glucocerebrosidase and Alpha Synuclein mutations. Annals of Neurology Sep;90(3):490-505.
• Rajan, S., Jang, Y., Kim, C., Kim, W., Toh, H.T., Jeon, J., Song, B., Maqueda, A.S., Lescar, J., Yoo, Y., Beldar, S., Ye, H., Kang, C., Liu, X., Feitosa, M., Kim, Y., Hwang, D., Goh, G., Lim, K.L., Park, H.M, Lee, C.H., Oh, S.F., Petsko, G., Yoon, H.S., Kim, K.S. (2020) PGE1 and PGA1 bind to Nurr1 and activate its transcriptional function. Nature Chemical Biology 16(8):876-886