Yok Hian Chionh believes that the war against infections can be won if we proactively create
systems that rapidly design cures, respond to, and treat patients during outbreaks. As a
scientist, he discovered fundamental properties of genetic coding that enabled pathogens to
survive hostile environments. As a drug developer, he helped bring an anti-Zika therapeutic
from bench-to-bedside. And as a maverick, he is exploring radically different science-based
regulatory frameworks to expedite regulatory approvals of therapeutics while meeting safety and efficacy
requirements. When he is not reading or writing scientific literature, he is probably drinking coffee, putting together
balance sheets, or coming up with more crazy ideas.