Bess Wong, MSc

Bess Wong completed an MSc degree at the University of Hong Kong, and began work at the University of Toronto, Department of Botany, in 1969 under the supervision of reknown mycologist Professor Roy Cain.  She went on to work as a molecular biology laboratory technician in the laboratory of Professor Neil Straus from 1975 to 2002.  Her primary research emphases were: the study of regulation of gene expression in blue-green algae; and the resolution of phylogenetic relationships in the fungi.

Bess is highly skilled in the isolation and manipulation of bacterial and fungal DNA and RNA, gene cloning, and DNA sequencing procedures.  In recent years she has co-authored peer-reviewed papers on her university work, including a landmark study on insect-associated bacterial and fungi appearing in the prestigious journal Science in 2003.  In addition, Bess is coauthor on several papers with Dr. Scott, including a DNA fingerprinting of the house dust fungus Penicillium brevicompactum, and a phylogenetic study of Stachybotrys chartarum based on several gene regions including the trichodiene synthase gene (tri5) which Bess was first to clone.

Contact information: tel: +1 416 946 0087 | email: bess.wong@utoronto.ca