Benjamin completed his Bachelor's and Master’s Degrees with the National University of Malaysia from 1999 – 2006. He started his career with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) in 2007 as a research scientist for the then Biochemistry Group. From 2007-2011, he was tasked with setting up the first proteomics-based core facility in MPOB and trained personnel in proteomics-based research. Towards the end of 2011, Benjamin was awarded a scholarship under Malaysian Plan (RMK) for a Ph.D. program at Lincoln University – AgResearch, Christchurch, New Zealand. He completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry, specializing in plant proteomics, in June 2015. Thereafter, he continues his position as a research scientist at Proteomics and Metabolomics Unit, MPOB, until today. He is currently the Principal Research Scientist and Group Leader for Proteomics.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. (Biochemistry), New Zealand
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Mechanism of fatty acid production in oil palm using the proteomics approach and industrial-related problems such as oil palm disease and the production of bioactive compounds from industrial waste.
31
Scopus Publications
304
Scholar Citations
11
Scholar h-index
16
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Metabolic Response of Extremophile Halochlorella Rubescens on Carbohydrate Biosynthesis Cultivated Under High Carbon-Rich Condition Mohd Asyraf Kassim, Tan Kean Meng, Benjamin Yii Chung Lau, Mohamad Hafizi Abu Bakar, Japareng Lalung, Mohd Nazri Ismail Journal of Tropical Biodiversity and Biotechnology, 2026 Microalgae cultivation under elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations may negatively affect biomass production and intracellular carbohydrate biosynthesis, posing a major challenge for large-scale industrial applications. Despite the growing interest in carbohydrate-based bioproducts derived from microalgae, the underlying mechanisms regulating carbohydrate accumulation under high CO₂ conditions remain insufficiently understood. This study investigated the effects of CO₂ concentrations ranging from 0.04% to 25% on the growth performance, morphological characteristics, and carbohydrate productivity of Halochlorella rubescens. The highest biomass concentration (0.65 g L⁻¹) and carbohydrate productivity (16.34 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹) were achieved at 5% CO₂, indicating that moderate CO₂ enrichment enhances carbon assimilation and carbohydrate accumulation. However, exposure to higher CO₂ levels altered cellular morphology and influenced the expression of key proteins involved in carbohydrate biosynthesis. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed significant enrichment of genes associated with carbon fixation, photosynthesis, starch synthesis, and carbohydrate metabolic pathways under elevated CO₂ conditions. Notably, the upregulation of photosynthesis-related proteins (ATP synthase, Photosystems I and II, and chlorophyll a–b binding proteins), Calvin cycle enzymes (ribulose phosphate, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, and ribose-5-phosphate), and starch biosynthesis enzymes (starch synthase and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase) was observed at 5% CO₂. These findings indicate coordinated regulation of multiple carbon metabolic pathways during cultivation under enriched CO₂. Overall, this study identifies key metabolites and regulatory targets involved in carbohydrate biosynthesis in H. rubescens, providing valuable insights for strain improvement and genetic engineering strategies in microalgal biotechnology.
Gel-free Proteomic Analysis of Rice Planted in Acid Sulfate Soil with different Soil Amendments Malaysian Journal of Soil Science, 2025
Post-Genomics Technologies Boost Efforts at Designing Oil Palm of the Future Smart Technology for Oil Palm Plantation the Malaysian Experience, 2025
Effects of organic acids dietary supplementation in soybean meal-based diets on growth performance and nutrient utilization in hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus x E. lanceolatus) juveniles Dayang Nur Jazlyn Abang Zamhari, Rossita Shapawi, Leong Seng Lim, Norfazreena Mohd Faudzi, Yu-Hung Lin, Li-Chao Zhuo, Christina Seok Yien Yong, Benjamin Yii Chung Lau, Annita Seok Kian Yong Aquaculture Reports, 2025 A 10-week feeding experiment was carried out to study the effects of supplementing citric and butyric acids in soybean meal (SBM) based diets for hybrid grouper ( Epinephelus fuscoguttatus x E. lanceolatus ) juveniles. Seven experimental diets were formulated to replace fishmeal (FM) with SBM at the levels of 30 % (SBM30) and 40 % (SBM40) as a base to substitute FM, SBM30 with the supplementation of 3 % citric acid and 1 % butyric acid (SBM30 +CA+BA), SBM40 with the supplementation of 3 % citric acid (SBM40 +CA), SBM40 with the supplementation of 1 % butyric acid (SBM40 +BA), SBM40 with the supplementation of 3 % citric acid and 1 % butyric acid (SBM40 +CA+BA) and with FM diet being the control. Triplicate groups of 16 fish (11.50 ± 0.6 g) in 21 tanks were fed respective experimental diets. Results showed that the highest weight gain, specific growth rate and protein efficiency ratio was recorded in fish fed SBM30 +CA+BA but it was not significantly different from fish fed control FM diet ( p > 0.05 ) while fish fed SBM40 showed the lowest performance ( p > 0.05 ). However, comparing the SBM40 treatments, fish fed SBM40 +CA showed the highest ( p > 0.05 ). No significant differences were observed among the treatments for hepatosomatic index. Meanwhile, for the viscera-somatic index, fish fed SBM40 +BA was significantly lowest while FM, SBM30 and SBM30 +CA+BA showed no significant differences. Between the SBM40 treatments, SBM40 +CA showed the highest but no significant differences with SBM40 and SBM40 +CA+BA. Fish fed SBM40 +CA+BA also showed increased crude protein for whole body composition and apparent digestibility coefficient of protein. Based on the results, 30 % replacement of SBM with the combination of citric and butyric acid showed better growth while for 40 % replacement of SBM, supplementation of citric acid proved to give better results compared to butyric acid and without the supplementation of organic acid. • 3 % citric acid and 1 % butyric acid improved fish growth at 30 % soybean meal replacement level. • 3 % citric acid improved growth of hybrid grouper at 40 % soybean meal replacement level. • 3 % citric acid and 1 % butyric acid improved protein absorption at 40 % soybean meal replacement.
Geographical Diversity of Proteomic Responses to Cold Stress in the Fungal Genus Pseudogymnoascus Nurlizah Abu Bakar, Benjamin Yii Chung Lau, Marcelo González-Aravena, Jerzy Smykla, Beata Krzewicka, Saiful Anuar Karsani, Siti Aisyah Alias Microbial Ecology, 2024 In understanding stress response mechanisms in fungi, cold stress has received less attention than heat stress. However, cold stress has shown its importance in various research fields. The following study examined the cold stress response of six Pseudogymnoascus spp. isolated from various biogeographical regions through a proteomic approach. In total, 2541 proteins were identified with high confidence. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed diversity in the cold stress response pathways for all six Pseudogymnoascus spp. isolates, with metabolic and translation-related processes being prominent in most isolates. 25.6% of the proteins with an increase in relative abundance were increased by more than 3.0-fold. There was no link between the geographical origin of the isolates and the cold stress response of Pseudogymnoascus spp. However, one Antarctic isolate, sp3, showed a distinctive cold stress response profile involving increased flavin/riboflavin biosynthesis and methane metabolism. This Antarctic isolate (sp3) was also the only one that showed decreased phospholipid metabolism in cold stress conditions. This work will improve our understanding of the mechanisms of cold stress response and adaptation in psychrotolerant soil microfungi, with specific attention to the fungal genus Pseudogymnoascus.
Proteomic and Morphological Analysis of Bone and Articular Cartilage Changes in Osteoarthritic Rabbits Supplemented with Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sulaiman, Nor Shahira Solehah Umran, Suhaila Mohamed, Jalila Abu, Angela Min Hwei Ng, Benjamin Yii Chung Lau, Kok Song Lai, Nazhan Ilias, Seng Fong Lau, Mokrish Ajat Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, 2024 This study is aimed at assessing the effects of Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) on subchondral bone, articular cartilage and the expression of proteins in synovial fluid by micro-CT evaluation and histological analysis. 54 New Zealand white rabbits were induced by intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (8 mg) and divided into four groups: negative control (n=9): non-treated osteoarthritis; positive control (n=15): OA + diclofenac sodium 2 mg/kg daily orally; low dosage (n=15): OA + 75 mg/kg hydrolyzed EBN; and high dosage (n=15): OA + 150 mg/kg hydrolyzed EBN. The joints were harvested and subjected to micro-CT analysis and histological evaluation, and the synovial fluid was subjected to LCMS/MS analysis. Micro-CT analysis showed an increase in bone volume and a decrease in total porosity in the treatment group that showed bone integrity improvement. Histopathological results revealed comparable changes between the positive control group and the EBN treatment group. There was upregulation of proteins involved in the resolution of inflammation and downregulation of proteins associated with the bone resorption process. Morphology evaluation showed that EBN supplementation has a bone-improving effect by inhibiting osteoclastic activity. Protein expression showed chondroprotection and bone improvement through the action of several proteins via various signaling pathways. The morphological and molecular findings suggest the potential use of EBN as beneficial alternative for osteoarthritis treatment by improving bone quality and modulating inflammatory responses.
Proteomic characterization of Pseudogymnoascus spp. isolates from polar and temperate regions Nurlizah Abu Bakar, Benjamin Lau Yii Chung, Jerzy Smykla, Saiful Anuar Karsani, Siti Aisyah Alias Mycologia, 2024 Proteomics has been used extensively in the field of mycology, mainly in trying to understand the complex network of protein-protein interactions that has been implicated in the molecular functions of fungi. It is also a useful tool to compare metabolic differences within a genus. Species of Pseudogymnoascus, a genus under the phyla Ascomycota, have been shown to play an important role in the soil environment. They have been found in both polar and temperate regions and are a known producer of many extracellular hydrolases that contribute to soil decomposition. Despite the apparent importance of Pseudogymnoascus spp. in the soil ecosystem, investigations into their molecular functions are still very limited. In the present study, proteomic characterization of six Pseudogymnoascus spp. isolated from three biogeographic regions (the Arctic, Antarctic, and temperate regions) was carried out using tandem mass spectrometry. Prior to proteomic analysis, the optimization for protein extraction was carried out. Trichloroacetic acid‑acetone‑phenol was found to be the best extraction method to be used for proteomic profiling of Pseudogymnoascus spp. The proteomic analysis identified 2003 proteins that were successfully mapped to the UniProtKB database. The identified proteins were clustered according to their biological processes and molecular functions. The shared proteins found in all Pseudogymnoascus spp. (1201 proteins) showed a significantly close relationship in their basic cellular functions, despite differences in morphological structures. Analysis of Pseudogymnoascus spp. proteome also identified proteins that were unique to each region. However, a high number of these proteins belonged to protein families of similar molecular functions, namely, transferases and hydrolases. Our proteomic data can be used as a reference for Pseudogymnoascus spp. across different global regions and a foundation for future soil ecosystem function research.
Effects of organic acids dietary supplementation in soybean meal-based diets on growth performance and nutrient utilization in hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus x E … ASKY Dayang Nur Jazlyn Abang Zamhari, Rossita Shapawi, Leong Seng Lim ... Aquaculture Reports 42, 102823 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Gel-free Proteomic Analysis of Rice Planted in Acid Sulfate Soil with different Soil Amendments N Sa’adah, A Halim, R Abdullah, SA Karsani, BLY Chung, JS Yaacob, ... Malaysian Journal of Soil Science 29, 469-481 , 2025 2025
Proteomic and Morphological Analysis of Bone and Articular Cartilage Changes in Osteoarthritic Rabbits Supplemented with Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) SZS Sulaiman, NSS Umran, S Mohamed, J Abu, AMH Ng, BYC Lau, ... Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences 20 (6), 1274-1287 , 2024 2024
Geographical Diversity of Proteomic Responses to Cold Stress in the Fungal Genus Pseudogymnoascus N Abu Bakar, BYC Lau, M González-Aravena, J Smykla, B Krzewicka, ... Microbial Ecology 87 (1), 11 , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
Integrative tissue-resolved proteomics and metabolomics analysis of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) fruit provides insights into stilbenoid biosynthesis at the interface of … H Hassan, NI Tahir, NL Rozali, BYC Lau, A Othman, W Weckwerth, ... Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology 60, 103308 , 2024 2024 Citations: 12
Proteomic characterization of Pseudogymnoascus spp. isolates from polar and temperate regions SAA Nurlizah Abu Bakar, Benjamin Lau Yii Chung, Jerzy Smykla, Saiful Anuar ... Mycologia , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Enhanced azadirachtin production in neem (Azadirachta indica) callus through NaCl elicitation: Insights into differential protein regulation via shotgun proteomics SA Omar, S Ashokhan, NA Majid, SA Karsani, BYC Lau, JS Yaacob Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology 199, 105778 , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
A Study on the Effect of Administration of 500mg/kg Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction (TRF) on Liver Membrane Protein Expression in Mice Using Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics MK Md. Yusof, MF Rusli, B Yii Chung Lau, NA Mohd Fahami, ... Malaysian Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences 20, 76 , 2024 2024
Comparative proteomic and metabolomic studies between partial resistant and susceptible oil palm reveal the molecular mechanism associated with Ganoderma boninense infection A Othman, BYC Lau, Z Nurazah, S Shahwan, MH Rusli, R Singh, ... Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 129, 102198 , 2024 2024 Citations: 6
Quantitative proteomics analysis of permethrin and temephos-resistant Ae . aegypti revealed diverse differentially expressed proteins associated with insecticide … A Shettima, IH Ishak, B Lau, H Abu Hasan, N Miswan, N Othman PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 17 (9), e0011604 , 2023 2023 Citations: 15
Understanding the effects of carbon and nitrogen starvation on the comparative secretomes of Ganoderma boninense and Ganoderma tornatum SB Dzulkafli, A Othman, BYC Lau, Z Nurazah, J Nagappan, US Ramli, ... Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 127, 102084 , 2023 2023 Citations: 10
Cross-reactivity analysis of milk proteins from different goat breeds with cow’s milk allergens using a proteomic approach M Mansor, JR Al-Obaidi, IH Ismail, MAZ Abidin, AF Zakaria, BYC Lau, ... Molecular Immunology 155, 44-57 , 2023 2023 Citations: 19
Skin Mucus Proteome Analysis Reveals Disease-Resistant Biomarker Signatures in Hybrid Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂) against Vibrio … LCF Nurhikmah Abu Aziz, Annie Christianus, Wan Mohd Syazwan Wan Solahudin ... Fishes 7 (5), 278 , 2022 2022 Citations: 5
Higher resolution protein band visualisation via improvement of colloidal CBB‑G staining by gel fixation NR Nikson Fatt‑Ming Chong, Hasnain Hussain, Nur Ezzati Hamdin, David Hong ... Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture 9 (32) , 2022 2022 Citations: 10
Analysis of Pseudomonas sp. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degradation proteins by LC-MS/MS BYCL Suzana Adenan, Chee Fah Wong, Saripah Salbiah Syed Abdul Azziz, Som Cit ... Malaysian Journal of Microscopy 18 (1), 66-76 , 2022 2022 Citations: 1
Protein homeostasis, regulation of energy production and activation of DNA damage‐repair pathways are involved in the heat stress response of Pseudogymnoascus spp. N Abu Bakar, BYC Lau, J Smykla, SA Karsani, SA Alias Environmental Microbiology 24 (4), 1849-1864 , 2022 2022 Citations: 7
Antifungal and antioxidant peptides from oil palm mesocarps L Benjamin Yii Chung, A Othman, US Ramli Journal of Oil Palm Research 34 (3), 453-464 , 2022 2022 Citations: 3
Omics platform technologies for discovery and understanding the systems biology of oil palm NAM Ishak, MA Abd Manaf, S Shahwan, O Abd Rasid, A Othman, ... Journal of Oil Palm Research (Malaysia) , 2022 2022
Computationally Designed Anti-LuxP DNA Aptamer Suppressed Flagellar Assembly- and Quorum Sensing-Related Gene Expression in Vibrio parahaemolyticus LCF Nur Afiqah Md Yusof, Siti Aisyah Razali, Azyyati Mohd Padzil, Benjamin ... Biology 11 (11), 1600 , 2022 2022 Citations: 10
Comparative proteome analysis of mycelial proteins from G. boninense vs G. tornatum: Identification of proteins potentially involved in the pathogenicity of G. boninense SB Dzulkafli, A Othman, BYC Lau, US Ramli, SA Karsani Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 117, 101736 , 2022 2022 Citations: 4
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Evaluation of sodium deoxycholate as solubilization buffer for oil palm proteomics analysis A Lau, Benjamin Yii Chung, Othman PLoS ONE 14 (8), e0221052 , 2019 2019 Citations: 31
Cross-reactivity analysis of milk proteins from different goat breeds with cow’s milk allergens using a proteomic approach M Mansor, JR Al-Obaidi, IH Ismail, MAZ Abidin, AF Zakaria, BYC Lau, ... Molecular Immunology 155, 44-57 , 2023 2023 Citations: 19
Method developments to extract proteins from oil palm chromoplast for proteomic analysis BYC Lau, S Deb-Choudhury, JD Morton, S Clerens, JM Dyer, US Ramli Springerplus 4 (1), 791 , 2015 2015 Citations: 19
The oil palm genome M Ithnin, A Kushairi Springer , 2020 2020 Citations: 18
Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling revealed reprogramming of carbon metabolism in acetate-grown human pathogen Candida glabrata LTLT Shu Yih Chew, Alistair J. P. Brown, Benjamin Yii Chung Lau, Yoke Kqueen ... Journal of Biomedical Science 28 (1) , 2021 2021 Citations: 17
Combination of acid labile detergent and C18 Empore™ disks for improved identification and sequence coverage of in-gel digested proteins H Koehn, B Lau, S Clerens, JE Plowman, JM Dyer, US Ramli, ... Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry 400 (2), 415-421 , 2011 2011 Citations: 17
Quantitative proteomics analysis of permethrin and temephos-resistant Ae . aegypti revealed diverse differentially expressed proteins associated with insecticide … A Shettima, IH Ishak, B Lau, H Abu Hasan, N Miswan, N Othman PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 17 (9), e0011604 , 2023 2023 Citations: 15
Application of a mass spectrometric approach to detect the presence of fatty acid biosynthetic phosphopeptides BYC Lau, S Clerens, JD Morton, JM Dyer, S Deb-Choudhury, US Ramli The Protein Journal 35 (2), 163-170 , 2016 2016 Citations: 14
Optimization of protein extraction for proteomic analyses of fresh and frozen “musang king” durian pulps T Xue Yi, A Misran, LDJ Daim, BYC Lau Food Chemistry , 2020 2020 Citations: 13
Integrative tissue-resolved proteomics and metabolomics analysis of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) fruit provides insights into stilbenoid biosynthesis at the interface of … H Hassan, NI Tahir, NL Rozali, BYC Lau, A Othman, W Weckwerth, ... Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology 60, 103308 , 2024 2024 Citations: 12
Application of proteomics technologies in oil palm research BYC Lau, A Othman, US Ramli The protein journal 37 (6), 473-499 , 2018 2018 Citations: 12
Geographical Diversity of Proteomic Responses to Cold Stress in the Fungal Genus Pseudogymnoascus N Abu Bakar, BYC Lau, M González-Aravena, J Smykla, B Krzewicka, ... Microbial Ecology 87 (1), 11 , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
Enhanced azadirachtin production in neem (Azadirachta indica) callus through NaCl elicitation: Insights into differential protein regulation via shotgun proteomics SA Omar, S Ashokhan, NA Majid, SA Karsani, BYC Lau, JS Yaacob Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology 199, 105778 , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
Understanding the effects of carbon and nitrogen starvation on the comparative secretomes of Ganoderma boninense and Ganoderma tornatum SB Dzulkafli, A Othman, BYC Lau, Z Nurazah, J Nagappan, US Ramli, ... Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 127, 102084 , 2023 2023 Citations: 10
Higher resolution protein band visualisation via improvement of colloidal CBB‑G staining by gel fixation NR Nikson Fatt‑Ming Chong, Hasnain Hussain, Nur Ezzati Hamdin, David Hong ... Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture 9 (32) , 2022 2022 Citations: 10
Computationally Designed Anti-LuxP DNA Aptamer Suppressed Flagellar Assembly- and Quorum Sensing-Related Gene Expression in Vibrio parahaemolyticus LCF Nur Afiqah Md Yusof, Siti Aisyah Razali, Azyyati Mohd Padzil, Benjamin ... Biology 11 (11), 1600 , 2022 2022 Citations: 10
Protein homeostasis, regulation of energy production and activation of DNA damage‐repair pathways are involved in the heat stress response of Pseudogymnoascus spp. N Abu Bakar, BYC Lau, J Smykla, SA Karsani, SA Alias Environmental Microbiology 24 (4), 1849-1864 , 2022 2022 Citations: 7
Proteomics analysis on lipid metabolism in Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis oleifera A Lau, Benjamin Yii Chung, Amiruddin, Mohd Din, Othman Data in Brief , 2020 2020 Citations: 7
Extraction Methods for Analysis of Oil Palm Leaf and Root Proteins By Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis US Hassan Hasliza, Lau, Benjamin Yii Chung, Ramli Journal of Oil Palm Research 26 (1), 54-61 , 2014 2014 Citations: 7
Comparative proteomic and metabolomic studies between partial resistant and susceptible oil palm reveal the molecular mechanism associated with Ganoderma boninense infection A Othman, BYC Lau, Z Nurazah, S Shahwan, MH Rusli, R Singh, ... Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 129, 102198 , 2024 2024 Citations: 6