Hosted by the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care (JCSPHPC) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the “SPHPC Thematic Research Seminar Series – In Vivo Host-Pathogen Interactions of Animal and Zoonotic Viruses: From Receptor Mapping to Experimental Infection Models” will take place on 5 December 2025 (Friday).
Prof. Fabian Lean, Assistant Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health at the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences of the City University of Hong Kong, will talk about the in vivo host-pathogen interactions of animal and zoonotic viruses.
Prof. Lean will share how a synergistic, pathology-virology framework is pivotal to advancing viral disease research via comparative immunohistochemistry, pathology analysis in an experimental model, and routine histology. These studies demonstrate how pathology provides foundational insight into virus tropism, disease mechanisms, and pathogen discovery. Prof. Lean will also share his perspective on future tissue-based research aimed at advancing the pathogenesis of viral diseases.
The seminar will be held in person and moderated by Prof. Chris Mok, Assistant Professor of JCSPHPC.
Registration will close at noon on 4 December 2025 (Thursday).
Please refer to the details below:
| Date & Time | 5 December 2025 (Friday) 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm |
| Venue | KCTCRC 1/F, School of Public Health Building Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin |
| Mode | In-person |
| Topic | In Vivo Host-Pathogen Interactions of Animal and Zoonotic Viruses: From Receptor Mapping to Experimental Infection Models |
| Speaker | Prof. Fabian Lean Assistant Professor Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health City University of Hong Kong (Learn more about Prof. Lean) |
| Moderator | Prof. Chris Mok Assistant Professor Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
Seminar Abstract
Confronting the complex challenge of elucidating viral disease mechanisms, in both natural animal infections and animal models of human disease, requires integrating pathology as a central pillar of scientific investigation. This presentation details how a synergistic, pathology-virology framework is pivotal to advancing viral disease research.
First, comparative immunohistochemistry was employed to map coronavirus receptors across diverse carnivores and artiodactyls, revealing species-specific distributions that clarify virus tropism and illuminate facets of animal natural history relevant to coronavirus biology.
Second, pathology analysis in an experimental model of Rift Valley fever virus in the ferret defined the olfactory route of neuroinvasion leading to fatal encephalitis and uniquely identified associated ophthalmitis, a feature not previously established in other animal models.
Third, within the context of animal model development, routine histology served a dual purpose: it characterised the model by documenting intended pathological outcomes and, critically, catalogued unexpected lesions. This capacity led directly to the discovery of a subclinical ferret hepatitis E virus infection in laboratory ferrets, while safeguarding the animal model’s utility.
Collectively, these studies demonstrate how pathology provides foundational insight into virus tropism, disease mechanisms, and pathogen discovery. The presentation will conclude with a perspective on future tissue-based research aimed at advancing the pathogenesis of viral diseases.
About the Speaker
Prof. Fabian Lean is an Assistant Professor of Veterinary Virology at the City University of Hong Kong. He is a qualified veterinarian (University of Queensland) who completed his doctoral studies on viral disease pathogenesis at the University of Melbourne and the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP-CSIRO). He is a board-certified anatomic pathologist (ACVP), trained at the Royal Veterinary College (UK), and a registered member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (UK).
Prior to joining CityU, Prof. Lean worked as a research pathologist at the UK government laboratory, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), where he conducted statutory diagnostics for notifiable viral animal diseases and experimental studies on animal and zoonotic viruses in high-containment laboratory settings.
Prof. Lean’s research focuses on host-pathogen interactions to address virus emergence, pathology, disease mechanisms, and cross-species transmission, using a comparative pathology approach across a range of animal species and invertebrate vectors. He has authored and co-authored over 45 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals and serves as an Academic Editor for Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.
About the Moderator
Prof. Chris Mok is an Assistant Professor at the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests lie in the pathogenicity of zoonotic viruses in human, the viral immunology on respiratory diseases, as well as the prophylactic and treatment options for respiratory infection.
Prof. Mok currently serves as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Immunology and Virology Journal. His expertise is further recognised through his appointment as a Member of the Outbreak Investigation Task Force for the Institute Pasteur International Network and as an Honorary Assistant Professor at the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, The University of Hong Kong.
Prof. Mok’s research aims to understand the interplay between the host adaptive immunity and the viral determinants of respiratory viruses such as influenza viruses and coronaviruses using a combination of clinical, virological, immunological and structural approaches; with a particular interest in understanding how the adaptive immunity is regulated and sharpened by the evolution of respiratory viruses, which will help to further improve the current vaccines.