• Pathogenicity of zoonotic viruses in human
• Viral immunology on respiratory diseases
• Prophylactic and treatment options for respiratory infection

The major objective of Chris Mok’s group is 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. They are particularly interested to understand how the adaptive immunity is regulated and sharpen by the evolution of respiratory viruses which will help to further improve the current vaccines.

Chris Mok is currently the Associate Professor co-affiliated with The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care and School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His group focuses on the virology and immunology of emerging infectious diseases including influenza and coronaviruses. He particularly interested to understand how the adaptive immunity is regulated and sharpen by the evolution of respiratory viruses which will help to further improve the design of new vaccines. Chris has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles in top tier journals such as Science, Nature Medicine, Lancet Microbe, Lancet Infectious Disease, etc and has been recognized as Stanford University’s list of the World’s Top 2% Scientists (2024, 2025). He is now the associate editor of Virology Journal and the academic editor of PLoS Pathogens.

1. World’s Top 2% Scientists, Stanford University (2025)

1. Lu W, Guo Z, Chong KC, Huang J, Chen C, Hui DS, Zhao S, Mok CKP. Estimating the epidemic size of chikungunya virus infection in Guangzhou, China, from July to September 2025: A single-center cross-sectional study. Emerging Microbes & Infections. 2026;15(1). doi:10.1080/22221751.2026.2645833.
2. Lv H, Huan YW, Teo QW, Chen C, Pholcharee T, Gopal AB, Ardagh MR, Huang JJ, Lei R, Chen X, Sun Y, Tang YS, Mehta A, Szlembarski M, Mao KJ, Ma EX, Wittenborn LE, Tong M, Rodriguez LA, Wang L, Mok CKP, Wu NC. Evolution of antibody cross-reactivity to influenza H5N1 neuraminidase from an N2-specific germline. Cell Host Microbe. 2025;33(11):1916-1928.e6. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2025.09.015.
3. Lv H, Huan YW, Teo QW, Chen C, Pholcharee T, Gopal AB, Ardagh MR, Huang JJ, Lei R, Chen X, Sun Y, Tang YS, Mehta A, Szlembarski M, Mao KJ, Ma EX, Wittenborn LE, Tong M, Rodriguez LA, Wang L, Mok CKP, Wu NC. Evolution of antibody cross-reactivity to influenza H5N1 neuraminidase from an N2-specific germline. Cell Host Microbe. 2025;33(11):1916-1928.e6. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2025.09.015.
4. Gopal AB, Lv H, Pholcharee T, Ouyang WO, Teo QW, Luo Y, Tang YS, Luo M, Mok CKP, Wu NC. Characterization of two non-competing antibodies to influenza H3N2 hemagglutinin stem reveals its evolving antigenicity. Nature Communications. 2025;16(1):10557-. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-65595-1.
5. Mok CKP, Tang YS, Tan CW, Chong KC, Chen C, Sun Y, Yiu K, Ling KC, Chan KK, Hui DS. Comparison of safety and immunogenicity in the elderly after receiving either Comirnaty or Spikevax monovalent XBB1.5 COVID-19 vaccine. Journal of Infection. 2025;90(1):106374. doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2024.106374.
6. Lv H, Teo QW, Pholcharee T, Liu W, Roy S, Shi L, Gopal AB, Ardagh MR, Chen C, Sun Y, Huan YW, Harrington WN, Mehta A, Szlembarski M, Choi D, Gao Q, Fung FSL, Xu F, Webby RJ, Mok CKP, Ma W, Wu NC. Molecular divergence and convergence of mammalian antibody responses to the influenza virus hemagglutinin stem. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2025;122(40). doi:10.1073/pnas.2510927122.
7. Lei R, Kim W, Lv H, Mou Z, Scherm MJ, Schmitz AJ, Turner JS, Tan TJC, Wang Y, Ouyang WO, Liang W, Rivera-Cardona J, Teo C, Graham CS, Brooke CB, Presti RM, Mok CKP, Krammer F, Dai X, Ellebedy AH, Wu NC. Leveraging vaccination-induced protective antibodies to define conserved epitopes on influenza N2 neuraminidase. Immunity. 2023;56(11):2621-2634.e6. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2023.10.005.
8. Huang J, Zhao S, Chong KC, Zhou Y, Lu W, Fang F, Cheung PPH, Lai KC, Hui DS, Mok CKP. Infection rate in Guangzhou after easing the zero-COVID policy: Seroprevalence results to ORF8 antigen. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2023;23(4):403-404. doi:10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00112-3.
9. Mok CKP, Chen C, Zhao S, Sun Y, Yiu K, Chan TO, Lai HL, Lai KC, Lau KM, Ling KC, Chan KKP, Ng SS, Ko FW, Peiris M, Hui DS. Omicron BA.1-specific T-cell responses in adults vaccinated with CoronaVac or BNT162b2 in Hong Kong: An observational cohort study. Lancet Microbe. 2023;4(6):e418-e430. doi:10.1016/s2666-5247(23)00006-x.
10. Cheng SMS, Mok CKP, Leung YWY, Ng SS, Chan KCK, Ko FW, Chen C, Yiu K, Lam BHS, Lau EHY, Chan KKP, Luk LLH, Li JKC, Tsang LCH, Poon LLM, Hui DSC, Peiris M. Neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant BA.1 following homologous and heterologous CoronaVac or BNT162b2 vaccination. Nature Medicine. 2022;28(3):486-489. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01704-7.
11. Mok CKP, Chen C, Yiu K, Chan TO, Lai KC, Ling KC, Sun Y, Hui DS, Cheng SMS, Peiris M. A randomized clinical trial using CoronaVac or BNT162b2 vaccine as a third dose in adults vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2022;205(7):844-847. doi:10.1164/rccm.202111-2655le. (Letter)
12. Mok CKP, Zhu A, Zhao J, Lau EHY, Wang J, Chen Z, Zhuang Z, Wang Y, Alshukairi AN, Baharoon SA, Wang W, Tan W, Liang W, Oladipo JO, Perera RAPM, Kuranga SA, Peiris M, Zhao J. T-cell responses to MERS coronavirus infection in people with occupational exposure to dromedary camels in Nigeria: An observational cohort study. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2021;21(3):385-395. doi:10.1016/s1473-3099(20)30599-5.
13. Munnur D, Teo Q, Eggermont D, Lee HHY, Thery F, Ho J, van Leur SW, Ng WWS, Siu LYL, Beling A, Ploegh H, Pinto-Fernandez A, Damianou A, Kessler B, Impens F, Mok CKP, Sanyal S. Altered ISGylation drives aberrant macrophage-dependent immune responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nature Immunology. 2021;22(11):1416-1427. doi:10.1038/s41590-021-01035-8.
14. Yuan M, Wu NC, Zhu X, Lee CCD, So RTY, Lv H, Mok CKP, Wilson IA. A highly conserved cryptic epitope in the receptor binding domains of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. Science. 2020;368(6491):630-633. doi:10.1126/science.abb7269.
15. Arunachalam PS, Wimmers F, Mok CKP, Perera RAPM, Scott M, Hagan T, Sigal N, Feng Y, Bristow L, Tsang OTY, Wagh D, Coller J, Pellegrini KL, Kazmin D, Alaaeddine G, Leung WS, Chan JMC, Chik TSH, Choi CYC, CHuerta H, McCullough MP, Lv H, Anderson E, Edupuganti S, Upadhyay AA, Bosinger SE, Terry H, Khatri P, Rouphael N, Peiris M, Pulendran B. Systems biological assessment of immunity to mild versus severe COVID-19 infection in humans. Science. 2020;369(6508):1210-1220. doi:10.1126/science.abc6261.
16. Wu NC, Lv H, Thompson AJ, Wu DC, Ng WWS, Kadam RU, Lin CW, Nycholat CM, McBride R, Liang W, Paulson JC, Mok CKP, Wilson IA. Preventing an antigenically disruptive mutation in egg-based H3N2 seasonal influenza vaccines by mutational incompatibility. Cell Host Microbe. 2019;25(6):836-844.e5. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2019.04.013.
17. Yang ZF, Mok CKP, Peiris JSM, Zhong NS. Human infection with a novel avian influenza A(H5N6) virus. New England Journal of Medicine. 2015;373(5):487-489. doi:10.1056/nejmc1502983.