Nelson Tang graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1991 and became a genetic pathologist, achieving Fellowship status with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in 1997. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree for discovering the causative gene OCTN2, which is responsible for primary carnitine deficiency—a single gene defect linked to sudden infant death, particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia. His laboratory diagnosed patients from various regions, including China, Taiwan, Macau, and even Europe. The disease is now managed through newborn screening, allowing thousands of patients to be diagnosed at birth and preventing sudden death. During a sabbatical at the University of Cambridge, he explored complex traits and began investigating the genetic basis of common diseases, including Alzheimer's, asthma, breast cancer, SARS, and tuberculosis. Nelson has authored over 300 publications and has an H-index of 71, ranking him among the top 10 cited scholars in his field.