Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS
Principal Investigator, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, NUS
Joint Principal Scientist I, A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB)
Education
| Institution and Location | Year(s) |
| D.Phil. in Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford | 2016-2020 |
Professional Experience
| Institution and Location | Year(s) |
| Assistant Professor, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS | 2025-present |
| Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | 2021-2025 |
Research Interest
Targeting cancer cell division and TRIM E3 ligases
Current Research Projects
The Yeow Lab investigates how cancer cells differ from normal cells, with a focus on the mechanisms that govern mitotic cell division and the regulation of mesoscale assemblies.
One branch of our research explores vulnerabilities in the mitotic machinery that cancer cells uniquely depend on. We showed that tumors carrying the 17q23 amplicon—present in ~10% of breast cancers and ~50% of neuroblastomas—are highly reliant on centrosomes, structures that organize the cell’s scaffolding during division. This synthetic lethal interaction identified TRIM37 as a key genetic driver and laid the foundation for ongoing clinical trials targeting the PLK4 kinase. We continue to search for additional weaknesses within the mitotic apparatus.
A second major focus centers on the TRIM family of E3 ubiquitin ligases. Our work revealed that TRIM37 can selectively dismantle aberrant microtubule-organizing centers—marking the first known case of a TRIM protein regulating an organelle. This mirrors TRIM5’s restriction of HIV capsids and suggests an evolutionarily conserved paradigm in which TRIM proteins surveil and regulate higher-order structures. We aim to define the ‘rules of engagement’ for TRIMs and unlock their therapeutic potential in cell division, immunity, and proteostasis.
Our goal is to develop precision cancer therapies grounded in mechanistic insight.
Selected Publications
- Yeow, Z.Y.*, Sarju S., Chang, FC., Xu, L.Y., van Breugel M., Holland, A.J. (2025). Mesoscale regulation of microtubule-organizing centers by the E3 ligase TRIM37. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. (*first and co-corresponding author) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-025-01540-6
- Niladri K. Sinha, Connor McKenney, Zhong. Y. Yeow, Jeffrey J. Li, Ki Hong Nam, Tomer M. Yaron, Jared L. Johnson, Emily M. Huntsman, Lewis C. Cantley, Alban Ordureau, Sergi Regot, Rachel Green. (2024). The ribotoxic stress response drives UV-mediated cell death. Cell, Volume 187, Issue 14, 3652 – 3670.e40. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.05.018
- Gliech, C. R., Yeow, Z. Y., Tapias-Gomez, D., Yang, Y., Huang, Z., Tijhuis, A. E., . . . Holland, A. J. (2024) Weakened APC/C activity at mitotic exit drives cancer vulnerability to KIF18A inhibition. The EMBO Journal, 0(0), 1-29. doi: 10.1038/s44318-024-00031-6
- Yeow, Z.Y., Lambrus, B.G., Marlow, R., Zhan, K.H., Durin, M., Evans, L.T., Scott, P.M., Phan, T., Park, E., Ruiz, L.A., Moralli, D., Knight, E.G., Badder, L.M., Novo, D., Haider, S., Green, C.M., Tutt, A.N.J., Lord, C.J., Chapman, J.R. and Holland, A.J. (2020). Targeting TRIM37-driven centrosome dysfunction in 17q23-amplified breast cancer. Nature, 585(7825), 447-452. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2690-1
- Zheng, X. T., Goh, W. L., Yeow, P., Lane, D. P., Ghadessy, F. J., & Tan, Y. N. (2019). Ultrasensitive dynamic light scattering based nanobiosensor for rapid anticancer drug screening. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 279, 79-86. doi:10.1016/j.snb.2018.09.088