Research Areas of Interest:

• Cancer stem cells in glioblastoma (i.e. glioma stem cells)
• Cancer epigenetics
• Loss of brain stem/progenitor cell functional reserves during aging
• How brain stem/progenitor cell activity can be enhanced during aging

Selected Publications

• Feng J., Chuah Y.H.†, Liang Y.†, Cipta N.O., Zeng Y., Warrier T., Ahmed Rashed Elsayed Elfar G., Yoon J., Grinchuk O.V., Tay E.X.Y., Lok K., Zheng Z., Khong Z.J., Chong Z., Teo J., Sanford E.M., Neo C.J.Y., Chiu H.Y., Leung J.Y., Wang L.C., Lim Y.T., Zhao T., Sobota R.M., Crasta K.C., Tergaonkar V., Taneja R., Ng S., Cheok C.F., Ling S., Loh Y. & Ong D.S.T. PHF2 regulates genome topology and DNA replication in neural stem cells via cohesin. Nucleic Acids Research, 2024, online ahead of print. †Equal contribution.
• Lee B.W.L.*, Chuah Y.H.*, Yoon J.*, Grinchuk O.V.*, Liang Y., Hirpara J.L., Shen Y., Wang L.C., Lim Y.T., Zhao T., Sobota R.M., Yeo T.T., Wong A.L.A., Teo K., Nga V.D.W., Tan B.W.Q., Suda T., Toh T.B., Pervaiz S., Lin Z. & Ong D.S.T. METTL8 links mt-tRNA m3C modification to the HIF1α/RTK/Akt axis to sustain GBM stemness and tumorigenicity. Cell Death & Disease, 2024, 15(5), 338. *Equal contribution.
• Harley J., Santosa M.M., Ng C.Y., Grinchuk O.V., Hor J.H., Liang Y., Lim V.J., Tee W.W., Ong D.S.T. & Ng S.Y. Telomere shortening induces aging-associated phenotypes in hiPSC-derived neurons and astrocytes. Biogerontology, 2024, 25(2), 341-360.
• Chuah Y.H.*, Tay E.X.Y.*, Grinchuk O.V.*, Yoon J., Feng J., Kannan S., Robert M., Jakhar R., Liang Y., Lee B.W.L., Wang L.C., Lim Y.T., Zhao T., Sobota R.M., Lu G., Low B.C., Crasta K.C., Verma C.S., Lin Z., & Ong D.S.T. CAMK2D serves as a molecular scaffold for RNF8-MAD2 complex to induce mitotic checkpoint in glioma. Cell Death & Differentiation, 2023, 30(8), 1973-1987. *Equal contribution. (CDDpress Monthly Readers’ Choice July 2023)
• Karthik N., Lee J. J. H., Soon J. L. J., Chiu H. Y., Loh A. H. P., Ong D. S. T., Tam W. L., & Taneja R. Histone variant H3.3 promotes metastasis in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. The Journal of Pathology, 2023, 259(3):342-356.
• Warrier T.*, El Farran C.*, Zeng Y.*, Ho B.S.Q., Bao Q., Zheng Z.H., Bi X., Ng H.H., Ong D.S.T., Chu J.J.H., Sanyal A., Fullwood M.J., Collins J., Li H**, Xu J.**, Loh Y.**. SETDB1 acts as a topological accessory to Cohesin via an H3K9me3-independent, genomic shunt for regulating cell fates. Nucleic Acids Research, 2022, 50, 7326-7349. * Equal contribution. ** Co-corresponding authors.
• Chen J., Zou L., Lu G., Grinchuk O., Fang L., Ong D.S.T., Taneja R., Ong C.N., Shen H.M. PFKP alleviates glucose starvation-induced metabolic stress in lung cancer cells via AMPK-ACC2 dependent fatty acid oxidation. Cell Discovery, 2022, 8(1):52.
• Yoon J.*, Grinchuk O.V.*, Tirado Magallanes R.*, Ngian Z.K., Tay E.X.Y., Chuah Y.H., Lee B.W.L., Feng J., Crasta K.C., Ong C.T, Benoukraf T., & Ong D.S.T. E2F and STAT3 provide transcriptional synergy for histone variant H2AZ activation to sustain glioblastoma chromatin accessibility and tumorigenicity. Cell Death & Differentiation, 2022, 29, 1379-1394. * Equal contribution.
• Ang M.J.Y., Yoon J., Zhou M., Wei H., Goh Y.Y., Li Z., Feng J., Wang H., Su Q.*, Ong D.S.T.* & Liu X*. Deciphering nanoparticle trafficking into glioblastomas uncovers an augmented antitumor effect of metronomic chemotherapy. Advanced Materials, 2022, 34(3):e2106194. * Co-corresponding authors.
• Yoon J.*, Grinchuk O.V.*, Kannan S., Ang M.J.Y., Li Z., Tay E.X.Y., Lok K.Z., Lee B.W.L., Chuah Y.H., Chia K., Tirado Magallanes R., Liu C., Zhao H., Hor J.H., Lim J.J., Benoukraf T., Toh T.B., Chow E.K., Kovalik J., Ching J., Ng S., Koh M.J., Liu X., Verma C.S. & Ong D.S.T. A chemical biology approach reveals a dependency of glioblastoma on biotin distribution. Science Advances, 2021, 7(36):eabf6033. * Equal contribution.
• Tay E.X.Y.*, Chia K.*. & Ong D.S.T. Epigenetic plasticity and redox regulation of neural stem cell state and fate. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 2021, 170:116-130.
• Leung J.Y., Chia K., Ong D.S.T.* & Taneja R*. Interweaving tumour heterogeneity into the cancer epigenetic-metabolism axis. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, 2020, 33, 946-965. * Co-corresponding authors.
• Chiu H.Y., Tay E.X.Y., Ong D.S.T.& Taneja R. Mitochondrial dysfunction at the centre of cancer therapy. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, 2020, 32, 309-330.
• Lee B.W.L.*, Ghode P.* & Ong D.S.T. Redox regulation of cell state and fate. Redox Biology, 2018, pii: S2213-2317(18)30899-1. * Equal contribution.
• Ong D.S.T., Hu B.*, Ho Y.W.*, Sauvé C.G., Bristow C.A., Wang Q., Multani A.S., Chen P., Nezi L., Jiang S., Gorman C.E., Monasterio M.M., Koul D., Marchesini M., Colla S., Jin E., Sulman E.P., Spring D.J., Yung, W.A., Verhaak R.G.W., Chin L., Wang Y.A. & DePinho R.A. PAF promotes stemness and radioresistance of glioma stem cells. PNAS, 2017, 114, E9086-95. * Equal contribution.
• Hu B.*, Wang Q.*, Wang Y.A.*, Hua S., Sauve C.G., Ong D.S.T., Lan Z.D., Chang Q., Ho Y.W., Marchesini M., Lu X., Zhong Y., Zhang J., Deng P., Tan Z., Wang G., Liao W.T., Corley L.J., Yan H., Zhang J., You Y., Liu N., Cai L., Finocchiaro G., Phillips J.J., Berger M.S., Spring D.J., Hu J., Sulman E.P., Fuller G.N., Chin L., Verhaak R.G.W., DePinho R.A. Epigenetic activation of WNT5A drives glioma stem cell differentiation and invasive growth. Cell, 2016, 167, 1281-95. * Equal contribution. (Featured in Cancer Discovery)
• Colla S.*, Ong D.S.T.*, Ogoti Y., Marchesini M., Mistry N.A., Clise-Dwyer K., Ang S.A., Storti P., Viale A., Giuliani N., Ruisaard K., Gomez I.G., Bristow C.A., Estecio M., Weksberg D.C., Ho Y.W., Hu B., Genovese G., Pettazzoni P., Multani A.S., Jiang S., Hua S., Ryan M.C., Carugo A., Nezi L., Wei Y., Yang H., D’Anca M., Zhang L., Gaddis S.., Gong T., Horner J.W., Heffernan T.P., Jones P., Cooper L.J.N., Liang H., Kantarjian H., Wang Y.A., Chin L., Bueso-Ramos C., Garcia-Manero G., & DePinho R.A. (2015) Telomere dysfunction drives aberrant hematopoietic differentiation and Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Cancer Cell, 2015, 27, 644-57. * Equal contribution. (Cancer CellPreview 2015; Highlighted in Nature Reviews Cancer 2015 & Biocentury Innovations 2015; Featured in Cancer Discovery 2015; Science Translational Medicine Editors’ Choice 2015)
• Ong D.S.*, Wang Y.J.*, Tan Y.L.*, Yates J.R. 3rd, Mu T.W. & Kelly J.W. FKBP10 Depletion Enhances Glucocerebrosidase Proteostasis in Gaucher Disease Fibroblasts. Chemistry & Biology, 2013, 20, 403-15. * Equal contribution. (Chemistry & BiologyPreview 2013.)
• Muller F.L.,* Colla S.*, Aquilanti E.*, Manzo V.E., Genovese G., Lee J., Eisenson D., Narurkar R., Deng P., Nezi L., Lee M.A., Hu B., Hu J., Sahin E., Ong D., Fletcher-Sananikone E., Ho D., Kwong L., Brennan C., Wang Y.A., Chin L., & DePinho R.A. Passenger Deletions Generate Therapeutic Vulnerabilities in Cancer. Nature, 2012, 488, 337-42. * Equal contribution. (NatureNews & Views 2012; Highlighted in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery)
• Ong, D.S.& Kelly, J.W. Chemical and/or Biological Therapeutic Strategies to Ameliorate Protein Misfolding Diseases. Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 2011, 23, 231-8. (Cover image for April 2011 issue of Current Opinion in Cell Biology
• Choi, S., Ong, D.S.& Kelly, J.W. A Stilbene that Binds Selectively to Transthyretin in Cells and Remains Dark Until it Undergoes a Chemoselective Reaction to Create a Bright Blue Fluorescent Conjugate. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2010, 132, 16043-51.
• Ong, D.S., Mu, T.W., Palmer, A.E. & Kelly, J.W. Endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ increases enhance mutant glucocerebrosidase proteostasis. Nature Chemical Biology, 2010, 6, 424-32. (Nature Chemical BiologyNews & Views 2010, Nature Chemical Biology Press Releases 2010.)
• Mu, T.W.*, Ong, D.S.*, Wang, Y.J., Balch, W.E., Yates, J.R., Segatori, L.* & Kelly, J.W. (2008) Chemical and Biological Approaches Synergize to Ameliorate Protein-Folding Diseases. Cell, 2008, 134, 769–81. * Equal contribution. (ScienceEditors’ Choice 2008; Faculty of 1000 Biology 2009; Highlighted in ACS Chemical Biology 2008 & Chemical and Engineering News 2008.)
• Ong, S.T., Ho, J.Z.S., Ho, B. & Ding, J.L. Iron withholding strategy in innate immunity. Immunobiology, 2006, 211: 295-314.
• Ong, D.S.T., Wang, L., Zhu, Y., Ho, B. & Ding, J.L. The response of ferritin to LPS and acute phase of Pseudomonas infection. Journal of Endotoxin Research, 2005, 11, 267-280.