Research Areas of Interest:

I have extensive experience working on autophagy and neurodegeneration research using mammalian cellular systems, pathological and aging animal models. My research investigates the physiological roles of autophagy in maintaining health and how autophagy becomes compromised in aging and neurodegenerative pathologies. In Centre for Healthy Longevity, I look at ways to improve autophagy to delay aging, promote better cellular homeostasis to extend longevity and mitigate age-related pathologies. I am overseeing the animal intervention studies platform under Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme (HL TRP) to test the effects of repurposed drugs and natural products on frailty, healthspan and lifespan in aged mice. I am also involved in the HL TRP stem cell platform to use iPSCs, different types of stem cells and organoids to test geroprotectors on regenerative medicines.

Selected Publications

My research focuses on autophagy, a lysosomal degradative pathway requires for cell rejuvenation and renewal. We seek to understand the physiological roles of this pathway in maintaining health and how autophagy becomes compromised in aging and neurodegenerative pathologies leading to cytotoxicity and loss of cognitive functions. We also aim to elucidate novel mechanisms in the degradation of proteins by autophagy in order to promote better proteostasis in the cells to mitigate age-related pathologies.

1. Wong E and Cuervo AM. Neuronal autophagy gone awry: many fixings for the autophagic wrong-doing. Nat Neurosci. (2010) 13: 805-811. [IF: 29.887] [CI: 733]

2. Lee J-Y, Koga H, Kawaguchi Y, Tang W, Wong E, Gao Y-S, Pandey UB, Kaushik S, Tresse E, Lu J, Taylor JP, Cuervo AM, Yao T-P. HDAC6 controls autophagosome maturation essential for ubiquitin-selective quality control autophagy. EMBO J. (2010) 29(5): 969-980. [IF: 10.86] [CI: 584]

3. Martinez-Vicente M*, Talloczy Z*, Wong E*, Tang G, Koga H, Kaushik S, de Vries R, Arias E, Harris S, Sulzer D, Cuervo AM. Cargo recognition failure is responsible for inefficient autophagy in Huntington’s Disease. Nat Neurosci. (2010) 13(5): 567-576. * Co-first author [IF: 29.887] [CI: 628] 4. Cuervo AM and Wong E. Chaperone-mediated autophagy: roles in disease and aging. Cell Research (2014) 24: 92-104. DOI:10.1038/cr.2013.153 [IF: 46.297] [CI:576] 5. Kaushik S, Tasset I, Arias E, Olatz P, Wong E, Martinez-Vicente M and Cuervo AM. Autophagy and the Hallmarks of Aging. Aging Research Reviews (2021) [IF: 11.12] [CI:35]