Ong Sek Tong Derrick

Ong Sek Tong Derrick

PhD

Assistant Professor

+65 65163232 (Office);
+65 65163234 (Lab)

phsostd@nus.edu.sg

Linkedin

ORCID

Affiliations

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore
  • NUS Centre for Cancer Research Translational Research Programme

Research Areas of Interest:

  • Mechanisms of proliferation/self-renewal of cancerous and normal brain stem cells
  • Cancer stem cells in glioblastoma (i.e. glioma stem cells)
  • Embryonic neural stem cells
  • How neural stem cell function can be enhanced during aging
  • Transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms

Biography

Derrick is the President’s Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology, NUS. He obtained his PhD (Chemical Biology) at The Scripps Research Institute (CA) where he trained under Dr Jeffery Kelly, a pioneer in proteostasis. For his postdoctoral work, Derrick was mentored by Dr Ronald DePinho, an expert in aging and cancer, first at Dana Farber Cancer Institute/ Harvard Medical School, and then University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Derrick has also received several awards, including the National Research Foundation Fellowship, President’s Assistant Professorship, Early Career Research Award, and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Research Excellence Award.

Research Synopsis

The research focus in my lab lies in the identification of novel mechanisms of proliferation/ self-renewal of brain stem cells in cancer and development. We employ glioblastoma patient-derived glioma stem cells and embryonic neural stem cells as our experimental models. My previous trainings in chemical biology, stem cell biology and cancer biology have allowed me to conduct my research in a multi-disciplinary fashion. I have a proven publication track record, having published in top journals, including Cell, Nature Chemical Biology, Cancer Cell, PNAS, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Nucleic Acids Research, and Cell Death & Differentiation.

Selected Publications

  1. 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, 52(12):7063-7080. †Equal contribution.
  2. 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.
  3. 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)
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.

Awards

  • 2023 Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Research Excellence Award
  • 2018 NUS Early Career Research Award
  • 2017 Singapore National Research Foundation Fellowship, Class of 2017
  • 2017 NUS President’s Assistant Professorship
  • August 2012 – September 2015 Odyssey Fellowship at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  • August 2007 – March 2010 Skaggs-Oxford Scholarship,
  • August 2003 – July 2004 Research Scholarship at NUS
  • 2003 Straits Times Bronze Medal For Best student in The B.Sc. Honors Examinations, NUS
  • 1999 – 2003 Dean’s List at Faculty of Science, NUS (4 out of 5 eligible semesters)
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