ABSTRACT
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults, which has seen little progress in its clinical management over the last two decades. The challenge in effective GBM treatment stems from the intratumoral heterogeneity, therapy resilience, invasiveness and immunosuppressive nature of GBM, which are imparted by glioma stem cells (GSCs). In this talk, I will outline our efforts towards a better molecular understanding of GBM pathogenesis using multi-dimensional analysis of patient-derived GSCs, and illustrate how some of our findings may be translated into actionable clinical modalities. The long-term goal of our research is to develop biomarkers for patient stratification so as to aid precision medicine in GBM treatment.

BIO
Derrick Ong is the President’s Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his Bachelor in Science (First class Honors) and Masters in Biology  at NUS, and PhD (Chemical Biology) at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), USA, where he trained under Dr Jeffery Kelly, a pioneer in the field of proteostasis. For his postdoctoral training, Derrick was mentored by Dr Ronald DePinho, a world expert in aging and cancer, first at Dana Farber Cancer Institute/ Harvard Medical School, and then at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA. His research is focused on identifying novel mechanisms of proliferation/ self-renewal of cancerous and normal brain stem cells. 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.

ABSTRACT
The main research interest in the Liu lab is to dissect molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain cancer development, in particular high-grade glioma. By using cutting-edge mouse genetics, combined with live imaging as well as other biochemical, molecular and cell biology approaches, the lab aims to address some fundamental questions in cancer biology. For instance, why does the same mutation only provoke a particular type of cell to transform, but not affect others? How do extrinsic and intrinsic cues work together to determine whether a cell stays normal, or goes awry? The Liu lab is also interested in translating the basic cancer research into clinical applications. Taking the strategy of comparative studies between species, the lab aims to identify potential effective therapeutic targets for glioma patients.

BIO
Chong Liu obtained his Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University, China, then finished his postdoctoral training in University of Oregon. He established his own lab in Zhejiang University School of Medicine since 2015. Dr. Liu is currently the Qiushi Distinguished Professor in the Neurosurgeon Department, the second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. He is also the joint professor of Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University City College, and the Jinfeng Laboratory. The main research interest of the Liu lab is the molecular and cellular mechanism of brain diseases including brain cancers and neurodegeneration diseases. The pertinent findings have been published in Nature, Cell, and Advanced Science.