Carmen Wong
Cancer Biology Lab
Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
News
Final Year Projects- It's A Wrap!
May 15, 2023
Our FYP students, Yeseo from the School of Biological Sciences and Terence from the School of Biomedical Sciences have submitted their dissertations and completed their presentations! They have been working very hard on their projects in the past year. Congratulations on the completion and happy graduation to Yeseo and Terence! Good luck on your future endeavors!
Sharing passion, igniting curiosity
May 11, 2023
We hosted another lab visit for a group of students from Pui Ching! They had the opportunity to learn about our research interests as well as some basic laboratory experiments demonstrated by our lab members. Hope they enjoyed the engaging session as much as we do!
Hypoxia-inducible factor orchestrates adenosine metabolism to promote liver cancer development
May 5, 2023
Hypoxia-induced adenosine creates an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and dampens the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). In our recent paper, we revealed that hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) orchestrates adenosine efflux through two steps in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). First, HIF-1 activates transcriptional repressor MXI1, which inhibits adenosine kinase (ADK), resulting in adenosine accumulation in hypoxic cancer cells. Second, HIF-1 transcriptionally activates equilibrative nucleoside transporter 4 (ENT4), pumping adenosine into the interstitial space of HCC, elevating extracellular adenosine levels. Together, we illustrated the dual role of hypoxia in establishing an adenosine-mediated immunosuppressive TME and offered a potential therapeutic approach via adenosine receptors blockade that synergizes with ICIs in HCC. This work was published in Science Advances. Congratulations on a great paper Dr. Jacinth Cheu!
RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme, 2023
April 28, 2023
Our Post-doctoral Fellow, Cerise, is selected as awardee of Research Grants Council Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme. This fellowship aims to encourage doctoral graduates in pursuing career in research and provide promising researchers with support at a pivotal time in their very early career. Congratulations!
Carrie and Kenneth in AACR2023
April 19, 2023
Our Post-doctoral Fellow, Kenneth and PhD student, Carrie attended AACR meeting in Orlando this year. Carrie gave poster presentation on her research study. They had a fruitful experience in the conference!
Carmen and the team being featured in RTHK!
April 4, 2023
Carmen was invited by RTHK to share about her inspiring stories and research to the public, lighting up the research interests and curiosity among the younger generation. Well, research is not just about experiments and findings, science communication is equally important!
Check out the link below for the full video!
【Exploring New Horizons 2023】- DGS students lab tour!
April 3, 2023
Around 15 students from Diocesan Girls' School visited our lab last month and it was being featured by the Hong Kong Laureate Forum! Special thanks to our demonstrators for showcasing our work and explaining the principles of the experiments carried out in our lab. Hope they enjoyed the tour!
Vincent's PhD Viva Voce
March 22, 2023
Huge congratulations to Vincent for successfully defended his PhD thesis and has officially become Dr. Vincent Yuen! He put in tremendous efforts throughout his PhD to reach this achievement, we are all so proud of you! Everyone enjoyed the surprise lunch to celebrate this good news!
Macus's Li Ka Shing Prize Video
March 21, 2023
The Video from Macus's Li Ka Shing Prize is now available for watching!
Ferroptosis Suppressor Protein 1 Inhibition Promotes Tumor Ferroptosis and Anti-tumor Immune Responses in Liver Cancer
March 7, 2023
A recent paper published by our group showed that inhibition of ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 can suppress hepatocellular carcinoma tumor growth via the induction of ferroptosis. Ferroptotic cell death was also shown to promote innate and adaptive anti-tumor immunity. This represents a novel and potent therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma with improved treatment outcome. The paper was published on Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Congratulations to Jacinth and Derek!
HKU Presidential Scholars Symposium cum Prize Presentation Ceremony
March 7, 2023
Carmen, Zher, and Cindy attended the HKU Presidential Scholars Symposium cum Prize Presentation Ceremony at the beginning of March. Carmen received the Li Ka Shing Prize for best MPhil thesis on behalf of our MPhil graduate Macus. Our second-year PhD student, Zher presented her first poster at the Symposium while our first-year PhD student Cindy was awarded the HKU Presidential Scholarship. Congratulations!
Hong Kong Immunology Forum 2022/23
January 10, 2023
Carmen will present in the upcoming Hong Kong Immunology Forum 2022/23 to be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023 on the topic 'Approaching personalized medicine with precision mouse liver cancer models'. This event is organized by The Hong Kong Society for Immunology (HKSI), which aims to provide a forum for scientific discussion in matters related to Immunology Research with a network of scientists working in Hong Kong.
All interested may join us in-person or via Zoom through simple registration by scanning the QR code above.
與科學家及工程領袖的約會 - Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 香港科學院
January 4, 2023
Carmen has shared our recent findings in cancer metabolism, tumor microenvironment and therapeutic strategies in 與科學家及工程領袖的約會, an event co-organized by Hong Kong Academy of Sciences and Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. This meeting aims at promoting local science research work to the general public, and nurturing interest of younger generations in Hong Kong in science. Carmen also shared her interesting experience and challenges in research in this meeting. Recording of this meeting can be found in the link below.