Jun Yang Ong
Research
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are being developed as an effective method for degrading cancer-promoting oncoproteins, which are considered “undruggable” with conventional small molecules. PROTACs for anti-cancer treatment are bifunctional molecules consisting of a ligand that binds to an oncoprotein connected via a linker to an E3 ubiquitin ligase recruiter. Upon PROTAC-mediated ternary complex formation, the oncoprotein becomes ubiquitinated and degraded by the proteasome. Limitations of PROTACs include their requirement for E3 ligase ligands, susceptibility to acquired therapy resistance, and the need for tedious linker composition optimization. In collaboration with Gluetacs Therapeutics (Shanghai) and other groups in Leiden University, my project is to develop novel PROTAC strategies to overcome these limitations and enhance their specific cellular delivery.
Curriculum Vitae
I studied chemistry (MChem) at the University of Manchester, UK (2015-2019), where I had the opportunity to work on various projects related to organic chemistry, biocatalysis and synthetic biology. Afterwards, I moved to the Netherlands to pursue a PhD under the supervision of Dr Tom Wennekes at Utrecht University as part of the EU Marie Curie SweetCrosstalk ITN (2019-2025). The overarching goal of the consortium was to investigate the important roles of glycans in mediating the interactions between human host and (gut) microbiota in health and disease, and develop molecular tools to study and modulate them. During my PhD, I focused on a particular glycan known as sialic acid and performed chemoenzymatic synthesis of its various derivatives. Combining with my interest in covalent warhead chemistry, I developed a novel affinity-based probe and inhibitor approach to study sialyltransferases. As part of my PhD study, I also spent three months in Inbiose NV in Ghent, Belgium where I, with the help of a fellow SweetCrosstalk PhD student, screened activity of new sialyltransferases from bacteria. Starting August 2025, I am working as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Peter ten Dijke, focusing on the development of novel PROTAC strategies for targeted degradation of oncoproteins.
