Prof. Wong Wing-leung

Academic Staff

PolyU Scholars Hub

Assistant Professor

PolyU Scholars Hub

ORCID ID

SCOPUS ID

Education and Academic Qualifications

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Doctor of Philosophy, City University of Hong Kong
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Doctor of Philosophy, City University of Hong Kong

Research Overview

We are interested in the development of novel and fluorescent small-molecule ligands to target the noncanonical RNA and DNA secondary structures (G-quadruplexes), and some important bacterial protein targets (NDM-1 and FtsZ) for chemical biology study and drug discovery against human diseases.

Research Interests

Achievements

US Patent granted: US9637384B2, Wing Leung Wong, Lai To Leung, Liang Zhang, Chi Mei Chow, Haojun Zhu, Lai Fan Lai, Kwok Keung Paul Ho, “Fullerene derivatives and their applications in organic photovoltaics”.
US Patent granted: US9583711B2, Paul Kwok Keung Ho, Wing Leung Wong, “New conductive and photosensitive polymers”.
US Patent granted: US8318498B2, Kwok-Yin Wong, Dik-Lung Ma, Wing Leung Wong, Wai-Hong Chung, Fung-Yi Chan, “Luminescent protein staining and method for detecting poly(amino acid) in a mixture”.

B.-X. Zheng, W. Long, Y.-X. Zeng, M.-T. She, Y. Zheng, W.-D. Zheng, Y.-K. Wang, K.-H. Chan, A. S.-L. Leung, C.-M. Chan, Y.-J. Lu*, W.-L. Wong*. A mitochondria-targeting and G-quadruplex structure-binding ligand inducing calcium overload and ferroptosis in human cancer cells. British Journal of Pharmacology 2025, Early View. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.70061
B.-X. Zheng, W. Long, W. Zheng, Y. Zeng, X.-C. Guo, K.-H. Chan, M.-T. She, A. S.-L. Leung, Y.-J. Lu, W.-L. Wong*. Mitochondria-selective dicationic small-molecule ligand targeting G-quadruplex structures for human colorectal cancer therapy. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2024, 67(8), 6292–6312. (Cover page). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02240
W. Long, Y.-X. Zeng, B.-X. Zheng, Y.-B. Li, Y.-K. Wang, K.-H. Chan, M.-T. She, Y.-J. Lu*, C. Cao*, W.-L. Wong*. Targeting hTERT promoter G-quadruplex DNA structures with small-molecule ligand to downregulate hTERT expression for triple-negative breast cancer therapy. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2024, 67(15), 13363-13382. (Cover page) https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01255
J.-R. Luo, W. Long*, Z.-X. Chen, S.-M. Wang, Y.-X. Zeng, Y.-J. Lu*, B.-X. Zheng, M.-T. She, W.-L. Wong*. Live cell imaging and real-time monitoring of nucleolus morphology and mitophagy with a red fluorescent and photostable rRNA-specific probe in human cancer cells. ACS Sensors 2024, 9(3), 1545–1554. (Cover page). https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.3c02764
K.-H. Chan, B.-X. Zheng, A. S.-L. Leung, W. Long, Y. Zhao, Y. Zheng, W.-L. Wong*. A NRAS mRNA G-quadruplex structure-targeting small-molecule ligand reactivating DNA damage response in human cancer cells for combination therapy with clinical PI3K inhibitors. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2024, 279, 135308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.135308
K. H. Chan, Y. Wang, B.-X. Zheng, W. Long, X. Feng*, W.-L. Wong*. RNA‐selective small molecule ligands: The recent advances in live cell imaging and drug discovery. ChemMedChem 2023, 18(19), e202300271. https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.202300271
B.-X. Zheng, W. Long, M.-T. She, Y. Wang, D. Zhao, J. Yu, A. S.-L. Leung, K. H. Chan, J. Hou, Y.-J. Lu*, W.-L. Wong*. A cytoplasm-specific fluorescent ligand for selective imaging of RNA G-quadruplexes in live cancer cells. Chemistry-A European Journal 2023, 29, e20230070. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202300705
B.-X. Zheng, J. Yu, W. Long, K.H. Chan, A. S.-L. Leung, W.-L. Wong*. Structurally diverse G-quadruplexes as the noncanonical nucleic acid drug target for live cell imaging and antibacterial study. Chemical Communications, 2023, 59, 1415–1433. (Invited Feature Article. Cover page). https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CC05945B
W. Long, B.-X. Zheng, Y. Li, X.-H. Huang, D.-M. Lin, C.-C. Chen, J.-Q. Hou, T.-M. Ou, W.-L. Wong*, K. Zhang*, Y.-J. Lu*. Rational design of small-molecules to recognize G-quadruplexes of c-MYC promoter and telomere and the evaluation of their in vivo antitumor activity against breast cancer. Nucleic Acids Research, 2022, 50, 1829–1848. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkac090
W. Long, B.-X. Zheng, X.-H. Huang, M.-T. She, A.-L. Liu, K. Zhang*, W.-L. Wong*, Y.-J. Lu*. Molecular recognition and imaging of human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA in live cells: A systematic advancement of thiazole orange scaffold to enhance binding specificity and inhibition of gene expression. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2021, 64, 2125–2138. (Cover page). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01656
B-X. Zheng, W. Long, Y.-H. Zhang, X.-H. Huang, C.-C. Chen, D.-X. Zhong, M.-T. She, Z.-X. Chen, D.-P. Cai, Y.-J. Lu*, W.-L. Wong*. Rational design of red fluorescent and selective G-quadruplex DNA sensing probes: The study of interaction signaling and the molecular structural relationship achieving high specificity. Sensors and Actuators: B. Chemical, 2020, 314, 128075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.128075
Y.-J. Lu*, Q. Deng, J.-Q. Hou, D.-P. Hu, Z.-Y. Wang, K. Zhang, L. G. Luyt, W.-L. Wong*. Molecular engineering of thiazole orange dye: change of fluorescent signaling from universal to specific upon binding with nucleic acids in bioassay. ACS Chemical Biology, 2016, 11, 1019–1029. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.5b00987