N2CR

17/10/2025

We are delighted to welcome Prof Goh Boon Cher and Dr Anand Jeyasekharan as they take on new leadership roles at N2CR. Their expertise and vision will be instrumental in advancing the Centre’s next phase of growth and innovation.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to Prof Ashok Venkitaraman for his exceptional leadership and lasting contributions to N2CR’s growth and impact.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3WJtvc6

🎉We are pleased to announce the appointment of Prof Goh Boon Cher as Programme Chair of the NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR) with effect from 1 November 2025, and that Dr Anand Jeyasekharan has since 1 May 2025 taken over as Deputy Programme Chair of N2CR.

Prof Goh, a leading clinician scientist in precision oncology and pharmacogenetics, has made important advances in understanding resistance mechanisms and Asian-centric cancers such as lung and head and neck malignancies.

Dr Jeyasekharan, an NMRC Clinician Scientist (Senior Investigator) Awardee, is recognised for his pioneering work in "cancer cartography", where mapping tumour-immune architecture through novel spatial biology techniques helps to predict treatment response and resistance.

💞We also extend our sincere appreciation to Prof Ashok Venkitaraman, founding Programme Chair of N2CR since 2020, for his visionary leadership and groundbreaking work on genome instability and cancer susceptibility. His landmark discoveries on the BRCA gene has transformed the global understanding of cancer risk.

Please join us in welcoming this new leadership team as they guide N2CR into its next chapter of innovation, collaboration and impact in cancer research.

🔗 Read more: https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/news/leadership-changes-in-the-national-university-of-singapore-nus-centre-for-cancer-research-n2cr-yong-loo-lin-school-of-medicine-nus/

27/09/2025

The Straits Times has featured one of our members, Prof Chng Wee Joo, a blood cancer specialist and the inspirational story of one of his patients.

27/09/2025

Congratulations to our primary members who have been recognised among the world’s top-cited scientists in the latest database developed by Stanford University and published by Elsevier. This recognition, based on Scopus citation metrics, places them in the top 2% of their respective fields — an outstanding achievement that reflects their exceptional research impact.

04/09/2025

Prospective Evaluation of QPOP in Relapsed/Refractory Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Treatment of relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (R/R-NHL) remains one of the most difficult challenges in haematologic malignancies, with many patients exhausting standard therapies and facing limited treatment options. In a final report extending on interim results from a prospective study led by Dr Anand Jeyasekharan and A/Prof Edward Chow at NCIS and NUS, a novel AI-guided ex vivo drug screening tool, Quadratic Phenotypic Optimisation Platform (QPOP), accurately predicted response to drug combinations in 74.5% of 117 lymphoma cases.

Those who received QPOP-guided patient-specific treatment had a 59% overall response rate and nearly 60% experienced longer response duration compared to their preceding treatment. Two-year survival analysis revealed significant extension of progression free survival in QPOP-guided group compared to those on standard salvage regimens (P=0.019), with 44% lower risk of progression. These findings demonstrated clinical utility and potential of QPOP as a functional precision medicine platform, supporting its development as a clinical decision support tool in the management of R/R-NHL patients.

PURPOSEDespite initially responding to first-line treatment, many patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) eventually relapse or are refractory. These patients are empirically subjected to salvage therapies that may not be efficacious. We had previously ...

01/09/2025

Overcoming Drug Resistance in Liver Cancer

Sorafenib is a first-line therapy used to treat advanced liver cancer, but its effectiveness is often reduced due to resistance in cancer cells. This study co-led by N2CR member, A/Prof Gautam Sethi, explored the biological mechanisms behind that resistance and identified a group of genes involved in retinoic acid metabolism that help cancer cells survive treatment.

These genes are activated by a protein called POU3F3, which boosts the production of retinoic acid—a compound that protects cells from damage. By silencing POU3F3, researchers were able to make cancer cells more responsive to sorafenib. They also identified a compound called rosarin that inhibits POU3F3 and enhances the drug’s effectiveness. Laboratory and animal tests showed that combining rosarin with sorafenib significantly improved treatment outcomes. These findings suggest that targeting POU3F3 could be a promising strategy to overcome drug resistance and improve the success of liver cancer therapies.

https://rdcu.be/eCYaH

13/08/2025

Overcoming Drug Resistance in Leukemia

Venetoclax (VEN) is a targeted therapy used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. It works by blocking Bcl-2, a protein that prevents cells from undergoing programmed cell death, known as apoptosis, thus allowing cancer cells to survive. However, some cancer cells become resistant by switching to rely on another survival protein called Mcl-1.

This study led by N2CR members, Prof Shazib Pervaiz and Dr Stephen Chong, found that in VEN-resistant cells, increased levels of superoxide—a reactive oxygen molecule inside cells—activate a signaling protein called AKT which phosphorylates and stabilizes Mcl-1 to help cancer cells resist VEN and survive. Reducing superoxide or blocking AKT reverses this resistance. Combining VEN with an AKT inhibitor (capivasertib) significantly reduced resistant cancer cells and improved survival in mice, offering a promising new treatment strategy.

https://bit.ly/3JtTFMy

07/08/2025

Congratulations to Dr Alan Prem Kumar on receiving the Graduate Mentor of the Year (GRAMAY) Award 2025.

This is an annual award that honours and celebrates faculty staff for their excellence in mentorship and the professional development of graduate students in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. The award is given to recognise the important key roles played by the Faculty staff in inspiring and nurturing future biomedical- and clinician-scientists. The award recipients should have shown excellence in graduate supervision, intellectual and professional development as well as career development of their graduate students.

01/08/2025

N2CR had its 3rd retreat at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel on 25 July 2025.

From inspiring discussions and exchanges to a relaxing evening by the river with good food, drinks as well as meaningful conversations — it was a day to remember.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us!