2026-04-29T16:11:36+08:002026-04-09|
聯絡信息
職稱
講座教授
辦公室
(地址) E12-4039 / (電話) +853 8822 8079
實驗室
(地址) E12-3078 / (電話) +853 8822 9132
諮詢時間

星期二 10:00 – 12:00

教學
Education
PhD National Centre for Biological Sciences, India 2001
MSc M.S University, India 1993
BSc Bombay University, India 1991
Research Interests
Novel pharmacological control of inflammation

Uncontrolled inflammation is the underlying cause for several human ailments. Tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1)-mediated cell death is a potent contributor to excessive inflammation. Not surprisingly current first-line treatments for inflammatory ailments like rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease involve anti-TNF or anti-TNFR1 therapies that command over 30 billion USD in market share annually. But these therapies, which are coming off patent soon have several side effects which need to be mitigated. Research thus far has primarily characterized TNFR1-induced protein complexes and their post-translational modifications in their ability to drive excessive inflammation. In contrast, the roles of RNAs and RNA modifications in modulating TNFR1-induced complex assembly and function are virtually unknown. We are evaluating mechanisms wherein non-coding RNAs and RNA binding proteins (RBPs) instruct ubiquitously expressed proteins, which are inert under normal conditions, to rapidly activate cell death and inflammation. Our findings will open new avenues for targeted activation or inhibition TNFR1 driven protein complexes, which has historically been difficult due to the multifunctionality and ubiquitous expressions of the protein constituents.
Representative Publications in last 3 years
  1. Shi W, Ong YQ, Majee P, Wong ES, Velazquez AMV, Fidan K, Chow PK, Tam WL, Tan KK, Tan IB, Tergaonkar V. Pirin Transcriptionally Regulates PLA2G4A To Inhibit Ferroptosis in Colorectal Cancer via Lipid Profile Remodeling. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2026 Feb;13(11):e16385. doi: 10.1002/advs.202516385. Epub 2025 Dec 16. PMID: 41400081; PMCID: PMC12931218.
  2. Chen Y, Huynh VT, Lai L, Liu P, Li T, Tan YB, Chew CS, Velazquez AMV, Samsudin F, Marzinek JK, Bond PJ, Wu B, Luo D, Tergaonkar V. FADDDED filaments coordinate complex IIa assembly during TNF-induced apoptosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Aug 26;122(34):e2425802122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2425802122. Epub 2025 Aug 21. PMID: 40838879; PMCID: PMC12403089. (IF 9.1)
  3. Morgan D, Zhang B, Fidan K, Pan W, Vaiyapuri TS, Raju A, Hei D, See TY, Sari IN, Chan JW, Majee P, Balachander A, Yu J, Wong AH, Mok MMH, Foo SH, Tang WL, Ang N, Tan I, Peng YF, Jaynes P, Xu S, Ghosh G, Shahabi S, Jeyasekharan AD, Ikawa M, Zhang Y, Howland SW, Lau MC, Wang VY, Lam KP, Tergaonkar V. The transcription complex p52-ETS1 is essential for germinal center formation. Nature Immunology. 2025 Sep;26(9):1553-1566. doi: 10.1038/s41590-025-02236-1. Epub 2025 Jul 25. PMID: 40715659. (IF 27.6)
  4. Akincilar SC, Fidan K, Kumar N, Ng QF, Majee P, Wu L, Han DJY, Chan CHT, Chua JYH, Idzham K, Oji A, Lee WJJ, Oehlers SH, Ikawa M, Tergaonkar V. Evolutionarily conserved role of telomerase reverse transcriptase in programming the microenvironment via regulation of the cGAS-STING pathway. Nature Cell Biololgy. 2025 Aug;27(8):1342-1356. doi: 10.1038/s41556-025-01706-w. Epub 2025 Aug 6. PMID: 40770487. (IF 26.6).
  5. Wu Z, Wang Z, Ng SQ, Lidster JA, Schwerd-Kleine P, Phua ZJC, Peh KLE, Ho YY, Yuan J, Shathishwaran S, Yeo XH, Zhang Y, Chiu YHJ, Lau LYE, Lim TKH, Takano A, Tan EH, Skanderup AJ, Tergaonkar V, Han W, Ho YS, Tan DSW, Tam WL. Induction of a metabolic switch from glucose to ketone metabolism programs ketogenic diet-induced therapeutic vulnerability in lung cancer. Cell Metabolism. 2025 Nov 4;37(11):2233-2249.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2025.10.001. Epub 2025 Oct 24. PMID: 41138721.
  6. Zhang Y, Chen K, Tang SC, Cai Y, Nambu A, See YX, Fu C, Raju A, Lebeau B, Ling Z, Chan JJ, Tay Y, Mutwil M, Lakshmanan M, Tucker-Kellogg G, Chng WJ, Tenen DG, Osato M, Tergaonkar V, Fullwood MJ. Super-silencer perturbation by EZH2 and REST inhibition leads to large loss of chromatin interactions and reduction in cancer growth. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2025 Jan;32(1):137-149. doi: 10.1038/s41594-024-01391-7. Epub 2024 Sep 20. PMID: 39304765; PMCID: PMC11746141
  7. Shanmugam R, Majee P, Shi W, Ozturk MB, Vaiyapuri TS, Idzham K, Raju A, Shin SH, Fidan K, Low JL, Chua JYH, Kong YC, Qi OY, Tan E, Chok AY, Seow-En I, Wee I, Macalinao DC, Chong DQ, Chang HY, Lee F, Leow WQ, Murata-Hori M, Xiaoqian Z, Shumei C, Tan CSH, Dasgupta R, Tan IB, Tergaonkar V. Iron-(Fe3+) dependent reactivation of telomerase drives colorectal cancers. Cancer Discovery. 2024 Jun 14. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-23-1379. (IF 39.4)
  8. Preedy MK, White MRH, Tergaonkar V. Cellular heterogeneity in TNF/TNFR1 signalling: live cell imaging of cell fate decisions in single cells. Cell Death & Disease. 2024 Mar 11;15(3):202. doi: 10.1038/s41419-024-06559-z.
  9. Masroni MSB, Lee KW, Lee VKM, Ng SB, Law CT, Poon KS, Lee BT, Liu Z, Tan YP, Chng WL, Tucker S, Ngo LS, Yip GWC, Nga ME, Hue SSS, Putti TC, Bay BH, Lin Q, Zhou L, Hartman M, Loh TP, Lakshmanan M, Lee SY, Tergaonkar V, Chua H, Lee AVH, Yeo EYM, Li MH, Chang CF, Kee Z, Tan KM, Tan SY, Koay ES, Archetti M, Leong SM. Dynamic altruistic cooperation within breast tumors. Molecular Cancer. 2023 Dec 14;22(1):206. doi: 10.1186/s12943-023-01896-7. (IF=41.44)
  10. Aiderus A, Barker N, Tergaonkar V. Serrated colorectal cancer: preclinical models and molecular pathways. Trends in Cancer. 2024 Jan;10(1):76-91. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.09.011. (IF 18.4)
  11. Conn VM, Gabryelska M, Toubia J, Kirk K, Gantley L, Powell JA, Cildir G, Marri S, Liu R, Stringer BW, Townley S, Webb ST, Lin H, Samaraweera SE, Bailey S, Moore AS, Maybury M, Liu D, Colella AD, Chataway T, Wallington-Gates CT, Walters L, Sibbons J, Selth LA, Tergaonkar V, D’Andrea RJ, Pitson SM, Goodall GJ, Conn SJ. Circular RNAs drive oncogenic chromosomal translocations within the MLL recombinome in leukemia. Cancer Cell. 2023 Jul 10;41(7):1309-1326.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.05.002. (IF 38.59)
  12. Nassour, J., Aguiar, L., Correia, A., Schmidt, T., Mainz, L., Haggblom, C., Williams, A., Shokhirev, M., Akincilar, S., Tergaonkar, V., Shadel, G., Jan Karlseder, J. (2023). Telomere-to-mitochondria signalling by ZBP1 mediates replicative crisis. Nature, 614(7949), 767–773. (IF=69.5)
  13. Yeo SJ, Ying C, Fullwood MJ, Tergaonkar V. Emerging regulatory mechanisms of noncoding RNAs in topologically associating domains. Trends Genet. 2023 Mar;39(3):217-232. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2022.12.003. (IF=12)
  14. Akincilar, S., Chua, J., Ng, Q., Chan, Tzer, C., Zahra, E., Chen, K., Low, J., Arumugam, S., Aswad , L., Chua , C., Tan , I., Dasgupta, R., Fullwood, M., Tergaonkar, V. (2022). Identification of mechanism of cancer-cell-specific reactivation of hTERT offers therapeutic opportunities for blocking telomerase specifically in human colorectal cancer. Nucleic Acids Research. Accepted as Breakthrough Article, vol. 51,1 (2023): 1-16. (IF=19.33)
  15. Morgan, D., Tergaonkar, V. (2022). Unraveling B cell trajectories at single cell resolution. Trends in immunology, 43(3), 210–229. (IF=16.6)
Google scholar page

Full publications list
Awards
2023 – Present Featured in list of top 2% scientists across various scientific fields
2023 COVID-19 Resilience Medal
2022 Featured in list of top 2% scientists across various scientific fields, published by Stanford University
2022 Scientific Advisory Board member, Hudson institute of medical research, Melbourne, Australia
2022 Biochemical Society International Local Ambassador for Asia Pacific
2021 Winner of Falling Walls Lab in Singapore and participation in the Falling Walls Lab Finale (Emerging Talents category) in Berlin for Cindy Ow
2021 Best Graduate Research Publication Award for Lam Hui Yan, Maggie
2019 – Present Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Macau
2019 Second Place Winner of the 10x Genomics Grant Program Singapore 2019 for single cell sequencing applications
2016 – 2021 Premiers’ fellowship for outstanding international researchers, Government of South Australia
2014 – 2015 UK-SE Asia Knowledge partnership collaborative development award from British High Commission Singapore
2013 Distinguished alumnus of MS University
2013 Distinguished alumnus of Ruia College Mumbai
2013 Johnson and Johnson best NUS PhD thesis for Diana Hays’ work on DP103 helicase
2013 – Present Regional Ambassador Biochemical Journal (Portland Press)
2013 – 2026 Chair “Sydney Brenner Distinguished Academic Visitor” selection committee
2013 Scientific Advisory Board. Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). India
2012 External Advisory Council. Center for Molecular Screening and Chemical Genomics, University of Florida, USA
2010 Nominated for President’s Science and Technology Medal (the highest honour bestowed on exceptional research scientists and engineers in Singapore)
2004 Special Fellow, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America
2002 Best poster award in the “Poster Day 2002” organized by the Society of Research Fellows, Salk Institute
2001 Career development fellowship from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, USA
1998 ICRETT fellowship from the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) for supporting travel and research in Dr. Elliot Androphy’s lab at Tufts University, Boston, USA
1997 Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici Scholarship to attend a course “Cytokines in Immunity”, in Naples
1994 Best poster award at the International Union Against Cancer (UICC)-International Cancer Congress
1993, 1995 Junior and senior research fellowships from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Government of India
1993 Junior research fellowship from University Grants Commision-Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (UGC-CSIR), Government of India
Professional Activities
Editorial Boards

  • Critical Reviews in Oncology/ Hematology (Elsevier Press; 2006 – Present).
  • Biochemical Journal (Portland Press; 2007 – Present).
  • BMC Research Notes (Biomed Central: 2012 – Present)
  • Journal of Molecular Biology and Molecular imaging (2014 – Present).
  • Telomeres and Telomerase (2014 – Present)
  • Molecular & Cellular Biology (Jan 2016 – 2022).
  • Science Advances (Jan 2018 – Present)
  • Genome Instability & Diseases (2019 – Present)
  • Cell Insight (2025 – Present)
Reviewer

  • Adhoc reviewer for Nature and Cell press journals
  • Adhoc reviewer for Science, Genes & Development, Cell Death and Differentiation,Cancer Research, International Journal of Cancer, JBC, EMBO reports and Apoptosis.
  • Expert Review Panel for National Medical Research Council, Singapore 2014 – Present.
  • A*STAR-India DST grants review panel 2014 – 2022.
  • Reviewer for Wellcome Trust, NHMRC (Australia), ANR (French), Israel Science Foundation, Department of Biotechnology India and Austrian research grants, Human frontiers (HFSP).
  • Panel member, Duke-NUS and Duke-Durham collaborative grants 2017.
  • Academic Research Fund Expert Panel for Ministry of Education, Singapore 2018 – Present.
  • Review panel for the Einstein Center for Early Disease Interception, Germany, 2023.