Chun-Ho Wong 黃駿豪

  • Scholarship in 2007 at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Chun-Ho has over 15 years of research experience in different chemistry areas including molecular design, chemical synthesis, materials sciences, and drug discovery. His research focuses on using a rational design approach to develop drug candidates for trinucleotide repeats-related diseases. The effort has led to the discovery of several promising drug candidates in multiple animal disease models for these incurable neurodegenerative diseases such as myotonic dystrophy and Huntington’s disease. 

Chun-Ho received his first-class B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry in 2004 and M.Phil. in 2006 from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013. 

Currently

Chun-Ho has been working in the medical and healthcare industries after receiving his Ph.D. degree. He has wide range of working experience in different corporate settings ranging from startups to NASDAQ-listed company. Over the past decade, he has developed and commercialized various medical and healthcare products with regulatory approvals from different countries including China NMPA, US FDA, and CE from Europe. In 2019, he led a team of chemists and engineers, in collaboration with various universities, to launch a series of healthcare products rapidly in response to COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, through joining the HKSTP, he shifted gear to support the InnoHK initiative of the HKSAR Government to develop Hong Kong as the hub for translational research collaboration and commercialization.

Publications:

(1)      Long M. Luu, Lien Nguyen, Shaohong Peng, Ju Yeon Lee, Hyang Yeon Lee, Chun-Ho Wong, Paul J. Hergenrother, H. Y. Edwin Chan,* Steven C. Zimmerman* “A Potent Inhibitor of Protein Sequestration by Expanded Triplet (CUG) Repeats that Shows Phenotypic Improvements in a Drosophila Model of Myotonic Dystrophy” ChemMedChem 2016, 11, 1428–1435.

(2)      Jun Wu,* Rui Xu, Rixing Zhan, Gaoxing Luo, Xihua Niu, Yi Liu, Benjamin T. K. Lee, Meinrad Flury, Chun-Ho Wong, Manson Fok, Johnson Yiu-Nam Lau, “Effective Symptomatic Treatment for Severe and Intractable Pruritus Associated with Severe Burn-Induced Hypertrophic Scars – A Prospective, Multicenter, Controlled Trial” Burns 2016, 42, 1059–1066.

(3)      Qianwen Wang, Yufeng Zhang, Shuai Qian, Shaohong Peng, Qian Zhang, Chun-Ho Wong, H. Y. Edwin Chan, Zhong Zuo,* “Pharmacokinetics and Brain Uptake of HIV-1 Replication Inhibitor DB213 in Sprague-Dawley Rats” J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 2016, 125, 41–47.

(4)       Lien Nguyen, JuYeon Lee, Chun-Ho Wong, Steven C. Zimmerman,* “Small Molecules that Target the Toxic RNA in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2” ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 2455–2462.

(5)      Chun-Ho Wong, Lien Nguyen, Jessie Peh, Long M. Luu, Jeannette S. Sanchez, Stacie L. Richardson, Tiziano Tuccinardi, Ho Tsoi, Wood-Yee Chan, H. Y. Edwin Chan, Anne M. Baranger, Paul J. Hergenrother,* Steven C. Zimmerman,* “Targeting Toxic RNAs that Cause Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1) with a Bisamidinium Inhibitor” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 6355–6361.

(6)      Cartney E. Smith, Artem Shkumatov, Sarah G. Withers, James F. Glockner, Sanjay Misra, Edward J. Roy, Chun-Ho Wong, Steven C. Zimmerman, and Hyunjoon Kong,* “A Polymeric Fastener Can Easily Functionalize Liposome Surfaces with Gadolinium for Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging” ACS Nano 2013, 7, 9599–9610.

(7)      Chun-Ho Wong and Steven C. Zimmerman,* “Orthogonality in organic, polymer, and supramolecular chemistry: from Merrifield to click chemistry” Chem. Commun. 2013, 49, 1679–1695.

(8)      Chun-Ho Wong, Stacie L. Richardson, Yen-Jun Ho, Alex M. H. Lucas, Tiziano Tuccinardi, Anne M. Baranger, and Steven C. Zimmerman,* “Investigating the Binding Mode of an Inhibitor of the MBNL1×RNA Complex in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1) Leads to the Unexpected Discovery of a DNA-Selective Binder” ChemBioChem 2012, 13, 2505–2509.

(9)      Chun-Ho Wong, Yuan Fu, Sreenivasa R. Ramisetty, Anne M. Baranger,* and Steven C. Zimmerman,* “Selective Inhibition of MBNL1-CCUG Interaction by Small Molecules Toward Potential Therapeutic Agents for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2 (DM2)” Nucleic Acids Res. 2011, 39, 8881–8890.

(10)   Simon P. Jones, Nathan P. Gabrielson, Chun-Ho Wong, Hak-Fun Chow, Daniel W. Pack, Paola Posocco, Maurizio Fermeglia, Sabrina Pricl, and David K. Smith,* “Hydrophobically Modified Dendrons – Developing Structure-Activity Relationships for DNA Binding and Gene Transfection” Mol. Pharmaceutics 2011, 8, 416–429.

(11)   Chun-Ho Wong, Wing-Shong Chan, Chui-Man Lo, Hak-Fun Chow,* To Ngai, and Ka-Wai Wong “Synthesis and Self-Assembling Properties of Rod-Like, 2-Ureido-4-pyrimidinone-Based Main Chain Supramolecular Dendronized Polymers” Macromolecules 2010, 43, 8389–8399.

(12)   Chun-Ho Wong, Lai-Sheung Choi, Sui-Lung Yim, Kwun-Ngai Lau, Hak-Fun Chow,* Sin-Kam Hui, and Kong-Hung Sze, “The Effects of Microenvironment Polarity and Dendritic Branching of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Dendrons on the Self-Assembly of 2-Ureido-4-pyrimidinones” Chem.–Asian J. 2010, 5, 2249–2257.

(13)   Chun-Ho Wong, Hak-Fun Chow,* Sin-Kam Hui, and Kong-Hung Sze, “Generation-Independent Dimerization Behavior of Quadruple Hydrogen-Bond-Containing Oligoether Dendrons” Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 1811–1814.

(14)   Hak-Fun Chow,* Ka-Fai Ng, Zhao-Yang Wang, Chun-Ho Wong, To Luk, Chui-Man Lo, and Yu-Ying Yang, “Synthesis of New Amphiphilic Dendrons Bearing Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Surface Sectors and a Monocarboxylic or Dicarboxylic Acid Focal Point” Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 471–474.    

Patents and Patent Applications:

(1)      Ho Yin Edwin Chan, Jacky Chi-Ki Ngo, Chun-Ho Wong, Qian Zhang, and Shaohong Peng, Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeting CAG-Repeat RNA Toxicity in Polyglutamine Diseases. U.S. Patent Application US20170181986 A1, Jun 29, 2017.

(2)      Steven C. Zimmerman, Chun-Ho Wong, Paul J. Hergenrother, and Jessie Peh, Therapeutic Methods and Agents for Treating Myotonic Dystrophy. U.S. Patent 9,382,215 B2, Jul 5, 2016.

(3)      Meinrad Flury, Benjamin Tak Kwong Lee, Wing Shong Thierry Chan, Chun-Ho Wong, Yi Ming Gan, Eye Swab Comprising Gel-Like Modeling Clay and Crosslinked Polymer Network. Eur. Pat. Appl. EP 2853248 A1, Apr 1, 2015.

(4)      Jun Wu, Gaoxing Luo, Johnson Yiu-Nam Lau, Manson Fok, Chun-Ho Wong, Meinrad Flury, Benjamin Tak-Kwong Lee, Hydrogel Compositions, Methods For Preparing The Same And Uses Thereof. PCT Patent Application, PCT/CN2014/088001, Sep 30, 2014.

(5)       Steven C. Zimmerman, Chun-Ho Wong, Paul J. Hergenrother, and Jessie Peh, Therapeutic Methods and Agents for Treating Myotonic Dystrophy. U.S. Patent 8,754,084 B2, Jun 17, 2014.