Assoc Prof Ong Choon Kiat is the Principal Investigator of Lymphoma Genomic Translational Research Laboratory, National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS). Concurrently, he holds an appointment as a Senior Research Scientist at the Genome Institute of Singapore and an Assoc Prof at the Duke-NUS Medical School. Assoc Prof Ong obtained his BSc (Hon) in 2000 and PhD in 2006 from the National University of Singapore. During his post-doctoral training, Assoc Prof Ong has led the genomic research in various cancers prevalent in Asia including lymphoma, cholangiocarcinoma and fibroepithelial tumors of the breast. His research interest is to improve the clinical outcomes of lymphomas’ patients through the understanding of cancer genomics and translating the findings into clinical applications. Assoc Prof Ong is also representing Singapore, leading the whole genome sequencing of T and NK-cell lymphoma in the International Cancer Genomic Consortium (ICGC). Recently, Assoc Prof  Ong, along with other collaborating scientists in the field of cancer research, was awarded the “AACR Team Science Award 2018” by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), recognising the outstanding interdisciplinary team’s work in furthering the knowledge of Asian prevalent cancers, at the same time contributing to the progress of cancer detection, treatment and prevention.  

• 2002-2006 Awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the National University of Singapore.
• 1996-2000 Awarded Second Upper Class Honors in Bachelor of Science (Cellular and Molecular Biology) from the National University of Singapore.

• Member of PSB Academy Science Industry Advisory Panel (1st Jan 2020 to 31st Dec 2021)
• Grant Monitoring Committee for NCCS Cancer Fund (Research) and ONCO-ACP Cancer Collaborative Scheme (Chairperson) (Jan 2018 – current)
• SingHealth Institutional Biosafety Committee (Expert Panel-Molecular Biology) (Jan 2018 – current)
• American Society of Hematology since 2016
• European Academy for Tumor Immunology since 2016
• American Association for Cancer Research associate member since 2008
• International Liver Cancer Association trainee member since 2011

• 2019 Large Collaborative Grant- Singapore lYMPoma translatiONal studY (SYMPHONY)
• 2018 AACR Team Science Award
• 2014 SingHealth Publish! Award (Outstanding)
• 2013 SingHealth Publish! Award (Outstanding).

Improve the clinical outcomes of lymphomas’ patients through the understanding of cancer genomics and translating the findings into clinical applications

• Kim SJ, Lim JQ, Laurensia Y, Cho J, Yoon SE, Lee JY, Ryu KJ, Ko YH, Koh Y, Cho D, Lim ST, Beck Enemark M, D'amore F, Bjerre M, Ong CK, Kim WS. Avelumab for the treatment of relapsed or refractory extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma: an open-label phase 2 study. Blood. 2020 Aug 7:blood.2020007247. doi: 10.1182/blood.2020007247. Impact factor: 16.601.
• Lim JQ, Huang D, Tang T, Tan D, Laurensia Y, Peng RJ, Wong EKY, Cheah DMZ, Chia BKH, Iqbal J, Grigoropoulos NF, Nairismägi ML, Ng CCY, Rajasegaran V, Hong H, Kim SJ, Cho J, Tse E, Mow B, Cai QC, Poon LM, Cai QQ, Tan J, Chan JY, Lim JX, Goh YT, Phipps C, Rötzschke O, Cheng CL, Ha JCH, Khoo LP, Loh YSM, Au-Yeung R, Chan TS, Kwong YL, Hwang W, Kim WS, Bei JX*, Lin T*, Ong CK*, Lim ST*. Whole-genome sequencing identifies responders to Pembrolizumab in relapse/refractory natural-killer/T cell lymphoma. (*Co-Corresponding author). Leukemia. 2020 Aug 5. doi: 10.1038/s41375-020-1000-0. Impact factor: 10.240.
• ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes Consortium. Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes. Nature. 2020 Feb;578(7793):82-93. Impact factor: 43.070.
• Lin GW, Xu C, Chen K, Huang HQ, Chen J, Song B, Chan JKC, Li W, Liu W, Shih LY, Chuang WY, Kim WS, Tan W, Peng RJ, Laurensia Y, Cheah DMZ, Huang D, Cheng CL, Su YJ, Tan SY, Ng SB, Tang TPL, Han K, Wang VY, Jia WH, Pei Z, Li YJ, Gao S, Shi Y, Hu Z, Zhang F, Zhang B, Zeng YX, Shen H, He L, Ong CK, Lim ST, Chanock S, Kwong YL, Lin D, Rothman N, Khor CC, Lan Q, Bei JX; International NKTCL Working Group. Genetic risk of extranodal natural killer T-cell lymphoma: a genome-wide association study in multiple populations. Lancet Oncology. 2020 Feb;21(2):306-316. Impact factor: 35.386.
• Huang D, Song TL, Nairismägi ML, Laurensia Y, Pang WL, Zhe DCM, Wong EKY, Wijaya GG, Tan J, Tan SH, Lim JQ, Chia BKH, Chan JY, Tang TPL, Somasundaram N, Cheng CL, Politz O, Liu N, Lim ST, Ong CK. Evaluation of the PIK3 pathway in peripheral T-cell lymphoma and NK/T-cell lymphoma (Corresponding author). Br J Haematol. 2020 Jan 31. Impact Factor 5.206.
• de Mel S, Rashid MBM, Zhang XY, Goh J, Lee CT, Poon LM, Chan EHL, Liu X, Chng WJ, Chee YL, Lee J, Yuen YC, Lim JQ, Chia BKH, Laurensia Y, Huang D, Pang WL, Cheah DMZ, Wong EKY, Ong CK, Tang T, Lim ST, Ng SB, Tan SY, Loi HY, Tan LK, Chow EK, Jeyasekharan AD. Application of an ex-vivo drug sensitivity platform towards achieving complete remission in a refractory T-cell lymphoma. Blood Cancer J. 2020 Jan 27;10(1):9. Impact Factor 7.895.
• Amador C, Greiner TC, Heavican TB, Smith LM, Galvis KT, Lone W, Bouska A, D'Amore F, Pedersen MB, Pileri S, Agostinelli C, Feldman AL, Rosenwald A, Ott G, Mottok A, Savage KJ, de Leval L, Gaulard P, Lim ST, Ong CK, Ondrejka SL, Song J, Campo E, Jaffe ES, Staudt LM, Rimsza LM, Vose J, Weisenburger DD, Chan WC, Iqbal J. Reproducing the molecular subclassification of peripheral T-cell lymphoma-NOS by immunohistochemistry. Blood. 2019 Dec 12;134(24):2159-2170. Impact factor 16.601.
• Tan KM, Chia B, Lim JQ, Khoo LP, Cheng CL, Tan L, Poon E, Somasundaram N, Farid M, Tang TPL, Tao M, Cheah DMZ, Laurensia Y, Pang JWL, Song T, Tan J, Huang D, Kim SJ, Kim WS, Ong CK*, Lim ST*, Chan JY*. A clinicohaematological prognostic model for nasal-type natural killer/T-cell lymphoma: A multicenter study. Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 18;9(1):14961. (*Co-Corresponding author). Impact Factor: 4.525.
• Peng RJ, Han BW, Cai QQ, Zuo XY, Xia T, Chen JR, Feng LN, Lim JQ, Chen SW, Zeng MS, Guo YM, Li B, Xia XJ, Xia Y, Laurensia Y, Chia BKH, Huang HQ, Young KH, Lim ST, Ong CK*, Zeng YX*, Bei JX*. Genomic and Transcriptomic Landscapes of Epstein-Barr Virus in Extranodal natural killer T-cell lymphoma. Leukemia 2019 Jun;33(6):1451-1462. (*Co-Corresponding author). Impact Factor: 11.702.
• Heavican TB, Bouska A, Yu J, Lone W, Amador C, Gong Q, Zhang W, Li Y, Dave BJ, Nairismägi ML, Greiner TC, Vose J, Weisenburger DD, Lachel C, Wang C, Fu K, Stevens JM, Lim ST, Ong CK, Gascoyne RD, Missiaglia E, Lemonnier F, Haioun C, Hartmann S, Pedersen MB, Laginestra MA, Wilcox RA, Teh BT, Yoshida N, Ohshima K, Seto M, Rosenwald A, Ott G, Campo E, Rimsza LM, Jaffe ES, Braziel RM, d'Amore F, Inghirami G, Bertoni F, de Leval L, Gaulard P, Staudt LM, McKeithan TW, Pileri S, Chan WC,