My laboratory has two general research interests. Firstly, we are interested in the molecular mechanisms that control immune cell development. We wish to understand how the cells of the immune system are produced in appropriate numbers and with appropriate functional properties so they can protect against pathogens without causing autoimmunity. We are particularly interested in the differentiation of T cells in the thymus and of haematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow.
Secondly, we are interested in the biogenesis and function of non-coding RNAs. We study how these RNAs are transcribed and processed to generate functional molecules. We are also interested in understanding the regulation of the microRNA machinery.
Key achievements
2023-current Editorial Board, Scientific Reports
2019 – current Editorial Advisory Board member, Immunology and Cell Biology
2019-2023 Section Editor & Editorial Board, The Journal of Immunology
2019-2022 President, Immunology Group of Victoria
2017 NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship
2017 – current Editorial Advisory Board, Heliyon
2011 Career Development Award, NHMRC (gratefully declined); QEII Fellowship, ARC
2008 Helen and Martin Kimmel Senior Stem Cell Fellowship
2004 Cancer Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship
2002 The CASS Foundation, Australian Health and Medical Research Congress; Campion-Ma-Playoust Memorial Award, ASMR; New Investigator Award, Australasian Society for Immunology
2001 Cleveland Young Investigator Award, Royal Melbourne Hospital; Australian Diabetes Society Travel Award
2000 Australian Postgraduate Award, Australian Government
Selected publications
Johanson TJ, Keown AA, Cmero M, Yeo JHC, Kumar A, Lew AM, Zhan Y & Chong MMW (2015), Drosha controls dendritic cell development by cleavage of messenger RNAs encoding inhibitors of myelopoiesis, Nat Immunol, 16:1134-41. doi: 10.1038/ni.3293
Kirigin FF, Lindstedt K, Sellars M, Ciofani M, Low SL, Jones L, Bell F, Pauli F, Bonneau R, Myers RM, Littman DR & Chong MMW (2012), Dynamic microRNA gene transcription and processing during T cell development, J Immunol, 188(7):3257-67.doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1103175.
Chong MMW, Zhang G, Cheloufi S, Neubert TA, Hannon GJ & Littman DR (2010), Canonical and alternate functions of the microRNA biogenesis machinery, Genes Dev, 24(17):1951-60. doi: 10.1101/gad.1953310
Chong MMW, Simpson N, Ciofani M, Chen G, Collins A & Littman DR (2010), Epigenetic propagation of CD4 expression is established by the Cd4 proximal enhancer in helper T cells, Genes Dev, 24:659-69. doi: 10.1101/gad.1901610
Chong MMW, Rasmussen JP, Rudensky AY & Littman DR (2008), The RNaseIII enzyme Drosha is critical in T cells for preventing lethal inflammatory disease, J Exp Med, 205:2005-17. doi: 10.1084/jem.20081219
Chong MMW, Cornish AL, Darwiche R, Stanley EG, Purton JE, Godfrey DI, Hilton DJ, Starr, R, Alexander WS & Kay TWH (2003), Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-1 is a Critical Regulator of Interleukin-7-Dependent CD8+ T cell Differentiation, Immunity, 18(4):475-87. doi: 10.1016/s1074-7613(03)00078-5.
ORCID profile: orcid.org/0000-0002-3701-7397
Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=poeNg8gAAAAJ&hl=en