Telephone (office): (852) 3513-3176
E-mail: ktleung@cuhk.edu.hk
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7695-2513
Researcher ID: I-8569-2017
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kam-tong-leung-467a46296
Administrative support: Ms Stella Chan
Telephone (office): (852) 3505-2849
Professor LEUNG Kam Tong
梁錦堂教授
Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics
BSc (Biology), MPhil (Biology), PhD (Medical Sciences)
Research Team: Paediatric Haematology & Oncology
Biography
Dr. KT Leung received his PhD degree and postdoctoral training from the Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and thereafter commenced his academic career in the same unit. He is currently leading a young but ambitious Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Research Team under the Hong Kong Hub of Paediatric Excellence (HK-HOPE) in the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, comprising 18 members of scientific officer, postdoctoral fellows, postgraduate students, laboratory technicians and research assistants.
He is a dedicated haematologist with ample expertise in blood diseases. His research portfolio spans basic, translational and clinical hematology, with a particular focus on childhood leukemia and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. He has published 50+ papers in leading journals in the field of hematology, including Blood, Blood Cancer Discovery, Blood Advances, Leukemia and Haematologica, and has obtained 21 research grants in the capacity of principal investigator with a total sum of HKD 36.8M, including external competitive RGC, HMRF and ITF fundings from the Hong Kong SAR Government. With decade-long efforts, he has collected 1000+ bone marrow specimens from children with leukemia, consolidating a unique specialty and an area of research excellence in Hong Kong.
Dr. Leung’s research has also reached national and international scale, as exemplified by his collaborative studies with world-renowned centers in China, Europe and USA. He has received the Young Investigator Award from the International Society of Paediatric Oncology and is an active member of the American Society of Hematology and European Hematology Association. Beyond the academia, he is also well-connected with industrial partners to co-develop and commercialize the next-generation therapeutics for blood cancers and currently serving the Hospital Authority and Department of Health for reviewing research ethics and manufacturers licensing of advanced therapy products.
Research Interests
Therapeutic antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors for childhood acute leukemia
Functional genomics of childhood acute leukemia and precision medicine
Immunology of childhood acute leukemia and chimeric antigen receptor T cells
Molecular mechanisms of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Professional Service
Senior Consultant, Bio-Cancer Treatment International Limited
Chairman, Animal Housing and Care Committee, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
Scientific Member, Central Institutional Ethics Review Board, Paediatrics Panel, Hospital Authority
Scientific Member, Pharmacy and Poisons (Manufacturers Licensing) Committee, Drug Office, Department of Health, HKSAR Government
Scientific Programme Advisory Workgroup, International Society of Paediatric Oncology
Associate Editor, Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Awards
Young Investigator Award, International Society of Paediatric Oncology, 2019
Best Abstract Award, Hong Kong Society of Haematology, 2019
Travel Award, European Hematology Association, 2018
Abstract Achievement Award, American Society of Hematology, 2013
Abstract Achievement Award, American Society of Hematology, 2007
TY Wong Innovation and Entrepreneurial Fellowship, CUHK, 2003
Ho Tim Scholarship, CUHK, 2002
Dean’s Honours List, Faculty of Science, CUHK, 2001, 2002
United College Endowment Fund Prize, CUHK, 2001, 2002
Wu Chung Scholarship, CUHK, 2001
Intellectual Properties
U.S. Patent 63/643,288: CD9 INHIBITORS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITION, AND USES THEREOF 2024.05.06
Publicity
(September 2022) CUHK’s HK-HOPE develops an integrative drug and genomic test to tailor precision personalised medicine and deliver “HOPE” to children with difficult-to-treat leukaemia
(January 2024) CU Medicine’s nationwide multicentre study on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia establishes a new biomarker to inform relapse risk and treatment strategies
Selected Publications
Zhang C, Chan KYY, Ng WH, Cheung JTK, Sun Q, Wang H, Chung PY, Cheng FWT, Leung AWK, Zhang XB, Lee PY, Fok SP, Lin G, Poon ENY, Feng JH, Tang YL, Luo XQ, Huang LB, Kang W, Tang PMK, Huang J, Chen C, Dong J, Mejstrikova E, Cai J, Liu Y, Shen S, Yang JJ, Yuen PMP, Li CK, Leung KT. CD9 shapes glucocorticoid sensitivity in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Haematologica. 2024; in press.
Leung KT, Cai J, Liu Y, Chan KYY, Shao J, Yang H, Hu Q, Xue Y, Wu X, Guo X, Zhai X, Wang N, Li X, Tian X, Li Z, Xue N, Guo Y, Wang L, Zou Y, Xiao P, He Y, Jin R, Tang J, Yang JJ, Shen S, Pui CH, Li CK. Prognostic implications of CD9 in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: insights from a nationwide multicenter study in China. Leukemia. 2024; 38(2):250-257.
Wang H, Chan KYY, Cheng CK, Ng MHL, Lee PY, Cheng FWT, Lam GKS, Chow TW, Ha SY, Chiang AKS, Leung WH, Leung AYH, Wang CC, Zhang T, Zhang XB, So CC, Yuen YP, Sun Q, Zhang C, Xu Y, Cheung JTK, Ng WH, Tang PM, Kang W, To KF, Lee WYW, Wong RSM, Poon ENY, Zhao Q, Huang J, Chen C, Yuen PMP, Li CK, Leung AWK, Leung KT. Pharmacogenomic profiling of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities and inform functional precision medicine. Blood Cancer Discov. 2022; 3(6):516-535. [featured on journal cover]
Chan KYY, Chung PY, Zhang C, Poon ENY, Leung AWK, Leung KT. R4 RGS proteins as fine tuners of immature and mature hematopoietic cell trafficking. J Leukoc Biol. 2022;112(4):785-797. [Review]
Chan KYY, Zhang C, Wong YTS, Zhang XB, Wang CC, Ng WH, Fok SP, Tang PMK, Kang W, Feng B, Poon ENY, Lee KY, Lee CK, Chen C, Leung TY, Ng MHL, To KF, Wang H, Lam HS, Ng PC, Yuen PMP, Li K, Leung AWK, Li CK, Leung KT. R4 RGS proteins suppress engraftment of human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells by modulating SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling. Blood Adv. 2021; 5(21):4380-4392.
Leung KT, Zhang C, Chan KY, Li K, Cheung JT, Ng MH, Zhang XB, Sit T, Lee WY, Kang W, To KF, Yu JW, Man TK, Wang H, Tsang KS, Cheng FW, Lam GK, Chow TW, Leung AW, Leung TF, Yuen PM, Ng PC, Li CK*. CD9 blockade suppresses disease progression of high-risk pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and enhances chemosensitivity. Leukemia. 2020; 34(3):709-720.
Leung KT, Lam HS, Chan KY, Sit T, Wong RP, Yu JW, Li K, Ng PC. Regulation of circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in preterm infants with septicemia. Stem Cells Dev. 2016; 25(23):1780-1787.
Leung KT, Chan KY, Ng PC, Lau TK, Chiu WM, Tsang KS, Li CK, Kong CK, Li K. The tetraspanin CD9 regulates migration, adhesion and homing of human cord blood CD34+hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Blood. 2011; 117(6): 1840-1850.
Leung KT, Li K, Sun SM, Chan PK, Ooi VE, Chiu LC. Activation of the JNK pathway promotes phosphorylation and degradation of BimEL – a novel mechanism of chemoresistance in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Carcinogenesis.2008; 29(3): 544-551.