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Curriculum Vitae

Ge Ruowen (Associate Professor and Deputy Head) Contact Information: Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore Blk S2, 05-04 Science Drive 4 Singapore 117543 Tel: 65167879 Fax: 67792486 email: dbsgerw@nus.edu.sg

PhD (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

Research interests:

Tumor angiogenesis; liver organogenesis and embryonic angiogenesis in zebrafish; anti-angiogenic cancer therapy

Current projects:

Embryonic angiogenesis and liver organogenesis in zebrafish:

Understanding angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is very important for cardiovascular biology and medicine. Angiogenesis is essential for all tissue formation and growth. We use zebrafish as a model organism to study embryonic angiogenesis and liver development.

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. Anti-angiogenesis is an alternative anti-cancer therapy that holds great promise. We use mouse and rat tumor models to study tumor angiogenesis and develop novel anti-angiogenic molecules for further drug development. 

• Characterization of the molecular differences between endothelial cells in normal liver and liver cancer using a rat Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) model.
• Identification of novel anti-angiogenic proteins and study their mechanisms of action.
• Identification of novel genes regulating angiogenesis.

Selected recent publications: 

1. Fan, H., K.N. Sulochana, Y-S Chong and R. Ge. Decorin Derived Antiangiogenic Peptide LRR5 Inhibits Endothelial Cell Migration By Interfering With VEGF-Stimulated NO Release. Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol., in press, 2008. 

2. Sharghi-Namini, S., H. Fan, K.N. Sulochana, P. Potturi, W. Xiang, Y-S Chong, Z. Wang, H. Yang, R. Ge. The first but not the second thrombospondin type 1 repeat of ADAMTS5 functions as an angiogenesis inhibitor. Biochem. Biophy. Res. Comm. 371:215-9, 2008. 

3. Farooq, M., K.N. Sulochana, X. Pan, J. To, D. Sheng, Z. Gong, R. Ge. Histone deacetylase 3 (hdac3) is specifically required for liver development in zebrafish. Dev. Biol., 317:336-53, 2008. 

4. K.N. Sulochana and R. Ge. Developing Antiangiogenic Peptide Drugs for Angiogenesis-Related Diseases. Curr. Pharma. Des., 13:2074-86, 2007.

5. Ye, L, KhH Haider, RS Tan, WC Toh, PK Law, WB Tan, LP Su, W Zhang, R Ge, Y Zhang, Y T Lim and E K W Sim, 'Transplantation of nanoparticle transfected skeletal myoblasts overexpressing vascular endothelial growth factor 165 for cardiac repair'. Circulation 116(11 Suppl):I113-20, 2007.

6. Wang Y, Haider HK, Ahmad N, Xu M, Ge R, Ashraf M.  Combining pharmacological mobilization with intramyocardial delivery of bone marrow cells over-expressing VEGF is more effective for cardiac repair. J. .Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 40:736-45, 2006.

7. K. N. Sulochana, H. Fan, S. Jois, S. Vivekanandan, F. Sun, R. M. Kini, and R. Ge. Peptides Derived From Human Decorin Leucine Rich Repeat 5 Inhibit Angiogenesis. J. Biol. Chem. 280: 27935-27948, 2005.

8. H. Kh Haider, L.Ye, S. Jiang, R. Ge, P. K. Law, T. Chua, P. Wong and E. K. W. Sim. Angiomyogenesis for cardiac repair using human myoblasts as carriers of human vascular endothelial growth factor. J. Mol. Med. 82: 539-49, 2004.

9. Sun, F., D. Casse, J. A. Van Kan, R. Ge* and F. Watt. Geometric Control of fibroblasts Growth on Proton Beam Micromachined Scaffolds.Tissue Eng. 10, 267-272, 2004. *Corresponding author.

10. Niagara MI, Haider HKh, Ye L, Koh VS, Lim YT, Poh KK, Ge R, Sim EK. Autologous skeletal myoblasts transduced with a new adenoviral bicistronic vector for treatment of hind limb ischemia. J. Vasc. Surg. 40:774-85, 2004.

11. Shim, W. S. N, M. Teh, A. Bapna, I, Kim, G-Y Koh, P. Mack and R. Ge. Angiopoietin-1 Promotes Tumor Angiogenesis and Tumor Vessel Plasticity ofHuman Cervical Cancer in Mice. Exp. Cell Res. 279, 299-309, 2002.

12. Sim EK, Zhang L, Shim WS, Lim YL, Ge R.Therapeutic Angiogenesis for Coronary Artery Disease. J. Card. Surg. 17, 350-354, 2002.

13. Liu L, S.Chong, N. V. Balasubramaniyan, V. Korzh and R. Ge. Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor Alpha (pdgfr-a) Gene In Zebrafish Embryonic Development. Mech. Dev. 116, 227-230, 2002.

14. Liang, D., J. Chang, A. J. Chin, A. Smith, C. Kelly, Eric S. Weinberg and R. Ge. The Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in Vasculogenesis, Angiogenesis, and Hematopoiesis in Zebrafish Development. Mech. Dev. 108, 29-43, 2001.

15. Tan, D C-W., M. R. Kini., J. D. S. Seetharama, D. K-F Lim, L. Xin and R. Ge. A Small Peptide Derived From Flt-1 (VEGFR-1) Functions As An Angiogenic Inhibitor. FEBS Lett. 494,150-156, 2001.  

16. Shim, W S-N, M. Teh, P. Mack and R. Ge. Inhibition Of Angiopoietin-1 Expression In Tumor Cells By An Antisense RNA Approach Inhibited Xenograft Tumor Growth In Immunodeficient Mice. Int. J. Cancer 94, 6-15, 2001.

17. Sleptsova-Friedrich, I, Y. Li, A. Emelyanov, M. Ekker, V. Korzh and R. Ge. Fgfr3 And Regionalization Of Anterior Neural Tube In Zebrafish. Mech. Dev. 102, 213-217, 2001.  

Patents:

• Ge, R and R. M. Kini, Small Peptides With Potent Anti-Angiogenic Activities. US patent No. 7,317,003, 2008.

• Ge, R and R. M. Kini, Small Peptides with Potent Anti-Angiogenic Activities. US patent No. 6,200,954, 2001.