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Research Areas

RNA biology, reproductive biology, aging, obesity, intergenerational inheritance

Research Interests

How do we address problems in obesity and aging with lifestyle and dietary interventions that affect egg and sperm cells, eventually impacting offspring development and health?

Reproduction involves making quality gametes. Egg and sperm are essential for the continuity of a species and have huge implications for human health. The quality of gametes is not only important for successful fertilization and embryonic development, it also influences the health and well-being of the offspring. Thus, the process of oogenesis and spermatogenesis are carefully controlled by quality control mechanisms, and heavily influenced by factors such as aging, metabolic states, DNA integrity and temperature.

To date, Jun Wei’s lab is deepening studies by working closely with clinicians and scientists to push forward the understanding of reproduction and its impact on offspring – both in animal models and human epidemiological studies. Jun Wei is particularly interested in molecular and cellular mechanisms of biological and environmental stressors that affect gamete formation and offspring health.

The lab is currently focused on the functions of regulatory RNAs in gene expression, organelle and protein homeostasis. The lab has discovered many sisRNAs in Drosophila and shown that sisRNAs engage in regulatory feedback loops, which play important roles in ovarian stem cell homeostasis, oocyte quality and offspring development. These discoveries provide the basis to uncover new mechanistic insights into evidence-based interventions that improve reproduction and ensure the well-being of future generations.

Selected Publications

1. Koh, X.Y., Tan, K.J., Lim, Z.H., Ong, S.C., Tan, S.E., Lu, J.X., Huang, Z. and Pek, J.W. (2025). Spatiotemporal Crosstalk Between Oocyte and the Microenvironment Governs Preovulatory Follicle Aging. Aging Cell 25, p.e70302.

2. Chan, S.N. and Pek, J.W. (2026). Organ-ovary crosstalk as vital determinant of women’s health. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 37, 301-303

3. Pek, J.W. (2024). The idiosyncrasies of oocytes. Trends Cell Biol. 35, 305-315.

4. Pek, J.W. and Ng, A.Y.E. (2024). Q&A with Jun Wei Pek and Amanda Yunn Ee Ng. Cell Reports 43, 114303.

5. Ng, A.N.Y.E., Chan, S.N. Pek, J.W. (2024). Genetic compensation between Ribosomal Protein paralogs mediated by a cognate circular RNA. Cell Reports 43, 114228.

6. Ng, A.Q.E., Chan, S.N. and Pek, J.W. (2024). Nutrient-dependent regulation of a stable intron modulates germline mitochondrial quality control. Nature Communications 15, 1252.

7. Chan, S.N. and Pek, J.W. (2023). Distinct biogenesis pathways may have led to functional divergence of the human and Drosophila Arglu1 sisRNA. EMBO Rep. 24, e54350.

8. Pek, J.W. (2023). The birth of stable introns. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 24, 453.