Professor Albert Ong DM MA FRCP

Dr Ong

Academic Unit of Nephrology
Department of Infection and Immunity
The University of Sheffield Medical School
Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2RX
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)114 271 3402
Fax:: +44 (0)114 271 1711
Email: a.ong@sheffield.ac.uk

Secretary: Mrs Sue Clary
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 68961
Fax: +44 (0)114 271 3892
Email: s.clary@sheffield.ac.uk

Biography

I qualified in medicine from the University of Oxford and underwent postgraduate training in medicine and nephrology at University College London Medical School (UCH, Middlesex and Royal Free Hospitals) and Oxford University.

Following a clinical lectureship at UCL, I was awarded an NKRF Senior Research Fellowship to work under the mentorship of Professor Peter Harris and Sir David Weatherall at the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford, on PKD1.

In 1999, I moved to Sheffield as a Senior Lecturer in Nephrology and between 2003 to 2010, held a Wellcome Trust Research Leave Fellowship. I am currently Professor of Renal Medicine and Head of the Academic Unit of Nephrology at the University of Sheffield.

Research Interests

KGG logo

The major research interests of my group (Kidney Genetics Group) are in the molecular genetics, cell biology and pathogenesis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). In particular, we aim to discover new treatments for ADPKD, to understand better how cysts form and grow in the ADPKD kidney and to improve the clinical management of ADPKD patients.

ADPKD is one of the most common monogenic human diseases known and affects around 1 in 500 people. It is caused by mutations in two genes, PKD1 and PKD2. ADPKD accounts for ~10% of patients with kidney failure in most renal units and affects up to 10 million people worldwide. It is also a major cause of sudden death and disability in younger patients due to intracranial aneurysm rupture.

Teaching Interests

My educational interests concern the support and development of nephrology in the developing world.

Professional Activities

Chair, Renal Association International Committee
Chair, UKKRC Clinical Study Group on Cystic Kidney Diseases
Deputy Editor, Nephron Clinical Practice
Associate Editor, BMC Nephrology

Current Projects

The major focus of my research is to develop new therapies for ADPKD patients. We have 3 major complementary research goals:

  • investigate the biology of the PC1/PC2 complex, especially structure-function relationships and its regulation by phosphorylation;
  • study the mutational mechanisms underlying cyst initiation;
  • identify the key signalling pathways and protein networks that influence down stream consequences of inheriting a germline PKD1/PKD2 mutation.

Key Publications

  1. Giamarchi A, Feng S, Rodat-Despoix L, Xu Y, Bubenshchikova E, Newby LJ, Hao J, Gaudioso C, Crest M, Lupas AN, Honore E, Williamson MP, Obara T, Ong ACM*, Delmas P* (*joint corresponding authors) - A polycystin-2 dimerization domain essential for the function of heteromeric polycystin complexes - EMBO Journal 2010; 29:1176-1191

  2. Yong Y, Ulbrich MH, Li M-H, Buraei Z, Chen X-Z, Ong ACM, Tong L, Isacoff EY and Yang J – Structural and molecular basis of the assembly of the TRPP2/PKD1 complex - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2009; 106: 11558-11563

  3. Ong ACM – Screening for intracranial aneurysms in ADPKD – British Medical Journal 2009; 339: b3763

  4. Prasad S, McDaid JP, Tam FWK, Haylor JL, Ong ACM – Pkd2 dosage influences cellular repair responses following ischaemia-reperfusion injury – American Journal of Pathology 2009; 175:1493-1503

  5. Streets AJ, Wagner B, Harris PC, Ward CJ, Ong ACM – Homophilic and heterophilic polycystin-1 interactions regulate E-cadherin recruitment and junction assembly in MDCK cells - Journal of Cell Science 2009; 122: 1410-1417

  6. Feng S, Okenka GM, Bai C-X, Streets AJ, Newby LJ, DeChant BT, Tsiokas L, Obara T, Ong ACM – Identification and functional characterisation of an N-terminal oligomerisation domain for polycystin-2 – Journal of Biological Chemistry 2008: 283: 28471-28479

  7. Bai C, Kim S, Li W, Streets AJ, Ong ACM, Tsiokas L – Activation of TRPP2 through mDia1-dependent voltage gating – EMBO Journal 2008; 27: 1345-1356

05 August 10