• Chemical biology
• Drug discovery
• Medicinal chemistry

Billy Ng’s research interests are chemical biology, drug discovery, and medicinal chemistry. His laboratory uses chemical and biological tools to develop: (i) novel small molecules to target dysregulated glycosylation pathways and (ii) novel and safe medicines for the treatment of various dreadful diseases, including cancers and neurological diseases. They also collaborate closely with physicians and entrepreneurs to translate their findings from bench to bedside.

Billy Ng obtained his B.Sc. (1st Class Hons.) and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). During his graduate study, he was a Fulbright Scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), under the generous funding support from the Lee Hysan Foundation and the Fulbright Program. From 2014 – 2016, he joined the University of Oxford as a Croucher Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow. He was then recruited to Harvard Medical School / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a research fellow from 2016 – 2019. He was honored as a Young Global Leader (2022) by the World Economic Forum.

Billy’s laboratory uses chemical, biological, and AI tools to develop novel small molecules for the treatment of various diseases, including cancers and neurological diseases. He has co-authored more than 30 papers in prestigious journals such as Science, Nature Chemical Biology, Molecular Cell, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and ACS Central Science and serves as a reviewer for more than 30 journals including Science Translational Medicine, Nature Chemical Biology, and Nature Biotechnology. His laboratory has been funded by diverse sources, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, US National Academy of Medicine (NAM), the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF), Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong, Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), and the Croucher Foundation.

1. Rising Star in Biological, Medicinal, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, American Chemical Society (ACS) (2026)
2. H. Ho Visiting Professorship at Stanford University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2025)
3. Academic Young Investigator Award, American Chemical Society (ACS) (2024)
4. Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award, U.S. National Academy of Medicine & HKRGC (2022)
5. Young Global Leader (YGL), World Economic Forum (2022)
6. Faculty Innovation Award, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2020)
7. Best Poster Presentation Award, Oxford Synthesis Conference (2016)
8. Croucher Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, The Croucher Foundation (2014)
9. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, The European Commission (2014)
10. Fulbright Scholarship, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) (2013)

1. Scheeff S, Baguio JMJ, Liang BZ, Xeque Amada J, Tao KP, de Jonghe S, Persoons L, Chow THY, Tse CKM, Wu RY, Xu X, Zuo Z, Cheung PPH, Chan RWY, Ng BWL. Antiviral profiling and cellular activation of carbobicyclic nucleoside analogues. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2026;69(5):5501-5539. doi:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c02584.
2. Huang J, Kwok AJ, Li JCY, Chiu CLH, Ip BY, Tung LY, Chan RCH, Chan DCW, Wang Z, Zheng X, Chow HT, Lo MPS, Li Z, Lin N, Wang M, Yan LYC, Wu WKK, Chow KHM, Lin WJ, Tang Y, Zhang Y, Song W, Ng BWL, Wong SH, Leung TW, Mok VCT, Ko H. Body-wide multi-omic counteraction of aging with GLP-1R agonism. Cell Metabolism. 2025;37(12):2362-2380.e8. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2025.10.014.
3. DeAngelo SL, Zhao L, Dziechciarz S, Shin M, Solanki S, Balia A, El-Derany MO, Castillo C, Qin Y, Das NK, Bell HN, Paulo JA, Zhang Y, Rossiter NJ, McCulla EC, He J, Talukder I, Ng BWL, Schafer ZT, Neamati N, Mancias JD, Koutmos M, Shah YM. Recharacterization of the tumor suppressive mechanism of RSL3 identifies the selenoproteome as a druggable pathway in colorectal cancer. Cancer Research. 2025;85(15):2788-2804. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-24-3478.
4. Guo Z, Xu T, Khan KS, Scheeff S, Qin Y, Yu SY, Lo R, Li Y, Xie Y, Ma B, Huang Y, Yip HYY, Chung CYS, Tamura T, Hamachi I, Ng BWL. Ligand-directed self-assembling chimeras for targeted protein O-GlcNAcylation. ACS Chemical Biology. 2025;20(12):2907-2916. doi:10.1021/acschembio.5c00684.
5. Xu T, Ma B, Li Y, Guo Z, Zhang M, Ng BWL. Targeted O-GlcNAcylation of CK2α triggers its ubiquitin-proteasome degradation and alters downstream phosphorylation. ACS Chemical Biology. 2025;20(7):1646-1659. doi:10.1021/acschembio.5c00223.
6. Wang F, Li Y, Yang Z, Cao W, Liu Y, Zhao L, Zhang T, Zhao C, Yu J, Yu J, Zhou J, Zhang X, Li PP, Han M, Feng S, Ng BWL, Hu ZW, Jiang E, Li K, Cui B. Targeting IL-17A enhances imatinib efficacy in Philadelphia chromosome-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nature Communications. 2024;15(1):203-. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44270-3.
7. Ma B, Khan KS, Xu T, Xeque Amada J, Guo Z, Huang Y, Yan Y, Lam H, Cheng ASL, Ng BWL. Targeted protein O-GlcNAcylation using bifunctional small molecules. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2024;146(14):9779-9789. doi:10.1021/jacs.3c14380.
8. Jiang X, He X, Wong J, Scheeff S, Hau SCK, Wong TH, Qin Y, Fan CH, Ma B, Chung NL, Huang J, Zhao J, Yan Y, Xiao M, Song X, Hui TKC, Zuo Z, Wu WKK, Ko H, Chow KHM, Ng BWL. Lactone-to-lactam editing alters the pharmacology of bilobalide. JACS Au. 2024;4(9):3537-3546. doi:10.1021/jacsau.4c00416.
9. Scheeff S, Wang Y, Lyu MY, Nasiri Ahmadabadi B, Hau SCK, Hui TKC, Zhang Y, Zuo Z, Chan RWY, Ng BWL. Design and synthesis of bicyclo[4.3.0]nonene Nucleoside Analogues. Organic Letters. 2023;25(50):9002-9007. doi:10.1021/acs.orglett.3c03590. (Letter)
10. Li H, Ernst C, Kolonko-Adamska M, Greb-Markiewicz B, Man J, Parissi V, Ng BWL. Phase separation in viral infections. Trends Microbiology. 2022;30(12):1217-1231. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2022.06.005. (Review)
11. “Huang Q, Li F, Hu H, Fang Z, Gao Z, Xia G, Ng WL, Khodadadi-Jamayran A, Chen T, Deng J, Zhang H, Almonte C, Labbe K, Han H, Geng K, Tang S, Freeman GJ, Li Y, Chen H, Wong KK. Loss of TSC1/TSC2 sensitizes immune checkpoint blockade in non-small cell lung cancer. Science Advances. 2022;8(5):9533. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abi9533.
12. Le TK, Paris C, Khan KS, Robson F, Ng WL, Rocchi P. Nucleic acid-based technologies targeting Trends Biochemical Sciences. 2021;46(5):351-365. doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2020.11.010. (Review)
13. Lo HS, Hui KPY, Lai HM, He X, Khan KS, Kaur S, Huang J, Li Z, Chan AKN, Cheung HHY, Ng KC, Ho JCW, Chen YW, Ma B, Cheung PMH, Shin D, Wang K, Lee MH, Selisko B, Eydoux C, Guillemot JC, Canard B, Wu KP, Liang PH, Dikic I, Zuo Z, Chan FKL, Hui DSC, Mok VCT, Wong KB, Mok CKP, Ko H, Aik WS, Chan MCW, Ng WL. Simeprevir potently suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication and synergizes with remdesivir. ACS Central Science. 2021;7(5):792-802. doi:10.1021/acscentsci.0c01186.
14. Li F, Ng WL, Luster TA, Hu H, Sviderskiy VO, Dowling CM, Hollinshead KER, Zouitine P, Zhang H, Huang Q, Ranieri M, Wang W, Fang Z, Chen T, Deng J, Zhao K, So HC, Khodadadi-Jamayran A, Xu M, Karatza A, Pyon V, Li S, Pan Y, Labbe K, Almonte C, Poirier JT, Miller G, Possemato R, Qi J, Wong KK. Epigenetic CRISPR screens identify Npm1 as a therapeutic vulnerability in non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer Research. 2020;80(17):3556-3567. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-3782.
15. Robson F, Khan KS, Le TK, Paris C, Demirbag S, Barfuss P, Rocchi P, Ng WL. Coronavirus RNA proofreading: Molecular basis and therapeutic targeting. Molecular Cell. 2020;79(5):710-727. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2020.07.027. (Review)
16. Ng WL, Shing TKM. Synthetic and biological studies of carbasugar SGLT2 inhibitors. Journal of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan. 2018;76(11):1215-1222. doi:10.5059/yukigoseikyokaishi.76.1215.
17. Ng WL, Li HC, Lau KM, Chan AKN, Lau CBS, Shing TKM. Concise and stereodivergent synthesis of carbasugars reveals unexpected structure-activity relationship (SAR) of SGLT2 inhibition. Scientific Reports. 2017;7(1):5581-. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05895-9.
18. Wright TH, Bower BJ, Chalker JM, Bernardes GJL, Wiewiora R, Ng WL, Raj R, Faulkner S, Vallée MRJ, Phanumartwiwath A, Coleman OD, Thézénas ML, Khan M, Galan SRG, Lercher L, Schombs MW, Gerstberger S, Palm-Espling ME, Baldwin AJ, Kessler BM, Claridge TDW, Mohammed S, Davis BG. Posttranslational mutagenesis: A chemical strategy for exploring protein side-chain diversity. 2016;354(6312). doi:10.1126/science.aag1465.
19. Ng W-L, Lau K-M, B-SL au C, M Shing TK, Buchwald SL. Palladium-catalyzed arylation of carbasugars enables the discovery of potent and selective SGLT2 inhibitors. Angewandte Chemie. 2016;128(44):14022-14025. doi:10.1002/ange.201608758.
20. Shing TKM, Ng WL, Chan JYW, Lau CBS. Design, syntheses, and SAR studies of carbocyclic analogues of sergliflozin as potent sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors. Angewandte Chemie – International Edition. 2013;52(32):8401-8405. doi:10.1002/anie.201302543.