Biography
Dr. Zhefan Stephen Chen is currently an Assistant Professor at School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He received his B.Med.Sci. degree from Southern Medical University, and completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at CUHK under the supervision of Professor Ho Yin Edwin Chan. Dr. Chen was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship under a Clinical Neurosciences program between CUHK and University of Oxford, where he was mentored by Prof. Kevin Talbot, Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences. During his doctoral study and postdoctoral training, Dr. Chen investigated the pathogenic mechanisms of repeat expansion neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and polyglutamine diseases. The research program of Dr. Chen’s laboratory focuses on studying the neurobiology of primary cilium, a solitary hair-like cellular organelle. His group employs human stem cell-derived neuronal models, integrating molecular biology, cell biology, neurophysiology, and bioinformatics approaches to investigate the role of primary cilium in human neurodevelopment and neurological disorders.
Stephen CHEN
Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences
Research Interests
- Pathogenic mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Neurobiology of primary cilium and its role in human neurological disorders
- Human stem cells and their neuronal derivatives
Awards
- Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Neurosciences, CUHK and University of Oxford
Selected publications
- Drug‐Induced Cuproptosis Defines the Therapeutic Window of Celecoxib in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration via the HSP90‐RBX1 Axis.
Guo, Y.*, Xiao, H.*, Ba, S.*, Zhou, Y.*, Wang, B., Yu, B., Huang, Y., Zhao, H.*, Chen, Z.S.*, Shen, N.*, Ba, Z.* and Wu, D. (2026) Drug-induced cuproptosis defines the therapeutic window of celecoxib in intervertebral disc degeneration via the HSP90-RBX1 axis. Adv. Sci. (Weinh) 4:e75527.
Advanced Science. 2026 May 4;13(42):e75527 - Pre- and postsynaptic upregulation of FasII synergistically underlies neuropathological and behavioral phenotypes in a Drosophila model of myotonic dystrophy.
Koon, A.C., Yeung, K.Y.W., Wu, Y., Leong, L.I., Cheung, J.T.P., Chen, Z.S., Peng, S.I., Armstrong, N.S., Frank, C.A., Magneron, P., Gomes-Pereira, M., Fung, J.M.S., Bargiela, A., Moreno, N., Poyatos, J., Vilchez, J., Huguet, A., Brewer, C.K., Zinter, M., Beck, E.S., Artero, R., Gourdon, G., Budnik, V., Thomson, T., McCabe, B.D. and Chan, H.Y.E. (2025) Pre- and postsynaptic upregulation of FasII synergistically underlies neuropathological and behavioral phenotypes in a Drosophila model of myotonic dystrophy. Nat. Commun. 17(1), 1005.
Nature Communications. 2025 Dec 18;17(1):1005 - Mutant huntingtin induces neuronal apoptosis via derepressing the non-canonical poly(A) polymerase PAPD5.
Chen, Z.S.*, Peng, S.I.*, Leong, L.I., Gall-Duncan, T., Wong, N.S.J., Li, T.H., Lin, X., Wei, Y., Koon, A.C., Huang, J., Sun, J.K.L., Turner, C., Tippett, L., Curtis, M.A., Faull, R.L.M., Kwan, K.M., Chow, H.M., Ko, H., Chan, T.F., Talbot, K., Pearson, C.E. and Chan, H.Y.E. (2025) Mutant huntingtin induces neuronal apoptosis via derepressing the non-canonical poly(A) polymerase PAPD5. Nat. Commun. 16(1), 3307.
Nature Communications. 2025 Apr 9;16(1):3307 - Mutant GGGGCC RNA prevents YY1 from binding to Fuzzy promoter which stimulates Wnt/β-catenin pathway in C9ALS/FTD.
Chen, Z.S., Ou, M., Taylor, S., Dafinca, R., Peng, S.I., Talbot, K. and Chan, H.Y.E. (2023) Mutant GGGGCC RNA prevents YY1 from binding to Fuzzy promoter which stimulates Wnt/β-catenin pathway in C9ALS/FTD. Nat. Commun. 14(1), 8420.
Nature Communications. 2023 Dec 18;14(1):8420 - Lignin-carbohydrate complexes suppress SCA3 neurodegeneration via upregulating proteasomal activities.
Chen, Z.S., Yan, M., Pei, W., Yan, B., Huang, C. and Chan, H.Y.E. (2022) Lignin-carbohydrate complexes suppress SCA3 neurodegeneration via upregulating proteasomal activities. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 218, 690-705.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2022 Oct;218:690-705 - Molecular insights into the interaction of CAG trinucleotide RNA repeats with nucleolin and its implication in polyglutamine diseases.
An, Y., Chen, Z.S., Chan, H.Y.E. and Ngo, J.C.K. (2022) Molecular insights into the interaction of CAG trinucleotide RNA repeats with nucleolin and its implication in polyglutamine diseases. Nucleic Acids Res. 50(13), 7655-7668.
Nucleic Acids Research. 2022 Jul 1;50(13):7655-7668 - A fine balance between Prpf19 and Exoc7 in achieving degradation of aggregated protein and suppression of cell death in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.
Chen, Z.S., Huang, X., Talbot, K. and Chan, H.Y.E. (2021) A fine balance between Prpf19 and Exoc7 in achieving degradation of aggregated protein and suppression of cell death in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. Cell Death Dis. 12(2), 136.
Cell Death & Disease. 2021 Feb 2;12(2):136 - FipoQ/FBXO33, a Cullin‐1‐based ubiquitin ligase complex component modulates ubiquitination and solubility of polyglutamine disease protein.
Chen, Z.S.*, Wong, A.K.Y.*, Cheng, T.C., Koon, A.C. and Chan, H.Y.E. (2019) FipoQ/FBXO33, a Cullin-1-based ubiquitin ligase complex component modulates ubiquitination and solubility of polyglutamine disease protein. J. Neurochem. 149(6), 781-798.
Journal of Neurochemistry. 2019 Feb 28;149(6):781-798 - AQAMAN, a bisamidine-based inhibitor of toxic protein inclusions in neurons, ameliorates cytotoxicity in polyglutamine disease models.
Hong, H.*, Koon, A.C.*, Chen, Z.S.*, Wei, Y., An, Y., Li, W., Lau, M.H.Y., Lau, K.F., Ngo, J.C.K., Wong, C.H., Au-Yeung, H.Y., Zimmerman, S.C. and Chan, H.Y.E. (2019) AQAMAN, a bisamidine-based inhibitor of toxic protein inclusions in neurons, ameliorates cytotoxicity in polyglutamine disease models. Biol. Chem. 294(8), 2757-2770.
Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2019 Feb;294(8):2757-5526 - Planar cell polarity gene Fuz triggers apoptosis in neurodegenerative disease models.
Chen, Z.S., Li, L., Peng, S., Chen, F.M., Zhang, Q., An, Y., Lin, X., Li, W., Koon, A.C., Chan, T.F., Lau, K.F., Ngo, J.C.K., Wong, W.T., Kwan, K.M. and Chan, H.Y.E. (2018) Planar cell polarity gene Fuz triggers apoptosis in neurodegenerative disease models. EMBO Rep. 19(9), e45409.
The EMBO Reports. 2018 Jul 19;19(9):EMBR201745409
