Chun Kit KWOK, 郭駿傑

Research Interests RNA Biology Chemical Biology Nucleic Acids G-Quadruplex Gene Regulation Aptamer RNA binding peptide/protein Research Vision The discovery of new classes of RNA with regulatory functions have re-defined the central dogma of molecular biology and caused a paradigm shift in biological, medical, and agricultural research. RNA plays a crucial role in regulation of gene expression in normal and stress physiology; however, the RNA structure-function relationship and the underlying biochemical mechanism remain elusive. Our research focuses are to develop (bio)chemical technologies to decipher the hidden layers of information in RNA such as RNA structure; identify the RNA binding partners and molecular basis of interactions; and elucidate the mechanistic roles of RNA in regulatory pathways, stress physiologies, cell differentiation, organism development, as well as disease pathology. Our group’s long-term ambition is to uncover the central RNA players in stress physiologies and diseases that could reveal novel RNA-mediated gene regulations, as well as to develop innovative and high-throughput aptamer-based targeting strategies for manipulation of gene expression and potential biotechnological applications, bringing my research closer relevance to improving the quality of human life. Our three main research themes are : 1) G-quadruplex Structure and Function, where we explore the intricate structures of G-quadruplexes and their roles in cellular processes. 2) RNA Biology and Gene Regulation, focusing on the mechanisms which use RNA to influence gene expression and cellular function 3) Aptamer Development and Application, aimed at creating and utilizing L-RNA aptamers for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. For more details about Dr. Kwok’s current research and team, please click here.

Mou, X., Wang, J., Shao, Y., Li, Y., & Kwok, C. K. RNA G-Quadruplex Structure Recognition by Chimeric Peptides. Nucleic Acids Res. 54 (14), gkag745 (2026). Wang, D., Feng, Y., & Kwok, C. K. AND-Logic-Gated Aptamer Switch for Precise Targeting and Regulation of RNA G-Quadruplexes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 65(27),e4594145. (2026). Zhao, J., Yang, F., Zhang, Y., Wang, H., Kwok, C. K. TDP-43 binds to RNA G-quadruplex structure and regulates mRNA stability and translation. Nucleic Acids Res. 53 (16), gkaf820 (2025). Liew, S. W., Cao, D., Petersen, R. J., Butcher, S. E., Kennedy, S. G., Kwok, C. K. A novel L-RNA aptamer to regulate the pUG fold RNA-induced gene expression in vivo. Nucleic Acids Res. 53(5), gkaf137 (2025) Zhang, K., Nie, Q., Li, M., Chen, X., Zhong, L., Dai, T., Guo, X., Zhao, H.,