Hong Xin

Hong Xin is a Tenure-track Assistant Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). He received his PhD from the National University of Singapore in 2013 and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School/Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) from 2014 to 2020, focusing on circulating tumor cells (CTC liquid biopsy).

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Biomedical Sciences, National University of Singapore (2013)
• Bachelor of Science (Life Sciences, Hons), National University of Singapore (2006)

Dr. Hong's research focuses on CTC biology and clinical applications. His work involves establishing patient-derived CTC mouse explant models (CDX) to study metastatic mechanisms in vivo, developing microfluidic isolation systems with single-cell genomics to characterize tumor evolution, creating CTC-based biomarkers for non-invasive cancer detection, and screening therapeutic agents against CTC-mediated metastasis.

His recent publications (2020-2025) reveal a strong emphasis on CTC biology across multiple cancer types (melanoma, ovarian, prostate, lung), with particular focus on metabolic reprogramming, ferroptosis, and diagnostic/therapeutic development. His work consistently combines microfluidics, single-cell analysis, and clinical oncology through interdisciplinary collaborations.

His scientific achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards:

• AACR Scholar-In-Training Award (2020, USA)
• A*STAR JCO Career Development Award (2013, Singapore)
• Junior Research Fellowship (2007-2010, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory)
• LiJen Industrial Development Medal (2006, NUS)
• Undergraduate Scholarship (2002-2006, Ministry of Education, Singapore)

Since joining SUSTech in 2020, Dr. Hong has secured over 10 national and provincial grants including NSFC International Excellent Young Scientists grants and Provincial Innovation Programs. He serves on editorial boards for Theranostics, BMC Cancer, and Frontiers in Oncology. His laboratory in Taizhou Building Room 312 focuses on translating CTC research into clinical applications for cancer detection, monitoring, and therapeutic development.