Hon Leong, University of Toronto

Research

extracellular vesicles cell-to-cell communication cross-species translation endocytosis microparticles mRNA ncRNA proteomics

Latest papers

Peripheral monocyte ratio as a predictive biomarker for metastasis-directed therapy in prostate cancer: insights from an exploratory study.
BMC cancer · 2026
The landscape of N6-methyladenosine in localized primary prostate cancer.
Nature genetics · 2025
The Significance of Thyroid Hormone Receptors in Breast Cancer: A Hypothesis-Generating Narrative Review
Current Oncology · 2024

All 6 publications

Latest funding

A Therapy that Reduces the Impact of Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) in Patients Receiving CAR-T cell Treatment
CIHR · 2024 · Nominated PI
$65,000
Delineating the role of cancer cell plasticity during the progression of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours
CIHR · 2023 · Co-investigator
$1,093,950
'Two-Step Authentication' for Optimal Prostate Cancer Risk Determination: An "Extracellular Vesicle"-Based Liquid Biopsy Followed by Multi-Parametric MRI.
CIHR · 2022 · Nominated PI
$1,637,100

All 7 grants and awards

6 publications.

01

Peripheral monocyte ratio as a predictive biomarker for metastasis-directed therapy in prostate cancer: insights from an exploratory study.

Wang H, Rajagopal A, Cao K, Cimolai K, Petchiny TN, White SD, Cheung J, Loblaw A, Vesprini D, Leong H, Escueta V, Zhang L, Glicksman R, Cheung P, Wang C, Liu SK

BMC cancer2026

DOI: 10.1186/s12885-026-15854-1 PMID: 41888707

02

The landscape of N6-methyladenosine in localized primary prostate cancer.

Xu X, Zhu H, Hugh-White R, Livingstone J, Eng S, Zeltser N, Wang Y, Pajdzik K, Chen S, Houlahan KE, Luo W, Liu S, Xu X, Sheng M, Guo WY, Arbet J, Song Y, Wang M, Zeng Y, Wang S, Zhu G, Gao T, Chen W, Ci X, Xu W, Xu K, Orain M, Picard V, Hovington H, Bergeron A, Lacombe L, Têtu B, Fradet Y, Lupien M, Wei GH, Koritzinsky M, Bristow RG, Fleshner NE, Wu X, Shao Y, He C, Berlin A, van der Kwast T, Leong H, Boutros PC, He HH

Nature genetics2025

DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02128-y PMID: 40128621

03

The Significance of Thyroid Hormone Receptors in Breast Cancer: A Hypothesis-Generating Narrative Review

Quan T, Cockburn J, Dhesy-Thind S, Bane A, Leong H, Geleff C, Devion C, Ajel N, Jerzak KJ

Current Oncology20248 citations

DOI: 10.3390/curroncol31050176

04

In vivo high-speed microscopy of microbubbles in the chorioallantoic membrane model.

Anbarafshan R, Pellow C, Kiezun K, Leong H, Goertz DE

Theranostics2024

DOI: 10.7150/thno.91232 PMID: 38505609

05

Targeting PLOD2 suppresses invasion and metastatic potential in radiorecurrent prostate cancer.

Frame G, Leong H, Haas R, Huang X, Wright J, Emmenegger U, Downes M, Boutros PC, Kislinger T, Liu SK

BJC reports2024

DOI: 10.1038/s44276-024-00085-3 PMID: 39184453

06

MR-guided focused ultrasound liquid biopsy enriches circulating biomarkers in patients with brain tumors.

Meng Y, Pople CB, Suppiah S, Llinas M, Huang Y, Sahgal A, Perry J, Keith J, Davidson B, Hamani C, Amemiya Y, Seth A, Leong H, Heyn CC, Aubert I, Hynynen K, Lipsman N

Neuro-oncology2021

DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noab057 PMID: 33693781

A Therapy that Reduces the Impact of Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) in Patients Receiving CAR-T cell Treatment

Nominated PICIHR2024CIHR - ICR / Cancer Research Society Partnership - Research Grants

Principal investigators: Leong, Hon Sing

Keywords: Survivorship

$65,000

Delineating the role of cancer cell plasticity during the progression of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours

Co-investigatorCIHR2023Project Grant

Principal investigators: Michael, Iacovos P

Keywords: Cancer Cell Plasticity; Cancer Metastasis; Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

$1,093,950

'Two-Step Authentication' for Optimal Prostate Cancer Risk Determination: An "Extracellular Vesicle"-Based Liquid Biopsy Followed by Multi-Parametric MRI.

Nominated PICIHR2022Project Grant

Principal investigators: Leong, Hon Sing; Lim, Christopher

Keywords: "Liquid Biopsy"; Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia; Extracellular Vesicles; Gleason Group Score; Multi-Parametric Magnetic Resonance; Pi-Rads V2; Prostate Cancer; Prostate Needle Biopsy; Radiology; Risk Stratification

$1,637,100

A pipeline approach for the rational design of neuronal lineage conversion approaches to treat neurological disorders

Co-investigatorSSHRC2022New Frontiers in Research Fund - Transformation

Principal investigators: Schuurmans, Carol

$8,000,000

Aqueous two phase system microfluidic isolation and concentration of extracellular vesicles

Co-investigatorNSERC2021Idea to Innovation

Principal investigators: Tsai, Scott

$125,000

Extracellular Vesicles Mediate Cross-Species Transgene Expression

Principal investigatorNSERC2020Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Leong, Hon

Keywords: extracellular vesicles; microparticles; cell-to-cell communication; mrna; ncrna; transgene expression; cross-species translation; proteomics; rna sequencing; endocytosis

$216,000

Fluid Biopsies for Alzheimer's Disease and its Precursor

Principal investigatorSSHRC2019New Frontiers in Research Fund - Exploration

Principal investigators: Leong, Hon

$273,175

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Department of Surgery
Department of Medical Biophysics
Department of Oncology
Biological Sciences Platform
Radiation Oncology/Medical Physics
Department of Radiation Oncology
Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology
Other

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2024

Subject: Prospective PhD student: extracellular vesicles Dear Professor Leong, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Peripheral monocyte ratio as a predictive biomarker for metastasis-directed therapy in prostate cancer: insights from an exploratory study." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "A Therapy that Reduces the Impact of Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) in Patients Receiving CAR-T cell Treatment" (2024), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]