Rate My Professor Roger Chung

Professor Roger Chung serves as Professor of Neurobiology and Neurochemistry, Head of Macquarie Medical School, and Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic Health Strategy in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University. He earned his PhD in molecular biology in 2003 and subsequently led a research team at the University of Tasmania from 2004 to 2013. Since joining Macquarie University in 2013, he has advanced to key leadership positions, including Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation), and co-led the establishment of the Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research. Chung has over 20 years of experience in higher education, specializing in integrating research with education and research commercialisation. He co-founded Celosia Therapeutics in 2022, a spin-out company developing gene therapy assets derived from his laboratory's work. His efforts have fostered cross-disciplinary collaborations and strategic partnerships, driving innovation in Macquarie’s academic health ecosystem.

Chung's research employs a multi-disciplinary approach to elucidate the biochemical, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of neuronal responses to injury and neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular emphasis on motor neuron disease (MND, also known as ALS). Leading the Neurochemistry and Molecular Therapeutics Group within the Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, he investigates protein aggregates such as TDP-43, mutations in the CCNF gene, defects in the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and impaired glia-neuron interactions. His team develops novel AAV gene therapies, including bioengineered cyclin F variants and synthetic biology-based molecular switches for controlled gene expression. Key publications include "CCNF mutations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia" by Williams et al. in Nature Communications (2016, cited 265 times), "Redefining the role of metallothionein within the injured brain: extracellular metallothioneins play an important role in the astrocyte-neuron response to injury" by Chung et al. in Journal of Biological Chemistry (2008, cited 206 times), "Microglia morphophysiological diversity and its implications for the CNS" (2022, cited 428 times), and "TDP-43 is a ubiquitylation substrate of the SCFcyclin F complex" by Rayner et al. in Neurobiology of Disease (2022). Chung has been honored with the Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership in 2019 and the NHMRC Research Excellence Award for his team's gene therapy work on MND. His prolific output includes 114 peer-reviewed articles, 21 reviews, 15 patents, and leadership in multiple funded projects, significantly advancing therapeutic strategies for ALS.