Dr Xuesen Dong

Dr. Dong received medical school training from China before coming to Canada. He completed an MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Laval University and a PhD in Physiology at the University of Toronto. He received post-doctoral training from the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto and the Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia. He was a recipient of several scholarships for his doctoral and post-doctoral training. He was awarded as a Rising Star by Prostate Cancer Canada.

Dr. Dong’s laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms driving therapy resistance in prostate cancer, with a strong emphasis on translational research and therapeutic development. His research program integrates whole-transcriptome profiling, patient biopsies, patient-derived xenograft models, and engineered cellular systems, using advanced molecular and cellular biology approaches to identify clinically actionable pathways that promote aggressive, treatment-resistant disease progression.

Among his major scientific contributions, Dr. Dong elucidated the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of the androgen receptor splice variant AR-V7, a critical driver of castration-resistant prostate cancer. He also identified and characterized SRRM4 as a key regulator of neuroendocrine prostate cancer through alternative RNA splicing reprogramming. Building upon these mechanistic discoveries, his recent work has increasingly focused on translational drug discovery and precision therapeutic development. By integrating computer-aided drug design, structure-guided medicinal chemistry, and functional cancer biology, his laboratory has developed first-in-class catalytic inhibitors targeting TOP2 and Lin28 for therapy-resistant tumors, with the long-term goal of advancing these agents toward clinical translation.

Dr. Dong enjoys inspiring young investigators to practice biomedical research. Our lab always welcomes ambitious and self-driven young scientists who have strong passion for research to join us. For further information, please see Dong's Lab.