Dr Ong Seng Kai’s research interests involve the understanding of cell divisions and how genetic mutations contribute to human diseases such as cancer. His academic training and research experience have given him an excellent background in Drosophila genetics. He has also gained strong experience in mutagenesis screen: (i) mutagenesis screen for meiotic mutants during his undergraduate internship at Dr Scott R Hawley’s laboratory, and (ii) mutagenesis screen for tumour-suppressor genes during his postdoctoral training at Dr Duojia Pan’s laboratory. While a pre-doctoral student with Dr Change Tan, his research focused on the mitotic division of germline cyst formation during Drosophila oogenesis. Dr Ong’s recent collaborative researches highlight the development and screening for therapeutic molecules against pathogenic microorganisms.