Dr.
Peter C. Leung
Ph.D.
Professor
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Biography
Dr. Leung is a Professor, UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and former Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.
Dr. Leung received his PhD from the University of Western Ontario. After post-doctoral training at the University of California at Los Angeles and the Laval University, he joined the University of British Columbia in 1982 as a faculty member.
Dr. Leung has received a number of prestigious awards, including a Scholar Award and a Scientist Award from the Medical Research Council of Canada, a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Distinguished Scientist Award, and a Senior Investigator Award from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Leung has served on many national and international organizations, including as President of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, Director of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Director of the Ovarian Workshops in the USA, temporary advisor to the World Health Organization, Fellow of the Canadian Academy for Health Sciences, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Foreign Member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology.
Dr. Leung’s research focuses on Hormonal Determinants of Women’s Reproductive Health, particularly on the molecular aspects of hormone action in reproduction.
Dr. Leung’s publication record to date includes 400 papers, 26 abstracts, 22 book chapters and 7 monographs.
Since his appointment at UBC, Dr. Leung has served as the research supervisor for 40 PhD students and 10 MSc students, 25 postdoctoral fellows and 30 visiting scientists.
Teaching
Research Interests/Skills
Publications
Ng YH, Zhu H and Leung PC. Twist modulates human trophoblastic cell invasion via regulation of N-cadherin”. Endocrinology 2012;153:925-36
Lau MT, So WK, Leung PC. Integrin beta1 mediates epithelial growth factor-induced invsion in human ovarian cancer cells. Cancer Lett 2012;320:198-204
Oishi H, Klausen C, Bentley GE, Osugi T, Tsutsui K, Gilks CB, Yano T, Leung PC. The Human Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone ortholog RFamide-related peptide-3 supresses gonadotropin-induced progesterone production in human granulose cells. Endocrinology 2012;153:3435-3445
Cheng JC, Klausen C, Leung PC. Overexpression of wild-type FOXL2 but not C134W mutant FOXL2 enhances GnRH-induced cell apoptosis by increasing GnRH receptor expression in human granulose-cell tumors. Endocrinology 2012 (Revised, EN-12-1351)
Wu HM, Wang HS, Soong YK, Huang HY, Chen CK, Lee CL and Leung PC. “Gonadotropin-releasing horomone antagonist induces apoptosis in human decidual stromal cells: effect on GADD45alpha and MAPK signaling”. Hum Reprod. 2012;27:795-805
Cheng JC, Chang HM and Leung, PC. Egr-1 mediates epidermal growth factor-induced downregulation of E-cadherin expression via Slug in human ovarian cancer cells. Oncogene 2013;32:1041-1049
Cheng JC, Auersperg N and Leung, PC. EGF-induced EMT and invasiveness in serous borderline ovarian tumor cells: a possible step in the transition to low-grade serous carcinoma cells? PLoS One 2012;7:e34071
Cheng JC, Auersperg N, Leung PC. TGF-beta induces serous borderline ovarian tumor cell invasion by activating EMT but triggers apoptosis in low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma cells. PLoS One 2012;7:e42436
Cheng JC, Chang, HM and Leung, PC. Epidermal growth factor induces human oviductal epithelial cell invasion by downregulating E-cadherin expression. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012;97:E1380-1389
Ding GL, Wang FF, Shu J, Tian S, Jiang Y, Zhang D, Wang N, Luo Q, Zhang Y, Jin F, Leung PC, Sheng JZ, Huang HF. Transgenerational glucose intolerance with Igf2/H19 epigenetic alterations in mouse islet induced by intrauterine hyperglycemia Diabetes 2012;61:1133-1142
Hong IS, Klausen C, Cheung AP, Leung PC. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone-I or –II interacts with IGF-I/Akt but not connexin 43 in human granulose cell apoptosis. J Clin. Endocrinol Metab 2012;97:525-534
Lau MT, So WK, and Leung PC. Fibroblast growth factor- induces E-cadherin down-regulation via PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK/ERK signaling in ovarian cancer cells. PLoS One 2013; 8:e59083
Lau MT and Leung PC. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway mediates insulin-like growth factor 1-induced E-cadherin down-regulation and cell proliferation in ovarian cancer cells. Cancer Lett. 2012;326:191-198
Ng YH, Zhu H, Leung PC. Twist modules human trophoblastic cell invasion via regulation of N-cadherin. Endocrinology 2012;153:925-936
Oishi H, Klausen C, Bentley GE, Osugi T, Tsutsui K, Gilks CB, Yano T, Leung PC. The human gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone ortholog RFamide-related peptide-3 suppresses gonadotropin-induced progesterone production in human granulose cells. Endocrinology 2012;153:3435-3445
Qu F, Wang FF, Yin R, Ding GL, El-Prince M, Gao Q, Shi BW, Pan HH, Huang YT, Jin M, Leung PC, Sheng JZ, Huang HF. A molecular mechanism underlying ovarian dysfunction of polycystic ovary syndrome: hyperandrogenism induces epigenetic alterations in the granulose cells. J Mol Med (Berl) 2012;90:911-923
Chang HM, Cheng JC, Leung PC. Theca-derived BMP4 and BMP7 down-regulate connexin43 expression and decrease gap junction intercellular communication activity in immortalized human granulose cells. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2013;98:E437-445
Chang HM, Klausen C, Leung PC. Antimullerian hormone inhibits follicle-stimulating hormone-induced adenylyl cyclase activation, aromatase expression, and estradiol production in human granulose-lutein cells. Fertil Steril 2013;100:585-592 e581
Cheng JC, Qiu X, Chang Hm, Leung PC. HER2 mediates epidermal growth factor-induced down-regulation of E-cadherin in human ovarian cancer cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2013;434:81-86
Cheung LW, Yung S, Chan TM, Leung PC, Wong AS. Targeting gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor inhibits the early step of ovarian cancer metastasis by modulating tumor-mesothelial adhesion. Mol Ther 2013;21:78-90
Lee HR, Jeung EB, Cho MH, Kim TH, Leung PC, Choi KC. Molecular mechanism(s) of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and their potent oestrogenicity in diverse cells and tissues that express oestrogen receptors. J Cell Mol Med 2013;17:1-11
Oh HK, Choi YS, Yang YI, Kim JH, Leung PC, Choi JH. Leptin receptor is induced in endometriosis and leptin stimulates the growth of endometriotic epithelial cells through the JAK2/STAT3 and ERK pathways. Mol Hum Reprod 2013;19:160-168
Wu HM, Wang HS, Huang HY, Lai CH, Lee CL, Soong YK, Leung PC. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone type II (GnRH-II) agonist regulates the invasiveness of endometrial cancer cells through the GnRH-I receptor and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-dependent activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2. BMC Cancer 2013;13:300
Zhang Y, Cheng JC, Huang HF, Leung PC. Homeobox A7 stimulates cell proliferation by up-regulating estrogen receptor alpha in human ER-positive breast and endometrial cancer cells. Biochem.Biophys. Res. Commun 2013;440(4):652-657
Cheng JC, Chang HM, Leung PC. TGF-B1 inhibits human trophoblast cell invasion by inducing Snail-mediated down-regulation of VE-cadherin. J Bio Chem. 2013;288(46):33181-33192
Fang L, Cheng JC, Chang HM, Sun YP, Leung PC. EGF-like growth factors induce COX-2 derived PGE2 secretion through ERK1/2 in human granulosa cells. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013;98(12):4932-4941
Chang HM, Cheng JC, Leung PC. Oocyte-derived BMP15 but not GDF9 down-regulates connnexin43 expression and decreases gap junction intercellular communication activity in human granulose cells. Mol Hum Reprod. 2014.
Cheng JC, Chang Hm, Qiu X, Fang L, Leung PC. FOXL2-induced follistatin inhibits activin A-stimulated cell proliferation in human granulose cell tumor. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 2014;443(2):537-542
Grants
2006-2011: Distinguished Scientist Award, Child and Family Research Institute, $600,000