AIK, Wei Shen Faculty








Educational Background B.A. & M.Sci., University of Cambridge, UK
D.Phil., University of Oxford, UK
Postdoctoral: Columbia University, USA

Current Research Interests Structure-based drug discovery; protein engineering; RNA metabolism; protein crystallography; chemical biology.


We are looking for Research Assistant/PhD Student

Selected PublicationsSun Y, Zhang Y, Aik WS, Yang X, Marzluff WF, Walz T, Dominski Z, Tong L. Structure of an active human histone pre-mRNA 3’-end processing machinery. Science. 2020, 367:700-703.
Bucholc K*, Aik WS*, Yang X, Wang K, Zhou ZH, Dadlez M, Marzluff WF, Tong L, Dominski, Z. Composition and processing activity of a semi-recombinant holo U7 snRNP. Nuc. Acids Res. 2020, 48:1508-1530. (*contributed equally).
Aik WS, Lin M, Tan D, Tripathy A, Marzluff WF, Dominski Z, Chou C, Tong L. The N-terminal domains of FLASH and Lsm11 form a 2:1 heterotrimer for histone pre-mRNA 3’-end processing. PloS One. 2017, 12:e0186034.
McMurray F, Demetriades M, Aik WS, Merkestein M, Kramer H, Andrew DS, Scudamore CL, Hough TA, Wells S, Ashcroft FM, McDonough MA, Schofield CJ, Cox RD. Pharmacological Inhibition of FTO. PloS One. 2015, 10:e0121819.
Brem J, van Berkel SS, Aik WS, Rydzik AR, Avison MB, Pettinati I, Umland KD, Kawamura A, Spencer J, Claridge TDW, McDonough MA, Schofield CJ. Rhodanine hydrolysis leads to potent thioenolate mediated metallo-β-lactamase inhibition. Nat. Chem. 2014, 6:1084-1090.
Scotti JS, Leung IKH, Ge W, Bentley MA, Paps J, Kramer HB, Lee J, Aik WS, Choi H, Paulsen SM, Bowman LAH, Loik ND, Horita S, Ho CH, Kershaw NJ, Tang CM, Claridge TDW, Preston GM, McDonough MA, Schofield CJ. Human oxygen sensing may have origins in prokaryotic elongation factor Tu prolylhydroxylation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2014, 111:13331-13336.
Aik WS, Scotti JS, Choi H, Gong L, Demetriades M, Schofield CJ, McDonough MA. Structure of human RNA N6-methyladenine demethylase ALKBH5 provides insights into its mechanisms of nucleic acid recognition and demethylation. Nuc. Acids Res. 2014, 42:4741-4754. (NAR Breakthrough Article)
Aik WS, Demetriades M, Hamdan MKK, Bagg EAL, Yeoh KK, Lejeune C, Zhang Z, McDonough MA, Schofield CJ. Structural basis for inhibition of the fat mass and obesity associated protein (FTO). J. Med. Chem. 2013, 56:3680-3688. (Cover feature)
Hopkinson RJ, Tumber A, Yapp C, Chowdhury R, Aik WS, Che KH, Li XS, Kristensen JBL, King ONF, Chan MC, Yeoh KK, Choi H, Walport LJ, Thinnes CC, Bush JT, Lejeune C, Rydzik AM, Rose NR, Bagg EA, McDonough MA, Krojer T, Yue WW, Ng SS, Olsen L, Brennan PE, Oppermann U, Mu?ller S, Klose RJ, Ratcliffe PJ, Schofield CJ, Kawamura A. 5-Carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline is a broad spectrum 2-oxoglutarate oxygenase inhibitor which causes iron translocation. Chem. Sci. 2013, 4:3110-3117.
Aik WS, McDonough MA, Thalhammer A, Chowdhury R, Schofield CJ. Role of the jelly-roll fold in substrate binding by 2-oxoglutarate oxygenases. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 2012, 22:691-700.
Woon EC, Demetriades M*, Bagg EA*, Aik WS*, Krylova SM*, Ma JHY, Chan MC, Walport LJ, Wegman DW, Dack KN, McDonough MA, Krylov SN, Schofield CJ. Dynamic combinatorial mass spectrometry leads to inhibitors of a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent nucleic acid demethylase. J. Med. Chem. 2012, 55:2173-2184. (*contributed equally)
Thalhammer A, Aik WS, Bagg EAL, Schofield CJ. The potential of 2-oxoglutarate oxygenases acting on nucleic acids as therapeutic targets. Drug Discov. Today Ther. Strateg. 2012, 9:e91-e100.