SNU LIT
LAB OF IMMUNE TOLERANCE
PI
Professor
Hyun Je Kim (MD, PhD)
Professor Hyunje Kim is an MD, PhD physician scientist and currently an assistant professor at Seoul National University, College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Kim has expertise in multimodal, high-dimensional immune profiling techniques ranging including single cell RNA sequencing, 10X multiome (scRNAseq + scATACseq), CITEseq, spatial transcriptomics (10X Visium, Nanostring GeoMX and CosMX) and mass cytometry (CyTOF). Dr. Kim graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine with honors and completed his residency in dermatology. He then completed his PhD at Seoul National University in immunology and transplantation in the laboratory of Dr. Chung Gyu Park developing novel mouse islet transplantation methods and evaluating the effects of porcine islet xenotransplantation in primate models. Dr. Kim then completed his Pfizer fellowship postdoc training in the laboratories of Dr. Emma Guttman and Dr. Miriam Merad at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai using scRNAseq and CyTOF to investigate immunological skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, alopecia areata and vitiligo. Through his research he discovered AD specific fibroblasts in the skin and AD specific immune subsets in circulating blood. He then moved to Samsung Medical Center, Department of Dermatology collaborating with Samsung Genomic Institute to profile colorectal cancer and interactions between immune cells and the TME utilizing scRNAseq and spatial transcriptomics platforms.
Dr. Kim’s now focuses on the role of regulatory T cells in disease and his goal is to leverage cutting-edge immune platforms with domain expertise in biology and immunology to better define human disease for more accurate and effective diagnosis and treatment.
Graduate Students
PhD
Soyoung Jeong / 정소영
Soyoung graduated with a BS majoring in microbiology & immunology from McGill University in 2016. She then completed her Master's at Seoul National University studying antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. She then worked from 2020-2022 at CJ Cheiljedang where she studied the microbiome for live biotherapeutic product development using high throughput screening tools. She is now researching the role of regulatory T cells in autoimmune diseases including atopic dermatitis and vitiligo using multiomic approaches. In her free time, she likes to travel.
Combined Master's and PhD
Brian Lee / 이효형
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2016, Brian Lee worked from 2017-2022 in New York at the Human Immune Monitoring Center (HIMC) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai where he led the CyTOF platform while developing computational tools for data processing and analysis of CyTOF and imaging CyTOF data. He is now researching the development and lineage commitment of precursor cells into regulatory T cells in the thymus and their role in cancer and various auto immune diseases. In his free time, Brian likes to hike and watch movies.
PhD
Young Joo Baik / 백영주
After graduating from the Department of Biomedical Sciences at CHA University, Young Joo Baik received her Master's degree from the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Seoul National University's College of Medicine. Currently, her main research interests are the immune system of eosinophilic duodenitis, tonsillitis, alopecia areata and skin organoid.
PhD
Sowon Choi / 최소원
After graduating from the department of biosystems and biomedical sciences at Korea University, Sowon Choi received her Master's degree at Seoul National University studying autoimmune disease and transplantation immunology. She then worked at Autotelic Bio where she studied anti-cancer therapeutics with ASO and small molecule modalities. Now she is interested in minimal change disease(orphan kidney disease) and auto-immune diseases. In her free time, she likes to go camping with her husband.
Combined Master's and PhD
Sojung Choi / 최소정
Sojung Choi graduated from Department of Bio and Fermentation Convergence Technology in Kookmin University.
Her research interests are immune mechanism of skin disease and atopic mouse models. In her free time she likes to go bowling.
Combined Master's and PhD
HyoJeong Nam / 남효정
HyoJeong Nam graduated with a degree in genetic engineering from the Kyung Hee University in 2021. She is now researching the transcriptomic and epigenetic signatures of regulatory T cells in human acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. In her free time, HyoJeong likes to watch movies and hang out with friends.
Combined Master's and PhD
Jungho Lee / 이정호
Jungho Lee graduated with a degree in Animal Science and Technology from the Chung-ang University. He is now researching T cell activation in various autoimmune diseases and interactions between Treg and effector T cells. In his free time, Jungho likes to read books.
Combined Master's and PhD
Geon Woo Park / 박건우
Geon Woo Park graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Sungkyunkwan University in 2022. He is particulary interested in cancer immunology, focusing on identification of Treg and other immune cell functions in various cancer types through single cell genomics-based analysis. In his free time, Geon Woo enjoys going out for a walk with his dog, Louis.
Combined Master's and PhD
Hyun Seung Choi / 최현승
Hyunseung Choi graduated from the department of Biology at Kyung Hee University in 2022. Currently he is studying the heterogenous function and interaction of various cell types in tumor microenvironment using single-cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-seq) and T cell receptor (TCR) clonal analysis. Hyunseung likes to go to cafés in his spare time.
Combined Master's and PhD
Christine Suh-Yun Joh / 조서연
Christine graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 with a BSA in Biology/Biological Sciences and BA in Music (Piano). For two years during and after her undergraduate studies, she worked as a clinical assistant at a clinic that primarily served patients with allergies and asthma. She is currently studying the immunopathomechanism of various autoimmune diseases, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in the molecular and cellular levels. Christine loves cuddling with her dog in her spare time.
Combined Master's and PhD
Minji Kang / 강민지
Minji Kang graduated with a degree in Bionanotechnology from the University of Gachon while working at a pharmaceutics lab researching synthesis of lipid nano particles. She is now studying transplantation immunology, allergic immunology and tumor immunology using multiomics. In her free time, she likes to play games and binge Netflix shows.
Master's
Karoliina Ruhno / 카롤리나
Karoliina Ruhno received her Bachelor's degree in Animal Science and Biotechnology at Seoul National University in 2022. She is currently researching various neuroinflammatory diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Mutliple System Atrophy (MSA), and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), and uses various multiomics tools to study them. During her free time she likes to listen to music and watch various TV shows. She is also a huge animal lover.
Combined Master's and PhD
Hayeon Shin / 신하연
Ha Yeon Shin graduated with a degree in Life Sciences from Chung-ang University in 2022. She is currently interested in researching pathology and immunology of autoimmune diseases such as alopecia areata (AA) and thyroid cancer and conducts studies on them using multiomics tools. She likes to read novels and go hiking in her free time.
Master's
Jasper Roldan T. Go / 고재스퍼
Jasper Go graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Systems Biology from Yonsei University. He worked at Glovax, a vaccine distributing company, as an international cooperation staff, and he also participated in research and development projects related to microbes and plant disease control. He also worked briefly as an animal experiment manager in a venture company called Celltium, and is a former assistant researcher in the Transplantation Research Institute at Seoul National University. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s degree in the Laboratory of Immune Tolerance at Seoul National University. He has a keen interest in cooking, music and he is a certified foodie.
Combined Master's and PhD
Dong Jun Kim / 김동준
Dong Jun Kim graduated with a degree in Integrative Biotechnology from Sungkyunkwan University in 2023. He is particulary interested in autoimmune diseases, focusing on T cell network and its potential therapy through single cell genomics. Dongjun participates a book reading gruop in his free time.
Combined Master's and PhD
Yewon Moon / 문예원
Yewon moon graduated from Department of Life Science and Chemistriy in Sahmyook University.
Her research interests are immune cell interaction with Treg in cancer and autoimmune disease. In her free time she likes to go to cafes with her friends.
Combined Master's and PhD
Hyeewon Seo / 서혜원
Hyeewon graduated from the Department of Biology at Kyung Hee University in 2023. Her research interests are tumor immunology along with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, especially focused on regulatory T cells. She loves to read books and go to music festivals in her free time.
Combined Master's and PhD
Chaeyoon Kim / 김채윤
Chaeyoon graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology & Immunology from McGill University in 2021. For two years during and after her undergraduate studies, she participated in and led research projects investigating SARS-CoV-2 and SFTSV specific- T cell responses at KAIST and Institute for Basic Science. She is interested in investigating the role of regulatory T cells in various autoimmune diseases and their functions in the tumor microenvironment. She likes to watch movies and to go out with her friends during her spare time.
Combined Master's and PhD
Sanha Hwang / 황산하
Sanha graduated from Chung-ang University in 2023 with a degree in Animal Science Technology and Biomedical Engineering. He is currently involved in researching cancer invasion and immune diseases, utilizing multi-omics tools for his work. His aim is to assist in the fight against cancer by discovering biomarkers that could lead to new treatments. Outside of his research, Sanha enjoys traveling and has a love for animals, often volunteering in his free time.
Combined Master's and PhD
Yongjun Kim / 김용준
Yongjun graduated with a degree in genetic engineering from the Kyung Hee University in 2023. He is currently engaged in researching the pathology and immunology of autoimmune diseases, specifically focusing on conditions such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Kidney disease. His studies involve the use of multiomics tools to explore these complex disorders. In his free time, he enjoys taking photos with a film camera.
Combined Master's and PhD
Juyoung Jin / 진주영
She graduated from Seoul Women's University with degrees in bioenvironmental engineering and biocosmetic engineering.
She is very interested in her cell therapy and skin autoimmune disease areas. Her current research interests include proteomics analysis utilizing the Olink platform in COPD patients and exploring immunological pathogenesis in hair loss patients.
In her free time, she likes to play the piano and take walks.
Combined Master's and PhD
Taeeun Gu / 구태은
Taeeun completed her Bachelor's degree in Systems Biotechnology at Konkuk University in 2022. Throughout her university years and even after graduation, she worked as a researcher at Selecxine, a company specializing in the development of anti-cancer immunotherapy drugs. Her primary focus involved utilizing phage display techniques with the scFv phage library to identify therapeutic antibodies. Furthermore, Taeeun conducted drug efficacy tests, emphasizing Treg cells in cynomolgus monkeys' PBMCs, following the administration of a new drug candidate. Her main interest lies in tumor immunology, and she is particularly passionate about discovering new treatment targets to contribute to drug development. Taeeun loves both knitting and drawing in her free time.
Combined Master's and PhD
SeungMin Cha / 차승민
SeungMin Cha graduated with a degree in Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology from Konkuk University in 2024. He is particulary interested in the molecular mechanisms related to the metabolism of regulatory T cells in autoimmune diseases and tumor microenvironments. He enjoys watching soccer in his free time and is a big fan of Manchester United.
Combined Master's and PhD
Kiwan Kwon / 권기완
Kiwan Kwon graduated from Stony Brook University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. With a diverse background spanning roles in research centers, consulting industries, and prominent big data companies, he has amassed extensive experience in the field of data science. Currently, Kiwan is actively pursuing opportunities to contribute his expertise to the biomedical field, with a keen focus on the integration of artificial intelligence technologies to drive innovation and transformative discoveries. His passion for applying cutting-edge AI solutions to address challenges in bioinformatics underscores his commitment to making a tangible impact on society.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Kiwan enjoys hobbies such as traveling, photography and honing his skills as a violinist during his leisure time.
Researchers
Researcher
Byeong Heon Park / 박병헌
I graduated from the Department of Animal Science and Technology at Chung-Ang University. After graduation, I worked for a year at the Zebrafish Translational Medical Research Center. I have since developed an interest in Treg and scRNA-seq, which has brought me to my current position. In my free time, I love leading people as a scuba diving instructor, enjoy road cycling, and downhill longboarding. I often indulge in simulation circuit racing, and I am an expert in repairing electronic devices. I am a proud cat owner of two and enjoy setting up and maintaining aquariums.
Interns
Dongryeol Shin / 신동렬
Hyunah Ku / 구현아
Eunhye Yoon / 윤은혜