Sangpil Yoon
Dr. Yoon joined the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in August 2018 as an assistant professor. He received his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
His lab’s long-term research goal is to develop a strategy for the streamlined care of cancer patients from diagnosis to therapy. The metastasis of cancer is the main cause of cancer-related death. The long-term goal on cancer diagnosis side is to develop functional and molecular imaging systems for clinicians to diagnose cancer metastases in the patient’s body real-time and to visualize the molecular activities such as receptors and protein kinase, the behavior of immune cells and their interaction with cancer cells in tumor microenvironment (TME), and biological processes such as angiogenesis and metastasis to revolutionize therapeutic strategies to conquer cancer. To eliminate the potential recurrence of metastasized cancer at the secondary site, we need to act early. However, none of the current clinical imaging modalities can resolve a small number of metastasized and dormant cancer cells with deep penetration for longitudinal and noninvasive visualization of suspected areas to be developed as a solid tumor. Super-resolution ultrasound imaging (SureTrag) and a gas vesicle (GV) based imaging technique will initiate his research goal.
The long-term goal on cancer therapy side is to develop techniques and devices to innovate treatment of cancer by enhancing immunotherapy. He has unique expertise and training experience in the areas of ultrasound imaging, molecular and cellular biology for immunotherapy applications, and stem cell reprogramming with world renowned scientists. In the lab, we are studying biophysical effects of high frequency ultrasound on cells for intracellular delivery of macromolecules and developing microfluidic chips to engineer immune cells for immunotherapy by controlling adaptable and engineered T cells.
Dr. Yoon joined the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in August 2018 as an assistant professor. He received his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
His lab’s long-term research goal is to develop a strategy for the streamlined care of cancer patients from diagnosis to therapy. The metastasis of cancer is the main cause of cancer-related death. The long-term goal on cancer diagnosis side is to develop functional and molecular imaging systems for clinicians to diagnose cancer metastases in the patient’s body real-time and to visualize the molecular activities such as receptors and protein kinase, the behavior of immune cells and their interaction with cancer cells in tumor microenvironment (TME), and biological processes such as angiogenesis and metastasis to revolutionize therapeutic strategies to conquer cancer. To eliminate the potential recurrence of metastasized cancer at the secondary site, we need to act early. However, none of the current clinical imaging modalities can resolve a small number of metastasized and dormant cancer cells with deep penetration for longitudinal and noninvasive visualization of suspected areas to be developed as a solid tumor. Super-resolution ultrasound imaging (SureTrag) and a gas vesicle (GV) based imaging technique will initiate his research goal.
The long-term goal on cancer therapy side is to develop techniques and devices to innovate treatment of cancer by enhancing immunotherapy. He has unique expertise and training experience in the areas of ultrasound imaging, molecular and cellular biology for immunotherapy applications, and stem cell reprogramming with world renowned scientists. In the lab, we are studying biophysical effects of high frequency ultrasound on cells for intracellular delivery of macromolecules and developing microfluidic chips to engineer immune cells for immunotherapy by controlling adaptable and engineered T cells.