Research
My research group, Biomimetic MicroEngineering (BioME) laboratory, has focused on innovating bioinspired engineering principles to uncover the fundamental mechanism in human health and diseases. The human Organ-on-a-Chip, also known as the Microphysiological System (MPS), has emerged as an alternative experimental model to accurately recapitulate the host-microbiome ecosystem and predict human physiological responses. We have created novel biomimicry to reconstitute the three-dimensional (3D) physical structure, physiological functions, and dynamic biomechanics of the living human gut.
Biography
Hyun Jung Kim, PhD, is the Principal Investigator of The Biomimetic Microengineering (BioME) Laboratory in the Department of Inflammation and Immunity at Cleveland Clinic. He has focused on innovating microphysiological platform technologies to uncover fundamental questions in human health and diseases. By leveraging the miniaturized human “Gut-on-a-chip” microsystem, Dr. Kim has developed paradigm-shifting models that reconstitute the physical structure, physiological function, and mechanical dynamics of the living human intestine (Nat. Protoc. 2022; PNAS 2018; iScience, 2019 & 2020; PNAS, 2016). His research group has been particularly interested in emulating a host-microbiome ecosystem that orchestrates human health and diseases by integrating transdisciplinary approaches of clinical microbiology, microfluidics, and tissue engineering. He has spearheaded to develop a “Patient’s Avatar” model by integrating patient-derived organoids, fecal microbiota, and tissue-specific immune cells to emulate the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and colorectal cancer (CRC).
Education & Professional Highlights
ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENT
07/2022 – present Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA, Assistant Staff, Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute
01/2015 – 06/2022 The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
03/2018 – 12/2021 Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Visiting Professor, Department of Medical Engineering, College of Medicine
09/2015 – 08/2017 Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea, Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
09/2012 – 12/2014 Technology Development Fellow, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
07/2009 – 08/2012 Postdoctoral Fellow, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering (Advisor: Donald E. Ingber, MD, PhD)
The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
03/2007 – 06/2009 Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Chemistry (Advisor: Rustem F. Ismagilov, PhD)
Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
09/2005 – 02/2007 Research Associate, Institute of Life Science and Biotechnology
09/2000 – 08/2005 PhD in Biotechnology (Advisor: Chul Soo Shin, PhD)
03/1998 – 08/2000 MS in Biotechnology
03/1994 – 02/1998 BE in Biotechnology
AWARDS & HONORS (Selected)
2022 Career Development Program Award, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, USA
2021 2020 Research Excellence in Korean Biomedical Science, Medical Research Information Center, Korea
2018 Technology Impact Award, Cancer Research Institute (CRI), USA
2017 Poster of Distinction, The Programming Committee of the GI & Liver Section of the APS, USA
2017 Texas 4000 Seed Grant Award, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, UT Austin, USA
2016 Innovator Awards, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, USA
2015 Vice President for Research Grant Award, The University of Texas at Austin
2015 Featured Designer for Organs-on-Chips, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
2014 The Faculty STARs Program Award, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
2013 Abcam Discovery 15 Contest Finalist ($1,000 credit), USA
2013 2013 Invented Here! Honoree. New England’s Breakthrough Inventions and Inventors. Boston, MA, USA
2013 Best Paper Award. ALine, Inc., 2013 ASME (NEMB 2013). Feb 4-6, 2013, Boston, MA, USA
2012 - 2014 Wyss Technology Development Fellowship, Wyss Institute, Harvard University, USA
2012 Best Presentation Award for Postdocs. The Korean Toxicologists Association in America. SOT 2012, San Francisco, CA, USA
2012 Postdoctoral Award (1st place). In Vitro and Alternative Methods Special Section, SOT 2012, San Francisco, CA, USA
2007 - 2008 Leo Kadanoff and Stuart Rice Postdoctoral Fellowship, The University of Chicago, USA
2003 - 2004 Fellowship for Young Scientist, Korea Research Foundation, Korea
2001 Scholarship for Excellent Student, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
1994 Yonsei Special Award for the Freshman in Matriculation, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
Research
Overview
My research group, Biomimetic MicroEngineering (BioME) laboratory, has focused on innovating bioinspired engineering principles to uncover the fundamental mechanism in human health and diseases. The human Organ-on-a-Chip, also known as the Microphysiological System (MPS), has emerged as an alternative experimental model to accurately recapitulate the host-microbiome ecosystem and predict human physiological responses. We have created novel biomimicry to reconstitute the three-dimensional (3D) physical structure, physiological functions, and dynamic biomechanics of the living human gut.
We are particularly interested in emulating the host-microbiome interactions that orchestrate intestinal homeostasis and disease development. In collaboration with clinicians, our breakthrough technology enables us to develop unprecedented "Personalized Disease-on-a-Chip" models by integrating patient-derived organoids, microbiome, and immune cells. Using this model, we have delved into the pathological contribution of the gut microbiome in gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and infectious diseases.
Our overarching goal is to understand causality vs. consequence of the host-microbiome crosstalk at various disease milieus by leveraging a patient-specific Disease-on-a-Chip. We will continually innovate our disruptive technology to manipulate pathophysiological manifestation in human oral cavity, nasal path, vagina, placenta, skin, liver, and the gut-brain axis. Finally, we will disseminate our cutting-edge technology to contribute to scientific, clinical, and pharmaceutical communities by unraveling high-risk medical problems.
Our Team
Selected Publications
View publications for Hyun Jung Kim, PhD
(Disclaimer: This search is powered by PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed is a third-party website with no affiliation with Cleveland Clinic.)
1- Woojung Shin and Hyun Jung Kim. 3D In Vitro Morphogenesis of Human Intestinal Organoids or Caco-2 Cells in a Gut-on-a-chip or a Hybrid Chip with a Cell Culture Insert. Nat. Protoc. 2022, 17, 910-939. (Published online on Feb 2, 2022; IF 13.491)
2- Woojung Shin, Alexander Wu, Soyoun Min, Yong Cheol Shin, R. Y. Declan Fleming, S. Gail Eckhardt, and Hyun Jung Kim. Spatiotemporal gradient and instability of Wnt induce heterogeneous growth and differentiation of human intestinal organoids. iScience 2020, 23, 101372. (Published online: Aug 21, 2020; IF 5.08)
- Highlighted at UT CSE as New Discovery Helps Researchers Rethink Organoid Cultures.
3- Yong Cheol Shin*, Woojung Shin*, Yoko M. Ambrosini, Domin Koh, Alexander Wu, Soyoun Min, S. Gail Eckhardt, R. Y. Declan Fleming, Seung Kim, Sowon Park, Hong Koh, Tae Kyung Yoo, and Hyun Jung Kim. Three-dimensional regeneration of patient-derived intestinal organoid epithelium in a physiodynamic mucosal interface-on-a-chip. Micromachines 2020, 11, 663. (*Equally contributed; Published online: Jul 7, 2020; IF 2.942)
4- Woojung Shin, Christopher D. Hinojosa, Donald E. Ingber, and Hyun Jung Kim, Human intestinal morphogenesis controlled by transepithelial morphogen gradient and flow-dependent physical cues in a microengineered gut-on-a-chip. iScience 2019, 15, 391-406. (Published online: May 31, 2019; IF 5.08)
5- Woojung Shin*, Alexander Wu*, Miles Massidda*, Charlie Foster, Newin Thomas, Dong-Woo Lee, Hong Koh, Youngwon Ju, Joohoon Kim, and Hyun Jung Kim. A robust longitudinal co-culture of obligate anaerobic gut microbiome with human intestinal epithelium in an anoxic-oxic interface-on-a-chip. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 2019, 7, 13. (*Equally contributed; Published online: Feb 7, 2019; IF 3.644)
- Published as part of “Medical and Industrial Applications of Microfluidic-based Cell/Tissue Culture and Organs-on-a-Chip”.
- Featured in “Harnessing Tissue Engineering Tools to Interrogate Host-Microbiota Crosstalk in Cancer”, iScience 2020, 23, 101878.
6- Woojung Shin and Hyun Jung Kim. Intestinal barrier dysfunction orchestrates the onset of inflammatory host-microbiome cross-talk in a human gut inflammation-on-a-chip. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2018, 115, E10539-E10547. (Published online: Oct 22, 2018; IF 9.412)
- Highlighted in EurekAlert “Probiotics are not always ‘good bacteria’”.
- Featured in Editor’s Choice, “Model for maintaining integrity”, Science, 2018, 362, 907.
- Press release in UT News, Medical Xpress, ScienceDaily, GEN, R&D, News Medical, Technology Network, BRIC, News1, BioSpectator, Donga, Donga Science, Medical News Bulletin,
- Interviewed at the KUT Austin NPR station, “How Probiotics Could Be Problematic For Those With Damaged Guts”
- Highlighted in National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS).
- Highlighted in Alliance of Advanced Biomedical Engineering (by ASME)
- Highlighted in Medical Research Information Center Korea
7- Hyun Jung Kim, Hu Li, James J. Collins,and Donald E. Ingber. Contributions of microbiome and mechanical deformation to intestinal bacterial overgrowth and inflammation in a human gut-on-a-chip. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2016,113, E7-E15. (Published online: Dec 14, 2015)
- Highlights from Early Edition (PNAS)
- Human Gut-on-a-chip model offers hope for IBD sufferers (Harvard Gazette)
- Harvard’s Wyss Institute unveils human ‘gut-on-a-chip’ (FierceBiotech)
- Gut-on-a-Chip Technology Provides Breakthrough in Microbiome Research (IBD News Today)
- "Gut-on-a-Chip" Could Lead to Better Treatments for Intestinal Disorders (KUT)
- Featured in ‘Human Gut-on-a-Chip Microdevice May Help Overcome Limitations of Animal Models’, National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), Dec 28, 2015.
- Highlighted in Commentary, Cell, Mar 10, 2016.
- Highlighted in The Spotlight, ACS Chemical Research in Toxicology, 2016, 29, 135.
- Featured in “Reverse Engineering Human Pathophysiology with Organs-on-Chips”, Cell, 2016, 164, 1105-1109.
- Featured in “The role of gut microbiota in health and disease: In vitro modeling of host-microbe interactions at the aerobe-anaerobe interphase of the human gut”, Anaerobe, 2017, 44, 3-12.
- Featured in “Harnessing Tissue Engineering Tools to Interrogate Host-Microbiota Crosstalk in Cancer”, iScience, 2020, 23, 101878.
8- Hyun Jung Kim and Donald E. Ingber. Gut-on-a-Chip microenvironment induces human intestinal cells to undergo villus differentiation. Integr. Biol. 2013, 5, 1130-1140. (Published online: Jun 26 2013)
- Selected on the Back Cover of ‘Organs-on-chips’ themed issue on Integrative Biology, Iss. 9 (Sep 1, 2013).
- Published as part of ‘Organs-on-chips’ joint themed issues of Integrative Biologyand Lab on a Chip (Sep 1, 2013).
- Selected as the most downloaded article in Integrative Biology from Jul 2013 to Feb 2014.
- Selected as Top Ten most accessed article in Integrative Biology at the 3rd quarter of 2013.
- Selected as Top Ten most accessed article in Integrative Biology at the 4th quarter of 2013.
9- Hyun Jung Kim and Donald E. Ingber. Gut-on-a-Chip microenvironment induces human intestinal cells to undergo villus differentiation. Integr. Biol. 2013, 5, 1130-1140. (Published online: Jun 26 2013)
- Selected on the Back Cover of ‘Organs-on-chips’ themed issue on Integrative Biology, Iss. 9 (Sep 1, 2013).
- Published as part of ‘Organs-on-chips’ joint themed issues of Integrative Biologyand Lab on a Chip (Sep 1, 2013).
- Selected as the most downloaded article in Integrative Biology from Jul 2013 to Feb 2014.
- Selected as Top Ten most accessed article in Integrative Biology at the 3rd quarter of 2013.
- Selected as Top Ten most accessed article in Integrative Biology at the 4th quarter of 2013.
- Featured in ‘Microfluidic technologies for accelerating the clinical translation of nanoparticles’, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2012, 7, 623-629.
- Featured in MIT Technology Review, “Building an Organ on a Chip”, Jul/Aug 2012.
- Featured in ‘Microfluidics-assisted in vitro drug screening and carrier production’, Adv. Drug Deliver. Rev. 2013. 65, 1575-1588.
- Featured in 'Workshop meeting report Organs-on-Chips: human disease models’, Lab Chip 2013, 13, 3349-3470.
- Featured in New Scientist, “Gut-on-a-chip takes bellyache out of digestion studies”, Iss. 2859 (3 Apr 2012).
- Highlighted in Year in Review of the Nat. Rev. Gatroenterol. Hepatol., “Gut Microbiota in 2019”.
- Press releases (selected): The Harvard Crimson, IEEE Spectrum, Discovery News, CNET, ZD Net, EurekaAlert, Science Daily, Med Gadget, Gizmag.
10- Hyun Jung Kim*, James Q. Boedicker*, Jang Wook Choi, and Rustem F. Ismagilov. Defined spatial structure stabilizes a synthetic multispecies bacterial community. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2008, 105, 18188-18193. (*Equally contributed; Published online: Nov 14, 2008)
- Highlighted in In This Issue. PNAS, 2008, 105, 18073.
- Highlighted in Commentary “Building communities one bacterium at a time”. PNAS 2008, 105, 18075-18076.
- Highlighted in Spotlight, “Microbes need their space” ACS Chem. Biol. 2009, 4(1), 9.
- Featured in ‘Ecological perspectives on synthetic biology: insights from microbial population biology’, Front. Microbiol., 2015, 6, 1-10.
- Featured in ‘Microfluidic technologies for studying synthetic circuits’, Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 2012, 16, 1-11.
- Featured in ‘Dynamics in the mixed microbial concourse’, Genes Dev. 2010, 24, 2603-2614.
- Featured in ‘Engineering ecosystems and synthetic ecologies’, Mol. BioSyst. 2012, 8, 2470-2483.
- Featured in ‘Nanofabricated structures and microfluidic devices for bacteria: from techniques to biology’, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2016, 45, 268-280.
- Features in ‘Microfluidic cultivation and analysis tools for interaction studies in microbial co-cultures’, Curr. Opin. Biotechnol., 2020, 62, 106-115.
- Featured as ‘Evaluated Articles’ in Faculty of 1000 (Jan 2009, Nov 2008).