Jae Jung, PhD
Cleveland Clinic has appointed Jae Jung, PhD, as Chair of Lerner Research Institute’s Department of Cancer Biology. Dr. Jung will also serve as Director of the new Center for Global and Emerging Pathogens Research, which will focus on public health threats ranging from the Zika virus to SARS-CoV-2.
Dr. Jung is an expert in virology and virus-induced cancers who has broken ground in the fields of inflammation, immune-oncology, and emerging pathogens. As Chair of Cancer Biology, he will lead the department’s work in understanding the biologic underpinnings of cancer, ranging from genetic and molecular pathways to disease manifestation. He will closely collaborate with cancer researchers across Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Clinic, including the new Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology.
Research Background
Dr. Jung’s cancer research -focuses on virus-induced cancers, including Kaposi’s sarcoma. For his work in this area, the National Cancer Institute awarded him the prestigious Outstanding Investigator Award in 2016.
Among several research projects related to coronaviruses, Dr. Jung’s work includes vaccine and drug development. He has developed one of the first preclinical models to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission, in the hope of paving the way for a COVID-19 vaccine. This vaccine work employs nanoparticles that compel the coronavirus to use its own surface protein to produce antibodies that block viral infection. The expectation is this approach will have fewer side effects than other vaccines, especially among the older population.
A multidisciplinary team of scientists and clinicians in Ohio and Florida are collaborating with Dr. Jung to uncover the mechanisms of infectious agents and virus-induced cancers.
Dr. Jung joins Cleveland Clinic from the University of Southern California, where he was Chair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Director of the Institute of Emerging Pathogens and Immune Diseases.
