Dr. Young-Kwon Hong is a distinguished Professor of Surgery and the Chief of the Basic Science Division at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.
He also serves as the Director of Translational and Basic Research in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Hong's academic and professional journey includes a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, followed by postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School.
Over his career, Dr. Hong has made significant contributions to lymphatic biology, cancer research, and translational medicine, with a focus on lymphatic vessel development, and HIV-related malignancies.
He has been awarded numerous prestigious awards and grants, including from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense.
Dr. Hong is also recognized for his mentorship, having guided over 120 trainees at various levels, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. His mentorship has led to successful careers for many, with mentees securing NIH K08, KL2, and R38 awards, and leadership roles in academia and industry. His dedication to fostering young talent and advancing the next generation of clinician-scientists underscores his lasting impact on the field of translational medicine.
He also serves as the Director of Translational and Basic Research in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Hong's academic and professional journey includes a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, followed by postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School.
Over his career, Dr. Hong has made significant contributions to lymphatic biology, cancer research, and translational medicine, with a focus on lymphatic vessel development, and HIV-related malignancies.
He has been awarded numerous prestigious awards and grants, including from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense.
Dr. Hong is also recognized for his mentorship, having guided over 120 trainees at various levels, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. His mentorship has led to successful careers for many, with mentees securing NIH K08, KL2, and R38 awards, and leadership roles in academia and industry. His dedication to fostering young talent and advancing the next generation of clinician-scientists underscores his lasting impact on the field of translational medicine.
Affiliation
Wihuri Research Institute and Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, University of Helsinki, Finland
Biosketch
Academician Kari Alitalo is a tenured Research Professor of the Finnish Academy of Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki. He also served as the Director of the Wihuri Institute between 2013-2023. He is one of the most cited Finnish scientists and a global leader in research of blood and lymphatic vessels. He has discovered several receptor tyrosine kinases, growth factors and receptors.
Mission statement
Dr. Alitalo and collaborators work on translational aspects of vascular growth factors in development, physiology and in cancer, cardiovascular, neurological and other diseases. Of special interest are the angiopoietins and their Tie1 and Tie2 receptor complex, lymphangiogenic growth factor VEGF-C and its receptor VEGFR-3, and VEGF-B as a growth factor for coronary and adipose vasculature. The laboratory has demonstrated VEGF-C induced lymphangiogenesis and developed inhibitors of the VEGFR-3 signal transduction pathway (VEGF-C/D trap). VEGF-C gene therapy for lymphedemas has undergone a phase two clinical trial and the VEGF-C/D trap has been used in clinical trials in wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. The Alitalo laboratory also discovered an extensive system of meningeal lymphatic vessels that develop postnatally and are involved in draining of cerebrospinal fluid.
Publications
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?sort=date&term=Alitalo+K%5BAuthor%5D%3B&sort_order=desc
https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/kari-alitalo/publications/
Internet
http://www.wri.fi/