Dr. Jung has recently joined the Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic as Betsy DeWindt Professor, Chair of Cancer Biology Department, and Director of Global and Emerging Pathogen Research Center. Before this, he was a Distinguished Professor, Fletcher Jones Professor, and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Department Chair and Director of the Institute of Emerging Pathogens and Immune Diseases at the University of Southern California Medical School of Medicine. Prior to this post, he was a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School and the Chair of the Tumor Virology Division at the New England Primate Research Center.
Virus-induced cancer, Emerging viruses, Therapeutics and Vaccine Development, Inflammation and Immunity
Research Information
Research Interests
Dr. Jung’s research uses cutting-edge genomic, bioinformatic, biochemical and immunological analyses of individual viral/host genes in culture as well as mouse and primate infection studies in order to define viral/host genes’ roles in viral acute infection, persistence and pathogenesis/oncogenesis, as well as to inform vaccine development.
Virus-induced Cancer
Gamma-2 herpesviruses (KSHV) include Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and murine herpesvirus 68(MHV68). KSHV is an etiologic agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma that is the most common tumor in patients with AIDS and MHV68, the murine counterpart of KSHV, can be used in a small animal model to study viral persistent infection. Using viral genetics and primate/mouse models, we investigate viral gene expression, epigenetics/genomics/single-cell transcriptome, persistence, pathogenesis, and vaccine development.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
HBV infection is the most common chronic viral infection in the world and there is currently no cure. The virus itself is not cytopathic, but inflammation driven by chronic HBV infection significantly elevates the risk for developing liver cirrhosis and carcinoma. The goal of our study is to establish a 3D mini-liver organoid for productive HBV infection as a platform to dissect the roles of host factors in HBV replication and pathogenesis.
Viral vector, oncolytic virus and vaccine stabilization
Instability of viral vector, oncolytic virus and vaccine often emerges as a key challenge during clinical development as well as commercial distribution. To yield stable, efficacious viral vector, oncolytic virus and vaccine for human use, our goal is to develop thermostable viral vector and oncolytic virus for clinical usages and thermostable vaccine for distribution in developing countries without the need of a cold-chain transport.