Gloria B. Kim, Ph.D.

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SUMMARY

The laboratory of Gloria B. Kim, Ph.D., works on cell-based immunotherapies and immunoengineering technologies using engineered immune cells and biomaterials. Cellular immunotherapy holds great promise to provide novel treatment options for a wide range of diseases from cancers to autoimmune diseases. Genetic reprogramming of patient immune cells has emerged as one of the most promising treatments for hematological malignancies. This is highlighted by several chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies that are Food and Drug Administration approved.

Now this field of study is moving toward developing therapies against solid tumors and other disorders. Dr. Kim's mission is to leverage her expertise in immunology, material science and biomedical engineering. She aims to develop next-generation cellular immunotherapies and immunoengineering approaches to help patients fight off immune-related diseases such as cancers, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and tissue damage.

Focus areas

• With her specialty in cell engineering and citric acid-based biomaterial science, Dr. Kim has pioneered the use of engineered human immune cells as living vehicles for delivering fluorescent nanoparticle drugs to melanoma and glioblastoma.
• Dr. Kim has led the development and assessment of novel affinity-enhanced T cell receptors (TCRs) that target tumor stroma-specific target for T cell therapy. Dr. Kim's lab has also been involved in combining immune cell therapies with other chemotherapy drugs, immunomodulators, and immune regulators.
• New CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapies are actively being developed and used to target and attack various tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) and other diseases in hostile immunosuppressive environments. Additionally, her lab's expertise in citric acid-based biomaterials is being utilized in designing suitable chemical approaches These approaches boost the efficacy and delivery of CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapies and enhance the manufacturing process of cell therapies.

Significance to patient care

Cellular immunotherapy has emerged as another pillar in oncology treatment. Dr. Kim and colleagues believe their biomedical research on cellular immunotherapies and immunoengineering, which has a great potential to be translated into the clinic, will have a direct impact on the well-being of patients. Dr. Kim's lab seeks to understand how immune cells work in health and disease. Advancing biomedical technologies that can boost the efficacy and persistence of cellular immunotherapies will further enhance the patient care at Mayo Clinic.

Professional highlights

• Mayo Clinic principal investigator, Collaborative Research Seed Grant, Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic, 2023.
• Philadelphia Foundation Brody Family Medical Trust Fund Fellowship, 2020-2022.
• Rising Star in Engineering in Health by Columbia University, 2020.
• Keystone Symposia Future of Science Fund Scholarship, 2020.
• National Institutes of Health T32 Postdoctoral Training Grant, 2018-2020.
• Penn State Cancer Institute Research Award, 2017.
• Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation Scholarship, 2016.
• KSEA-KUSCO Graduate Scholarship, 2015.
• Korean American Society in Biotech and Pharmaceuticals Fellowship, 2015.
• NASA Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowship, 2013-2015.
• International Biomedical Engineering Innovation and Career Development Travel Award, 2013.
• Korean American Scholarship Foundation Scholarship, 2013.
• Pennsylvania State University Leighton Reiss Graduate Fellowship, 2012.
• Johnson & Johnson Silver Encore Award for Phase 3 Guselkumab scale-up run, 2010.