Youngjae YouView profile
Professor
Youngjae You is a Professor of Empire Innovation in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy. His research focuses on Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Cancer Chemotherapy, Medicinal Chemistry, and Targeted Drug Delivery. He holds adjunct roles at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and has led numerous grants totaling over $10 million in funding. Key awards include the 2019 Professor of Empire Innovation title and multiple DoD/CDMRP grants. His work emphasizes prodrug design, photodynamic therapy, and combination therapies. Education : PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chungnam National University (2001) MS in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chungnam National University (2000) BPharm, Chungnam National University (1994) Research Interests : Dr. You specializes in developing light-activatable prodrugs for targeted cancer therapies, including far-red/NIR light-activated delivery systems. His work integrates quantitative pharmacokinetic modeling, singlet oxygen dynamics, and receptor-targeted drug conjugation to enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing off-target effects. Key applications include bladder, breast, and ovarian cancers. Funding Highlights : NIH/NIGMS: $1.37M (2023-2027) for light-responsive drug delivery National Cancer Institute: $2.1M (2022-2027) for bladder cancer treatments DoD/CDMRP/PRCRP: $392K (2017-2020) for photodynamic-chemotherapy combinations Awards : PHF Presidential Professorship (2018) American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant (2013) Multiple DoD/CDMRP Idea Awards Service & Grants : Serves as Principal Investigator on 8 major grants. Active reviewer for Wellcome Trust, NIH, and international funding agencies. Holds patents on BODIPY derivatives and singlet oxygen-labile linkers. Lab & Collaborations : Leads the You Lab at UB, collaborating with bioengineers and clinicians to advance photomedicine and targeted drug delivery systems. Engaged in multidisciplinary teams addressing spatiotemporal control in cancer treatments.














