Jae-Hyuck Shim

Jae-Hyuck Shim, PhD, is an Associate Professor at UMass Chan Medical School with multiple appointments across the T.H. Chan School of Medicine in both the Department of Genetic and Cellular Medicine and the Department of Medicine's Division of Rheumatology. He also holds a position in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences within the Department of Immunology and Microbiology Program. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating bone formation and degradation to develop novel therapeutics for skeletal disorders.

Dr. Shim received his BS and MS in Biotechnology from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, followed by a PhD from Yale University School of Medicine. He completed postdoctoral training and served as an Instructor in Osteoimmunology at Harvard School of Public Health. His research program centers on bone mass regulation, which reflects the coupled balance between osteoblast activity (bone synthesis) and osteoclast activity (bone degradation). His laboratory employs unbiased high-throughput screening to identify proteins controlling osteoblast and osteoclast commitment under pathological conditions, and leverages knowledge from immune system signaling to understand bone cell regulation.

Dr. Shim's research has significant therapeutic implications for skeletal disorders including osteoporosis, inflammation-induced bone loss, periodontitis, and rare genetic conditions like fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) and osteogenesis imperfecta. His lab has developed sophisticated in vivo gene transfer technologies using nanoparticles, liposomes, exosomes, and adeno-associated virus (AAV) modified to target bone surfaces and deliver RNA interference or healthy genes to bone cells. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a strong focus on WNT signaling, MAPK pathways, gene therapy approaches for skeletal disorders, and the molecular mechanisms underlying pathological bone formation and resorption.

• 2014 ASBMR John Haddad Young Investigator Award
• 2013 ASBMR Harold M. Frost Young Investigator Award
• 2011-2012 NRSA Fellowship
• 2008-2011 Arthritis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2004-2015 Richard K. Gershon Pre-and/or Postdoctoral Fellowship

Dr. Shim currently mentors numerous postdoctoral researchers and leads multiple significant research projects including NIH-funded studies developing bone-targeting AAV-mediated gene therapy for osteoporosis (R01AR078230, PI) and novel approaches to heal bone loss in inflammatory arthritis (R01AR078230, Multi-PI). His lab (Shim Lab) is actively developing gene therapeutics for bone fracture healing, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, and other skeletal rare diseases through collaborations with AAVAA Therapeutics and the International FOP Foundation.

His research team has established sophisticated models for studying bone biology, including trabecular bone organoids for investigating localized bone remodeling. The lab's work bridges fundamental bone biology with translational applications, particularly focusing on how to manipulate key signaling pathways (such as ERK MAPK, WNT, and SHN3) to develop novel therapeutic approaches for skeletal disorders affecting millions worldwide.