Jiyoung Kim

Jiyoung Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, where she leads research in the Morphogenesis and Differentiation Program. Her work focuses on advancing the understanding of human breast stem cell hierarchy and breast cancer progression with therapeutic and preventive applications for women's health.

Her primary research interests include: the links between normal cells and their microenvironment to specific breast cancer types; developing models to study human breast progenitors; and identifying therapeutic targets in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Her laboratory specializes in generating human-specific model systems that mimic normal and tumor microenvironments through lineage-specific cell lines and culture systems, including ER+ cell lines, bipotent progenitors, basal-myoepithelial cells, fibroblasts, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and PDX-derived cell lines.

Analysis of her recent publications (2020-2024) reveals a strong focus on breast cancer microenvironment, stem cell hierarchies, and molecular mechanisms of cancer progression. Her work demonstrates expertise in 3D and organoid models, single-cell RNA sequencing, CRISPR/Cas9 technologies, and investigating TGF-β signaling in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. The consistent appearance of terms like fibroblasts, progenitors, luminal cells, and molecular pathways across her publications indicates a cohesive research trajectory focused on understanding breast tissue organization and its perturbation in cancer.

• Teaches medical cell and tissue biology for bachelor of medicine and odontology since 2015
• Focuses on active student engagement and critical thinking development
• Supervised bachelor's, master's and PhD students over two decades
• All supervised students have successfully completed their theses with published research

Dr. Kim employs state-of-the-art molecular and genomic methodologies, humanized mouse models, bioinformatics, and multidisciplinary collaborations to identify novel markers and therapeutic targets. Her current research emphasizes molecular mechanisms in TNBC progression, construction of endogenous reporter cell lines using CRISPR/Cas9, and investigation of TGF-β signaling in cancer cell differentiation and metastasis.