John K. Lee

John K. Lee, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor-in-Residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, holding dual appointments in the Department of Medicine (Division of Hematology/Oncology) and Department of Urology (Institute for Urologic Oncology). He maintains active clinical practice at Westwood Urology and hospital affiliations with Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center.

His educational background includes an A.B. with highest honors in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University (2001), MD from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth (2006), PhD in Molecular Biology from UCLA (2016), residency in Internal Medicine at Boston Medical Center (2009), and fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at UCLA (2013-2014).

• Harvard University: A.B. Biochemical Sciences (2001)
• Geisel School of Medicine: MD (2006)
• UCLA: PhD Molecular Biology (2016)

Dr. Lee specializes in genitourinary oncology with clinical focus on advanced prostate and bladder cancer. His research examines genotype-phenotype relationships in cancer through combinatorial genetics approaches while developing novel immunotherapies including antibody-drug conjugates, CAR-T cells, and TCR-T cell therapies. Current investigations target STEAP1 and CEACAM5 biomarkers to enhance treatment efficacy for neuroendocrine prostate cancer variants.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trajectory toward clinical translation of immunotherapies, with increasing focus on tumor microenvironment modulation and biomarker-driven therapeutic strategies since 2021. His work bridges basic cancer biology with engineered immune solutions, particularly for treatment-resistant genitourinary malignancies.

Major scientific recognition includes election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (2024), NIH Director's New Innovator Award (2021), and Kleberg Foundation Medical Research Award (2022). His laboratory (@jklee_lab) has secured significant funding through Department of Defense Career Development Awards, NCI Experimental Therapeutics Program partnerships, and multiple Prostate Cancer Foundation grants.

• NIH Director's New Innovator Award (2021)
• ASCI Young Physician-Scientist Award (2020)
• SBUR Young Investigator Award (2020)
• DoD Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program Award (2019)

Dr. Lee leads a federally funded basic and translational research laboratory within the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, focusing on developing immune-based strategies for prostate and bladder cancer. His team employs combinatorial genetics and immunopeptidomic profiling to identify therapeutic targets, with recent emphasis on tumor-localized cytokine delivery and engineered T cell receptors. Current projects include optimizing STEAP1-targeted CAR-T therapies and CEACAM5 antibody-drug conjugates for neuroendocrine prostate cancer variants.