Kah Whye Peng

Kah Whye Peng, Ph.D., is a Professor of Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he holds a primary appointment as a Consultant in the Department of Molecular Medicine and a joint appointment in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. His research is centered on developing replication-competent viruses as novel therapeutics for cancer, particularly ovarian cancer and multiple myeloma.

• Ph.D. in Gene Therapy, Cambridge Centre for Protein Engineering, Cambridge University
• M.Sc. in Biochemistry, National University of Singapore
• B.Sc. in Zoology, National University of Singapore

Dr. Peng’s research focuses on oncolytic virotherapy, utilizing the measles virus (Edmonston strain) and vesicular stomatitis virus (Indiana strain) for tumor-selective therapy. His lab specializes in enhancing virus delivery through tumor retargeting and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) carriers, overcoming antiviral immune responses, and developing noninvasive imaging techniques to monitor viral activity. His work has led to clinical trials testing recombinant measles viruses (MV-CEA, MV-NIS) and MSC-mediated delivery systems.

His recent publications highlight advancements in oncolytic virotherapy, including the development of engineered viruses for enhanced antitumor immunity, combination strategies with immunotherapeutics, and innovative vaccine platforms using measles vectors for SARS-CoV-2. His research spans molecular engineering, preclinical testing, and clinical translation, demonstrating a strong trajectory in cancer biotherapeutics.

• Oncolytic virotherapy
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Gene therapy
• Translational research
• Molecular medicine

Dr. Peng has been a co-investigator on multiple NIH-funded grants, including a phase I trial of vesicular stomatitis virus for metastatic endometrial cancer and a long-term project on uterine serous carcinoma. He has also led an international conference on oncolytic viruses, reflecting his leadership in the field. His lab actively collaborates on projects involving animal modeling, reporter gene imaging, and therapeutic development.

His research is affiliated with key centers at Mayo Clinic, including the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Women's Health Research Center, and the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics, underscoring the interdisciplinary nature of his work.