Kay Chung

Kay Chung, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Her lab focuses on engineering T cells to enhance cancer immunotherapy through synthetic biology approaches. Key areas include reprogramming T cell states using transcription factors, developing synthetic tools for immune modulation, and hijacking tumor systems via oncolytic viruses. Chung’s work integrates protein engineering, CRISPR screening, and bioinformatics to advance therapeutic strategies.

• Affiliations: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC School of Medicine
• Education:
  • 2023: Postdoctoral Scholar, Salk Institute
  • 2018: Ph.D. in Biology, Stanford University
  • 2011: B.S. in Pharmacy, Seoul National University

Research interests emphasize synthetic biology’s role in immune system enhancement, particularly through T cell differentiation control. Recent projects include discovering transcription factor combinations for therapeutic T cell programming and developing drug-inducible systems for cell state switching.

Awards include the NIH K01 Award (2023), Damon Runyon Fellowship (2019), and Stanford Graduate Fellowship (2012–2016). Her lab’s innovations span CAR-T cell engineering, acoustic control mechanisms, and epigenetic regulation of T cell exhaustion.

Notable grants and collaborations focus on translational research bridging basic biology and clinical applications. The lab is actively involved in developing oncolytic virus-based therapies and exploring metabolic pathways in cancer immunology.

Located at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Chung Lab collaborates with institutions like Stanford University and Salk Institute, advancing programmable immunity through interdisciplinary approaches.