Kyung U. Hong

Kyung U. Hong, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology in the Department of Pharmaceutical & Administrative Sciences at Western New England University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He joined WNE in 2023 after serving as an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville's School of Medicine. With over 25 years of biomedical research experience, Dr. Hong maintains an active research program focused on pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics.

Dr. Hong's research interests center on pharmacogenomics of N-acetyltransferase enzymes (NAT1 and NAT2), metabolic effects of dietary heterocyclic amines from cooked meat, genetic polymorphism in NAT2 and hyperlipidemia risk, regulation of polyamine homeostasis, and the role of cytoskeleton-associated proteins (CKAP2 and CKAP2L) in mitosis and brain development. His work demonstrates how genetic factors interact with environmental exposures to influence disease risk, particularly metabolic disorders.

His recent publications (2022-2025) show a strong focus on NAT2 genetic polymorphism's role in metabolic disorders, heterocyclic amine effects on hepatocyte function, and CKAP2L's role in cell cycle regulation. These studies span pharmacology, toxicology, molecular biology, and cancer research, with particular emphasis on how dietary compounds interact with genetic variants to influence disease development.

Dr. Hong has trained numerous students across educational levels and has contributed over 45 peer-reviewed research articles. His work has significant implications for understanding individual susceptibility to environmental toxicants and developing personalized approaches to metabolic disease prevention.

At WNE, Dr. Hong teaches basic and advanced pharmacology courses, as well as cardiovascular pathophysiology and drugs. His research program continues to explore the complex interactions between genetics and environmental factors in disease development, with potential applications in precision medicine approaches to metabolic disorders.