Minsoo Kim

Minsoo Kim is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and holds the Dean's Professorship. He is a member of the David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Co-Leader of the Cancer Microenvironment Research Program, and Director of the Tumor Immunotherapy Research Program at the Wilmot Cancer Institute. His work focuses on immune cell migration, cancer immunotherapy, and optogenetic control of immune responses.

• Ph.D., Ohio State University, Pharmacology (2001)
• BS, Korea University, Genetic Engineering (1993)
• Post-doctoral Training, Harvard Medical School, Immunology (2004)

Research Interests: Dr. Kim’s research spans innate and adaptive immune responses, with a focus on optogenetic manipulation of T cell migration, integrin signaling, and immunoengineering for cancer therapy. He pioneered real-time bioimaging techniques to study immune dynamics, including neutrophil-mediated viral clearance and light-controlled CAR-T cells.

Article Trends: His recent publications highlight optogenetic strategies to enhance T cell function in tumors, mechanisms of neutrophil and T cell migration, and metabolic and circadian regulation in immune cells. These studies address critical barriers in cancer immunotherapy and sepsis treatment.

Scientific Awards:

• Davey Award (2020)
• Dean's Professorship (2017)
• Dolph O. Adams Award (2016)
• Trainee Academic Mentoring Award (2015)
• Numerous early-career grants and honors (2000–2007)

Advising and Grants: Dr. Kim leads a multidisciplinary lab with extensive NIH funding, including T32 training grants in Cellular Biochemistry and Immunology. His team explores innovative imaging platforms and optogenetic T cell engineering for clinical translation.

Labs and Teams: He directs the Program for Advanced Immune Bioimaging and collaborates with the Wilmot Cancer Institute. His lab develops hybrid photosensitive receptors and in vivo imaging models to study immune dynamics in cancer and infection.