Young Hye Song, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Biology Faculty Rank: Assistant Professor Campus: University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) College: College of Engineering Department: Biomedical Engineering

Cancer Research Interest

• Disease Site Focus: Breast, GI
• Research Focus Area: Prevention, Carcinogenesis, Diagnosis/ Prognosis
• Type of Research: Basic
• Research Interest Statement: The overall goal of my research program is to gain a better understanding of cancer-nerve crosstalk using bioengineered in vitro models of the tumor microenvironment. Primarily, I am interested in elucidating the mechanisms of tumor innervation and perineural invasion. Tumor innervation occurs when nerve fibers infiltrate the solid tumor mass, and perineural invasion is where cancer cells invade adjacent nerves leading to metastatic spread. Both modes of cancer-nerve interactions are clinically significant, as increased presence of cancer-nerve crosstalk is correlated with increased aggressiveness and poor patient prognosis. By using tissue engineered platforms containing native-like physicochemical cues, I aim to perform mechanistic investigations on cell-cell interactions and cell-matrix interactions in driving pathological events such as tumor innervation and perineural invasion.

Contact Information

• Email Address: yhsong@uark.edu

Active Grants

• NIH/Nat. Cancer Institute – 1R37CA279722
  “Investigating the role of metabolic rewiring in breast tumor innervation”
  Principal Investigator
  5/1/2024 – 4/30/2029

Recent Publications

• Moreno Rueda LY, Wang H, Akagi K, [et al., including Song Y]. Single-cell analysis of neoplastic plasma cells identifies myeloma pathobiology mediators and potential targets. Cell reports. Medicine. 2025:101925. PMID: 39855192. PMCID: PMC11866523.
• Baek I, Song Y. Investigation of neuro-regenerative therapeutic potential of nerve composite matrix hydrogels embedded with adipose-derived stem cells. Matrix biology plus. 2024 24:100165. PMID: 39633894. PMCID: PMC11616072.
• Ala-Kokko N, Baek I, Song Y. Development of Tissue-Engineered Model of Fibrotic Scarring after Spinal Cord Injury to Study Astrocyte Activation and Neurite Outgrowth In Vitro. ACS biomaterials science & engineering. 2024 10(10):6545-6557. PMID: 39259933. PMCID: PMC11480936.
• Baek I, Song Y. Development of Combinatorial Therapeutics for Spinal Cord Injury using Stem Cell Delivery. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. 2024(208). PMID: 38912769. PMCID: PMC11292835.
• Lewis M, David G, Jacobs D, [et al., including Song Y]. Neuro-regenerative behavior of adipose-derived stem cells in aligned collagen I hydrogels. Materials today. Bio. 2023 22:100762. PMID: 37600354. PMCID: PMC10433000.
• Kandhola G, Park S, Lim JW, [et al., including Song YH]. Nanomaterial-Based Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications: A Review on Graphene, Carbon Nanotubes and Nanocellulose. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. 2023. PMID: 37060487. PMCID: PMC10219911.
• Williams T, Salmanian G, Burns M, [et al., including Song YH]. Versatility of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in tissue repair and regenerative applications. Biochimie. 2022. PMID: 36427681.
• Wachs RA, Wellman SM, Porvasnik SL, [et al., including Song YH]. Apoptosis-Decellularized Peripheral Nerve Scaffold Allows Regeneration across Nerve Gap. Cells, tissues, organs. 2022:1-11. PMID: 36030771.
• Gregory E, Baek IH, Ala-Kokko N, [et al., including Song YH]. Peripheral Nerve Decellularization for In Vitro Extracellular Matrix Hydrogel Use: A Comparative Study. ACS biomaterials science & engineering. 2022 8(6):2574-2588. PMID: 35649243. PMCID: PMC9983633.
• Gu I, Gregory E, Atwood C, [et al., including Song YH]. Exploring the Role of Metabolites in Cancer and the Associated Nerve Crosstalk. Nutrients. 2022 14(9). PMID: 35565690. PMCID: PMC9103817.
• Bousalis D, McCrary MW, Vaughn N, [et al., including Song YH]. Decellularized peripheral nerve as an injectable delivery vehicle for neural applications. Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A. 2022 110(3):595-611. PMID: 34590403. PMCID: PMC8742792.
• Song YH, Maynes MA, Hlavac N, [et al.]. Development of novel apoptosis-assisted lung tissue decellularization methods. Biomaterials science. 2021 9(9):3485-3498. PMID: 33949462.
• Mao XH, Zhuang JL, Zhao DD, [et al., including Song YP]. IgH translocation with undefined partners is associated with superior outcome in multiple myeloma patients. European journal of haematology. 2020 105(3):326-334. PMID: 32421883.
• Gregory E, Dugan R, David G, Song YH. The biology and engineered modeling strategies of cancer-nerve crosstalk. Biochimica et biophysica acta. Reviews on cancer. 2020 1874(2):188406. PMID: 32827578.
• McCrary MW, Bousalis D, Mobini S, [et al., including Song YH]. Decellularized tissues as platforms for in vitro modeling of healthy and diseased tissues. Acta biomaterialia. 2020 111:1-19. PMID: 32464269.
• Seo BR, Chen X, Ling L, [et al., including Song YH]. Collagen microarchitecture mechanically controls myofibroblast differentiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2020 117(21):11387-11398. PMID: 32385149. PMCID: PMC7260976.