Jeongmin Hwang, PhD, MS

Associate Member

Research Program:

Cancer Therapeutics

Faculty Rank:

Assistant Professor

Campus:

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville)

Department:

Biomedical Engineering

Cancer Research Interest

Disease Site Focus: Cutaneous/Melanoma, Head and Neck, Melanoma, Musculoskeletal, Breast
Research Focus Area: Treatment, Prevention, Detection
Type of Research: Translational, Basic
Research Keywords: ECM-inspired biomaterials, nanomaterials, drug/gene delivery, immunoengineering, regenerative medicine,
Research Interest Statement: My research focuses on developing extracellular matrix (ECM)-based nanomaterials to both model the tumor microenvironment and improve the delivery of cancer immunotherapies. By recreating key features of the tumor ECM, particularly aberrant collagen architecture and mechanics, my research seeks to understand how the ECM creates biological barriers to immune cell infiltration and contributes to resistance to immunotherapy. In parallel, my laboratory develops ECM-interactive nanomaterials that harness interactions between the ECM and cells to enhance the delivery and efficacy of immunotherapeutics. The overall goal of my research is to overcome ECM-mediated barriers, improve antitumor immune responses, and enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. My primary disease interests include skin cancers such as melanoma and head and neck cancers, with the potential to extend these approaches to other solid tumors.