Min-Ho Kim Lab

Home        Lab Members        Publications        Research        Teaching        Contact        News       

Welcome to the Kim's research group at Kent State University The major focus of research interests in our laboratory is to develop therapeutics to promote the resolution of non-healing chronic wounds based on precise understanding of inflammatory response to tissue injury and infection. Many non-healing chronic wounds have been associated with chronic inflammation. A more detailed understanding of mechanisms controlling the inflammatory response and how inflammation directs the outcome of the healing process will provide therapeutics for tissue repair in chronic inflammatory diseases. Our long-term goals are to (1) understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which local inflammatory environmental cues alter phenotypic switch of tissue infiltrating innate immune cells and these cells functionally interact with mesenchymal stem cells, and (2) develop selective strategy to engineer microenvironmental cues towards tissue regeneration by utilizing micro/nano-engineered biomaterials that enable spatio-temporal control of inflammatory response. To achieve this goal, we combine interdisciplinary approaches of immuno-biology, stem cell biology, cellular and tissue engineering, and nano-bioengineering.

News and Recent Publications April 2015, Kim lab is awarded with NIH R01 grant from NINR to pursue a project to develop non-invasive magnetic nanothermotherapy platform for the treatment of wound biofilm infection. March 2015, Bing Yu is awarded with New Investigator Recognition Award at the 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society meeting. Feb. 2015, Our manuscript entitled "Biodegradable colloidal microgels with tunable thermosensitive volume phase transitions for controllable drug delivery" is accepted for publication in Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. Feb. 2014- Our manuscript entitled "Catecholamine stress alters neutrophil trafficking and impairs wound healing via β2 adrenergic receptor mediated upregulation of IL-6" is published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 134:809-817, 2014 Nov. 2013- Our manuscript entitled "Magnetic nanoparticle targeted hyperthermia of cutaneous S. aureus infection" is published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 41:598-609, 2013 Apr 2013- Dr. Kim is selected as a recipient of Farris Family Innovation Award to engage research on developing nanothermotherapy platform to target bacterial biofilms in diabetic wounds Nov 2012- Dr. Kim is selected as a recipient of Kent State Postdoc Seed Program Award for collaborative projects between Kent State and NEOMED