Seung Koo Lee Laboratory

Dr. Seung Koo Lee’s principal research concentrates on the development of, (1) innovative multi-functional molecular imaging probes for various disease states including cancers and, (2) drug delivery systems for diagnostic, therapeutic and clinical applications. The primary focus of the aforementioned research is in two specific areas: 1) the use of nanoprobes in cell tracking and molecular imaging and, 2) the use of therapeutic nanoparticle applications in the targeted delivery of various biological ingredients (e.g., small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA), peptide drugs) for oncological treatments.

Associated Lab Members

Seung Koo Lee
View Bio
Seung Koo LeePh.D.
  • Assistant Professor of Cell Biology Research in Radiology

Dr. Seung Koo Lee is an assistant professor of cell biology research in the Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) Department of Radiology. His research focuses on the development of, (1) innovative multi-functional molecular imaging probes for various disease states including cancers and, (2) drug delivery systems for diagnostic, therapeutic and clinical applications. He earned his Ph.D. in immunology from Seoul National University, where he studied the signaling mechanisms of vitamin C that control tumor proliferation, and apoptosis in colon cancer and melanoma. He then completed postdoctoral training at the Houston Methodist Research Institute under the guidance of Dr. Ching Tung, where he invented a layer-by-layer nanoplatform (LbLN) that delivers a short interfering RNA (siRNA) and imaging probe to various cancers. 

Selected Publications

  1. Lee S.K., et al., Effective gene silencing by multilayered siRNA-coated gold nanoparticles, Small: 2011, 7:364-370. 
  2. Lee S.K., et al., A fabricated siRNA nanoparticle for ultralong gene silencing in vivo, Adv. Funct. Mater.: 2013, 23:3488-3493. 
  3. Lee S.K., et al., An authentic imaging probe to track cell fate from beginning to end, Nat Commun.: 2014, 5, 5216. PMCID: PMC4852472 
  4. Lee S.K., et al., Versatile nanodelivery platform to maximize siRNA combination Therapy. Macromol. Biosci.: 2017, 17, 1600294. 
  5. Ramchandani D., et al., Nanoparticle delivery of miR-708 mimetic impairs breast cancer metastasis, Mol. Cancer Ther.: 2019, 18:579-591. 
  6. Lee S.K., et al., Multilayered activatable nanoprobe for ultra-bright tumor imaging, Macromol. Biosci.: 2019, 19, 1900260. 
  7. Chen X., et al., RHAMMB-mediated bifunctional nanotherapy targeting Bcl-xL and mitochondria for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor treatment, Mol. Ther. Oncolytics: 2021, 23:277-287. 

Research Projects

More than a decade ago, to improve cell tracking efficiency, Dr. Seung Koo Lee, in the lab of Dr. Ching Tung, formulated a layer-by-layer nanoplatform. ...

Using layer-by-layer nanoplatform (LbLN) technology, Seung Koo Lee invented a state-of-the-art cell fate tracker (DL2) that showed the...

Weill Cornell Medicine
Department of Radiology
525 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065