Yongjin Yoo Ph.D. [Neurotree]

Yongjin earned his B.S. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, majoring in Biotechnology. As an undergraduate researcher in the Wu Geng laboratory [Link], he studied X-ray protein crystallography for the SUFU protein, one of the most conserved components of the Hedgehog signaling pathway.

Under the guidance of Dr. Murim Choi [Link], he earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from Seoul National University. His research during his graduate studies focused on neurodevelopmental disorders, where he utilized whole-exome sequencing to identify novel genetic mutations in Rett syndrome-like patients and investigated their pathophysiology using cell and animal models.

During his postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Marius Wernig at Stanford University [Link], his primary research focus revolved around microglia, the brain's immune cells. In collaboration with Dr. Yohei Shibuya, he devised a novel, highly efficient non-genetic method for microglial replacement. Furthermore, he applied this innovative approach to a Trem2-deficient Alzheimer's disease model, demonstrating its effectiveness in restoring Trem2 function amidst amyloid pathology. Additionally, he pioneered the development of a human stem cell-derived microglia chimera model, offering a valuable tool for investigating human microglia in vivo.

Yongjin was honored with the prestigious Druckenmiller Fellowship [Link] from the New York Stem Cell Foundation (2020-2023) and the Sammy Kuo Award [Link] from the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute for Neuroscience (2023). Additionally, he was also awarded the Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the National Research Foundation of Korea (2020-2021).