Seungpyo Hong, professor in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, who recently joined the UW-Madison faculty is eager to talk about his research in the area of biomimetics and nanotechnology. An engineer by training with degrees in polymer science and engineering and a PhD in macromolecular science and engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, early on Hong envisioned an opportunity for clinicians and biologists to collaborate with engineers—noting advances in technology and health sciences happen where the interface of the sciences meet. A family history of cancer was an early foundation for Hong’s interest in cancer research and his early exposure to engineering unveiled that discipline as the way to help millions.

Several pivotal advisors and pioneers at Michigan including Professors Mark Banaszak Holl and James Baker, Jr. followed by his selection as a postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Professor Robert Langer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology further defined his desire to bridge nanotechnology to biomedical applications.

The interface of materials science, biology and nanotechnology supports understanding and controlling biological interactions of polymers with cells at the nano-scale. This fundamental understanding leads to more translational cancer research fields and is the framework for Hong’s two-pronged research including targeted drug delivery using newly designed nanocarriers and the use of nanotechnology to enhance diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. The targeted drug therapy with nanocarriers increases the efficacy of drugs and minimizes side effects for cancer patients. Advances in nanotechnology have also enhanced the capabilities of biomimetic multifunctional devices with increased sensitivity and specificity, allowing effective detection and isolation of rare cells and biomarkers circulating in the blood, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Based on the CTCs the oncologist is better able to identify treatment options that align with the patient’s diagnosis and prognosis.

What he brings to UW-Madison is not only the academic/research excellence but also strong entrepreneurship.  Capio Biosciences, a startup launched in 2013 by Hong, co-founder and president, and Andrew Wang, an associate professor of radiation oncology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, is seeking to commercialize the CTC device invented by the Hong lab to provide researchers and healthcare workers more accurate CTC information than existing systems. The company has conducted successful clinical pilot studies and has recently secured a 4.5-million-dollar investment through its series A fundraising. In December 2016, Capio relocated its headquarters from Chicago to University Research Park on Madison’s west side, along with Hong’s move to UW-Madison.

Most recently, Dr. Hong was at the University of Illinois at Chicago serving as Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Education for the College of Pharmacy. In addition to his current role with the School of Pharmacy, he holds an adjunct position of associate professor at Underwood International College, Yonsei University, Seoul/Incheon, Korea. Hong also contributes his expertise through service as an associate editor for the Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine—an international, peer-reviewed journal presenting novel, significant, and interdisciplinary theoretical and experimental results related to nanoscience and nanotechnology in the life sciences.

Dr. Hong’s decision to come to UW-Madison was reinforced by several factors. “The reputation as a premier public institution, strong disciplines across all the sciences, new technologies to assist biomedical research, the ‘melting pot’ that comprises the School of Pharmacy with colleagues representative of all the hard and soft sciences, and being able to live in one of America’s ‘favorite cities’ all helped,” said Hong. When he’s not in the lab or classroom, he enjoys downhill skiing and golf.