Dr. Yoon received his PhD in Cancer Biology from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, where he studied the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and its roles in tumor survival, migration, and invasion. As a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, his research focused on the mTOR, PI3K/AKT, and RAS/ERK signaling pathways, specifically investigating their functions in mRNA translation and tumor cell survival. In his faculty positions at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical School, Dr. Yoon continued his research on mTOR signaling, feedback loop mechanisms, drug resistance to mTOR-targeting therapies, and signaling-mediated cellular metabolism. In 2016, he joined the University of Illinois College of Medicine, where he continues to explore mTOR, PI3K/AKT, and RAF/ERK signaling to identify therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.

Research: To survive environmental stresses and maintain homeostasis, cells rely on a complex signaling network that integrates information from both external and internal environments, allowing them to adapt accordingly. In cancer, dysregulated signaling disrupts normal physiological homeostasis. This altered signal transduction often provides cancer cells with advantages during periods of environmental stress, enabling their growth and metastasis. Dr. Yoon’s research focuses on biochemically and molecularly decoding cancer cell signaling, with a particular emphasis on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAS/RAF/ERK pathways, which cancer cells use to resist environmental stress and promote progression. This work will identify potential strategies to target cancer and increase the efficacy of current therapies.

Teaching: Dr. Yoon teaches students in the Master of Science in Medical Physiology (MSMP) and the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). He also serves as a co-director of the Pathobiology of Cancer and Summer Prematriculation Program (SPP)-Physiology.