Yon Son Betty Kim, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FAANS
Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Surgery
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Research Interests
As a Physician Scientist, Dr. Kim’s laboratory takes a multidisciplinary approach to the research of solid tumors with a specific focus on malignant primary and metastatic brain tumors. Her work has been published in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Reviews Immunology and Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. Dr. Kim’s lab is interested in understanding the molecular cross-talk that occurs between tumor and stromal cells within the tumor immune-microenvironment, while also developing multiple patented therapeutic strategies to inhibit tumorigenesis. Her current research primarily focuses on finding new ways to promote immune recognition of glioma cells to boost the efficacies of cancer immunotherapies. Her group also pursues the identification of predictive and prognostic biomarkers for personalized medicine in the context of brain tumors.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2002 | McMaster University, Hamilton, CAN, MD, Faculty Medicine |
| 1998 | McGill University, Montreal, CAN, BSc (Hon), Anatomy and Cell Biology |
Postgraduate Training
| 2012-2013 | Clinical Fellowship, Skull Base Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 2011-2012 | Clinical Fellowship, Neurosurgical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 2011-2012 | FRCSC, Neurologic Surgeon, Royal College of Surgeon, Canada |
| 2006-2009 | Clinician Investigator Program, Neurologic Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto |
| 2005-2011 | Clinical Residency, Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto |
Board Certifications
| 2012 | Neurosurgery, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Canada |
| 2002 | Medical Council of Canada/College of Surgeons of Ontario |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Biology, Division of Cancer Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 2014 - 2019
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 2013 - 2017
Other Appointments/Responsibilities
Break Through Cancer: GBM Team, Member, University of Texas MD Anderson, Dana-Farber, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Houston, TX, 2021 - Present
Break Through Cancer: GBM Implementation Team, Co-Leader, University of Texas MD Anderson, Dana-Farber, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Houston, TX, 2021 - Present
Brain SPORE Animal Core Co-Director, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2020 - Present
Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Brain Tumor Center Data Governance Committee, 2021 - Present
Member, TMC3 Science Think Tank, 2020 - Present
Member, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Review Panel, 2020 - Present
Member, Brain Metastasis Clinic, 2020 - Present
Member, Brain Tumor Center Tissue Utilization Committee, 2020 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2016 | Forty Stars of Forty Under Florida - Florida Trend Magazine |
| 2012 | Detweiler Travelling Fellowship - Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons |
| 2010 | Sopman Humanitarian Award - University of Toronto |
| 2009 | National Research Award for Specialty Residents - Royal College of Physicians |
| 2009 | Mark Bernstein Award in Neurosurgery - University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada |
| 2009 | National Research Award - Canadian Federation of University Women, First place |
| 2009 | Top Gun American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 1st place |
| 2008 | Gallie-Bateman Research Award - Department of Surgery, University of Toronto |
| 2008 | Javenthey Soobiah Scholarship - University of Toronto School of Medicine |
| 2008 | Joseph M. West Family Memorial Scholarship - University of Toronto |
| 2008 | Post-Graduate Medicine Research Award - University of Toronto |
| 2008 | AANS/NREF Fellowship - American Association of Neurological Surgeons |
| 2008 | Restracomp Research Training Grant - Hospital for Sick Children, 1st place |
| 2008 | Thomas Morley Best Original Research - University of Toronto |
| 2008 | McKenzie Award - Canadian Neurological Sciences, Best neuroscience research |
| 2008 | Time Posters Fellowship - University of Toronto School of Medicine |
| 2008 | CIHR/Brain Star Award - Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Best research |
| 2005 | Heart and Stroke and Foundation of Canada - Medical Research Scholar Award |
| 2005 | Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Canada (NSERC) Grant |
| 2005 | Price Water House Research Excellence Award - University of Toronto |
| 2005 | Thomas L. Friedlich Award in Surgical Sciences Research - University of Toronto |
| 2005 | Charles F. Fell Scholarship - University of Toronto School of Medicine |
| 2005 | Joseph M. West Family Memorial Fund - University of Toronto |
| 2005 | Post-Graduate Medicine Research Award - University of Toronto |
| 2005 | Chisholm Memorial Research Fellowship |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Li Q, Wang Y, Jia W, Deng H, Li G, Deng W, Chen J, Kim BYS, Jiang W, Liu Q, Liu J. Low-Dose Anti-Angiogenic Therapy Sensitizes Breast. Clinical Cancer Research 26(7):1712-1724, 2020. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31848190.
- von Roemeling CA, Wang Y, Qie Y, Yuan H, Zhao H, Liu X, Yang Z, Yang M, Deng W, Bruno KA, Chan CK, Lee AS, Rosenfeld SS, Yun K, Johnson AJ, Mitchell DA, Jiang W, Kim BYS. Therapeutic modulation of phagocytosis in glioblastoma can activate both innate and adaptive antitumour immunity. Nature Communications 11(1):1508, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32198351.
- Yang Z, Shi J, Xie J, Wang Y, Sun J, Liu T, Zhao Y, Zhao X, Wang X, Ma Y, Malkoc V, Chiang C, Deng W, Chen Y, Fu Y, Kwak KJ, Fan Y, Kang C, Yin C, Rhee J, Bertani P, Otero J, Lu W, Yun K, Lee AS, Jiang W, Teng L, Kim BYS, Lee LJ. Large-scale generation of functional mRNA-encapsulating exosomes via cellular nanoporation. Nature Biomedical Engineering 4(1):69-83 (Journal Cover), 2020. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31844155.
- Feng M, Jiang W, Kim BYS, Zhang CC, Fu YX, Weissman IL. Phagocytosis checkpoints as new targets for cancer immunotherapy. Nature Reviews Cancer 19(10):568-586, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31462760.
- Chen Y, Liu X, Yuan H, Yang Z, von Roemeling CA, Qie Y, Zhao H, Wang Y, Jiang W, Kim BYS. Therapeutic Remodeling of the Tumor Microenvironment Enhances Nanoparticle Delivery. Advance Science 6(5):1802070, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30886813.
- Wang Y, Liu ZG, Yuan H, Deng W, Li J, Huang Y, Kim BYS, Story MD, Jiang W. The Reciprocity between Radiotherapy and Cancer Immunotherapy. Clinical Cancer Research 25(6):1709-1717, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30413527.
- Zheng X, Fang Z, Liu X, Deng S, Zhou P, Wang X, Zhang C, Yin R, Hu H, Chen X, Han Y, Zhao Y, Lin SH, Qin S, Wang X, Kim BY, Zhou P, Jiang W, Wu Q, Huang Y. Increased vessel perfusion predicts the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade. Journal of Clinical Investigation 128(5):2104-2115, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29664018.
- Huang Y, Kim BYS, Chan CK, Hahn SM, Weissman IL, Jiang W. Improving immune-vascular crosstalk for cancer immunotherapy. Nature Reviews Immunology 18(3):195-203, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29332937.
- Lee A, Chan CKF, Seo Ey, Park S, Lu Wj, Hong WX, Kim BYS, Jiang W, Nag D, Lin S, Nguyen P, Weissman IL, Wu JC, Longaker M. Formation of de novo blood vessels by a novel multipotent vessel progenitor cell population for treatment of ischemic injury. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2018.
- Bi Y, Lee RJ, Wang X, Sun Y, Li L, Wang M, Li C, Xie J, Jiang W, Yang Z, Kim BYS (co-corresponding author), Teng L. Self-Assembled Tumor Penetrable and Reduction Responsive Prodrug by Cell Penetrating Peptide-Bridged SN38-PEG Conjugate for Cancer Chemotherapy. ACS Nano, 2018.
- Yang Z, Shi J, Xie J, Sun J, Chen Y, Liu T, Zhao Y, Zhao X, Wang X, Malkoc V, Chiang C, Kwak KJ, Fan Y, Kang C, Yin C, Rhee J, Bertani P, Otero J, Lu W, Lee A, Jiang W, Teng L, Kim BYS (co-corresponding author), Lee J. Cellular nanoporation releases large quantities of mRNA-encapsulated exosomes for transcriptional manipulation. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2018.
- Chow KH, Park HJ, George J, Yamamoto K, Gallup AD, Graber JH, Chen Y, Jiang W, Steindler DA, Neilson EG, Kim BYS, Yun K. S100A4 is a biomarker and regulator of glioma stem cells that is critical for mesenchymal transition in glioblastoma. Cancer Research 77(19):5360-5373, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28807938.
- Yuan H, Jiang W, von Roemeling CA, Qie Y, Liu X, Chen Y, Wang Y, Wharen RE, Yun K, Bu G, Knutson KL, Kim BYS. Multivalent bispecific nanobioconjugate engager for targeted cancer immunotherapy. Nature Nanotechnology 12(8):763-769, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28459470.
- Jiang W, Yuan H, Chan CK, von Roemeling CA, Yan Z, Weissman IL, Kim BYS. Lessons from Immuno-Oncology: A New Era for Cancer Nanomedicine. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 16(6):369-370, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28303024.
- von Roemeling C, Jiang W, Chan CK, Weissman IL, Kim BYS. Breaking Down the Barriers to Precision Cancer Nanomedicine. Trends Biotechnology (Cell Press) 35(2):159-171, 2017. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27492049.
- Jiang W, von Roemeling C, Qie Y, Chen Y, Liu X, Chen J, Kim BYS. Designing nanomedicine for immuno-oncology. Nature Biomedical Engineering 1(0029):1, 2017.
- Qie Y, Yuan H, von Roemeling CA, Chen Y, Liu X, Shih KD, Knight JA, Tun HW, Wharen RE, Jiang W, Kim BY. Surface modification of nanoparticles enables selective evasion of phagocytic clearance by distinct macrophage phenotypes. Scientific Report 6:26269, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27197045.
- Jiang W, Chan CK, Weissman IL, Kim BYS (co-corresponding author), Hahn SM. Immunogenic Priming of Tumor Microenvironment. Trends in Cancer (Cell Press) 1(11), 2016.
- Jiang W, Huang Y, An Y, Kim BY. Remodeling tumor vasculature to enhance delivery of intermediate-sized nanoparticles. ACS Nano 9(9):8689-96, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26212564.
- Kim BYS, Jiang W, Beiko J, Prabhu SS, DeMonte F, Gilbert MR, Sawaya R, Aldape KD, Cahill DP, McCutcheon IE. Diagnostic discrepancies in malignant astrocytoma due to limited small pathological tumor sample can be overcome by IDH1 testing. Journal NeuroOncology 118(2):405-412, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24777756.
- Kim BY, Rutka JT, Chan WC. Nanomedicine. New England Journal of Medicine 363(25):2434-43, 2010. PMID: 21158659.
- Kim BY, Jiang W, Oreopoulos J, Yip CM, Rutka JT, Chan WC. Biodegradable quantum dot nanocomposites enable live cell labeling and imaging of cytoplasmic targets. Nano Letters 8(11):3887-92, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18816147.
- Jiang W, Kim BY, Rutka JT, Chan WC. Nanoparticle-mediated cellular response is size-dependent. Nat Nanotechnology 3(3):145-50, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18654486.
- Zhu S, Stavrovskaya IG, Drozda M, Kim BY, Ona V, Li M, Sarang S, Liu AS, Hartley DM, Wu DC, Gullans S, Ferrante RJ, Przedborski S, Kristal BS, Friedlander RM. Minocycline inhibits cytochrome c release and delays progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in mice. Nature 417(6884):74-8, 2002. PMID: 11986668.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Therapeutic modulation of the phagocytosis axis as a novel glioblastoma immunotherapy |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NINDS |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | A fusion protein bispecific phagocyte engager for targeted breast cancer immunotherapy |
| Funding Source: | Department of Defense (DOD) |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Impact of ApoE2 on age-related conditions |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NIA |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Microfluidics-array based sorting, isolation and RNA analysis of single extracellular vesicles |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | SPORE in Brain Cancer – Animal Core |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Project Leader |
| Title: | Therapeutic targeting of multiple glioblastoma phagocytosis checkpoints using a novel bispecific antibody |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NINDS |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |