Daiheon Lee, PhD

2026 CARTI Scholar, Clinical and Translational Research Training Track University of Maryland School of Medicine

2026 Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD) Research Training Program (NIH Blueprint Grant Scholar) UC Davis and Johns Hopkins University

2023 – Present Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurosurgery University of Maryland School of Medicine

2021 – 2023 Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Nanomedicine, Wilmer Eye Institute Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

2020 – 2021 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea

2014 – 2020 Ph.D. in Chemistry (Advisor: Prof. Haeshin Lee) Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea

  Dr. Daiheon Lee is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. His research focus has evolved from a fundamental understanding of chemical-level interactions of biomolecules to the strategic surface modification of functional materials.
  Currently, Dr. Lee leverages this expertise to design fusion proteins and engineer the surface of nanoparticles or drug carriers to overcome complex biological barriers. His work emphasizes translational research, aiming to bridge the gap between bench-top innovations and clinical applications in immunomodulation and the targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs and genetic materials.

Translational Nanomedicine, Drug and Gene Delivery, Immunotherapy, Biological Barriers, Protein Nanocages, Surface Chemistry

1. Lee D, Kong B, Kwak G, Kang B, Swaby C, Fanaroff R, et al. Clinically translatable anti-fibrotic nanosuspension for inhaled treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2025.

2. Kwak G*, Lee D*, Suk JS. Advanced approaches to overcome biological barriers in respiratory and systemic routes of administration for enhanced nucleic acid delivery to the lung. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2023. (* Co-first author)

3. Kim JS, Hwang H, Lee D#, Lee H#. Electrospinnable, neutral coacervates for facile preparation of solid phenolic bioadhesives. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2021. (# Co-corresponding author)

4. Lee D*, Hwang H*, Kim JS, Park J, Youn D, Kim D, et al. VATA: Poly(vinyl alcohol)- and tannic acid-based nontoxic underwater adhesive. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2020. (* Co-first author)

5. Lee D, Park JP, Koh MY, Kim P, Lee J, Shin M, et al. Chitosan-catechol: a writable bioink under serum culture media. Biomater Sci. 2018.