Dr. Hee Yang

Biography

Hee Won Yang, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology & Cell Biology at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Since establishing his laboratory in 2019, his research has focused on uncovering complex signaling mechanisms that govern cell proliferation in normal and cancer cells, with a particular emphasis on cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). The Yang lab has identified non-canonical pathways that enable cells to bypass CDK4/6 activity, facilitating continued cell-cycle progression. In addition, the lab has demonstrated how receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling dynamics regulate cell proliferation in the presence of MAPK pathway inhibitors. Employing cutting-edge tools such as optogenetics, CRISPR screening, and multi-omics analyses, the Yang lab investigates areas including the mechanisms governing cellular decision-making during whole-genome duplication and the molecular underpinnings of resistance to targeted therapies, particularly RAS inhibitors. Dr. Yang aims to understand the normal mechanistic regulations of signaling pathways that govern proliferation and is particularly interested in how these signals deviate under cancerous conditions, with the goal of modifying the fate of individual cells.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards