Joint health
Osteoarthritis
Developing local RNA delivery to cartilage and joint tissues, with the goal of reducing inflammation and preserving joint function.
Current preclinical research
- Gene therapy
- Nanomedicine
- DNA nanotechnology
- Drug delivery
- Biomaterials
Jinhyung Lee, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Biomedical Engineering · University of Connecticut
I engineer DNA-inspired nanomaterials for RNA therapeutics and gene editing, with applications in osteoarthritis, kidney disease, and solid tumors.
Published work
7 peer-reviewed publications
Including PNAS and Journal of Controlled ReleaseResearch training
7 graduate & undergraduate mentees
Nanomaterial synthesis, characterization & RNA deliveryAwarded funding
ORS/Bethel Fellowship
Principal investigator · Award begins October 2026About me
Connecting nanomaterial design
with biological function.
I am a biomedical engineer developing delivery technologies around the needs of patients with joint disease, kidney disease, and cancer.
At UConn, I work with Professor Yupeng Chen on Janus base nanoparticles (JBNps): DNA-inspired carriers designed to help therapeutic cargo reach tissues and function inside cells. My research connects molecular assembly, tissue transport, and biological evaluation, building on published RNA-delivery and cancer studies to advance disease-focused applications and current work on CRISPR–Cas9 delivery.
I earned a master’s degree in Bioengineering at UC San Diego and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at UConn. My training has shaped a central question in my work: how can we design nanomaterials around the biological barriers a therapy must cross?
Education, experience & recognitionThe research question
Overcoming biological barriers
to therapeutic delivery.
Reaching a tissue, entering a cell, and releasing cargo are distinct challenges. My research brings nanomaterial engineering to each step, with published studies in RNA delivery and preclinical cancer models.
Explore the research programTherapeutic applications
One platform.
Three therapeutic directions.
I am applying JBNp technology to three disease settings, adapting delivery to the tissue, the therapeutic cargo, and the biological response that matters.
Renal medicine
Kidney disease
Investigating delivery to kidney tissues as a foundation for RNA therapeutics and gene editing directed at disease-relevant cells.
Current research direction
Cancer therapy
Solid tumors
Engineering carriers to penetrate dense tumor tissue and combine drug delivery with RNA-mediated suppression of drug resistance.
Published preclinical studies
Current research · Gene editing
Extending JBNp delivery to CRISPR–Cas9.
I am investigating how JBNps can deliver gene-editing components to cells, connecting tissue access and intracellular release with functional editing.
Selected published work
Three studies. One connected purpose.
PNAS 2021
Helping RNA escape
the endosome.
Connecting intracellular imaging with functional gene silencing using DNA-inspired nanomaterials.
First author
Lee et al., Fig. 1 · CC BY 4.0 · Unchanged
Journal of Controlled Release 2025
Designing carriers
for tissue transport.
Combining computation-informed assembly with experimental evaluation of rod-shaped drug carriers.
Co-first author
Lee, Zhang et al., Fig. 1 · CC BY 4.0 · Unchanged
Materials Today Advances 2026
Bringing drug and RNA
delivery together.
Investigating combination delivery to address multidrug resistance in preclinical cancer models.
Co-corresponding author
Zhai et al., Fig. 1 · CC BY 4.0 · Unchanged
News & recognition
Selected highlights.
First external research grant featured in UConn Today
My first external research grant, the $20,000 2026–2027 BMRC/ORS Bethel Fellowship, supports my work as principal investigator on RNA delivery for osteoarthritis. The project will combine RNA delivery with human cartilage-on-a-chip models to investigate potential strategies for cartilage protection and repair.
Read the UConn Today feature2026–2027 BMRC/ORS Bethel Fellow
I am pleased to share my selection as a BMRC/ORS Bethel Fellow. Announced by the Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center, the fellowship supports early-career investigators advancing musculoskeletal research. My award begins in October 2026.
Read the fellowship announcementCo-corresponding author of our study on drug and siRNA co-delivery in Materials Today Advances.
Co-first author of our study on computation-aided design of rod-shaped nanoparticles for tumoral targeting in Journal of Controlled Release (opens in a new tab).
Therapeutic nanomaterials patent featured by UConn
UConn Technology Commercialization Services highlighted our therapeutic nanomaterials patent and its licensing to Eascra Biotech to advance targeted drug delivery.
Read the UConn patent announcementOur first patent was granted
Our patent, Therapeutic nanomaterials (U.S. Patent 12,214,043 B2), was granted on February 4, 2025. Inventors: Yupeng Chen, Jinhyung Lee, and Wuxia Zhang.
Read the patent (PDF)Invited podium presentation at ORS 2024
I was invited to present our work on Janus base nanoparticle delivery of mRNA therapeutics for osteoarthritis at the Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting, focusing on cartilage degradation and joint pain in a preclinical model.
Read the ORS abstract (PDF)Endosomal escape research featured in the news
UConn Today highlighted our PNAS study on DNA-inspired nanomaterials that help RNA escape endosomes and function inside cells. The story was also shared by Phys.org and MarketScreener.
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