Overview
Dr. Kwun is currently the Director of Transplant Basic Science Research at the Duke Transplant Center.
Research interests include humoral tolerance to organ transplants in animal model and humans, developing a clinically relevant animal model to study the mechanisms of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), and establishing a conceptual basis that will translate into therapeutic intervention of AMR.
Research interests include humoral tolerance to organ transplants in animal model and humans, developing a clinically relevant animal model to study the mechanisms of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), and establishing a conceptual basis that will translate into therapeutic intervention of AMR.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Associate Professor in Surgery
·
2025 - Present
Surgery, Abdominal Transplant Surgery,
Surgery
Associate Professor of Pathology
·
2023 - Present
Pathology,
Clinical Science Departments
Recent Publications
Cryopreserved Skin Transplantation in a Nonhuman Primate Model.
Journal Article Transplant Proc · June 25, 2025 BACKGROUND: Skin transplantation is often used in nonhuman primate (NHP) transplant research for sensitization and to assess tolerance. However, the availability of donor animals for skin can be constrained after organ donation. In this study, we evaluated ... Full text Link to item CiteA single dose of a CD137 antibody-drug conjugate protects nonhuman primate allogeneic HCT recipients against acute GVHD.
Journal Article Blood · June 12, 2025 Rapid CD137 upregulation on alloreactive T-cells upon allogeneic stimulation suggests that their selective elimination could prevent acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). Here, we developed ... Full text Link to item CiteCD154 blockade effectively controls antibody-mediated rejection in highly sensitized nonhuman primate kidney transplant recipients.
Journal Article Sci Transl Med · January 2025 Current desensitization and maintenance immunosuppression regimens for kidney transplantation in sensitized individuals show limited ability to control the posttransplant humoral response, resulting in high rates of antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) and g ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Overcoming humoral rejection after xenotransplantation in sensitized nonhuman primate recipients
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases · 2023 - 2028LifeMine SRA
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by LifeMine Therapeutics, Inc. · 2025 - 2027Miromatrix SRA
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Miromatrix Medical Inc. · 2024 - 2026View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of Wisconsin, Madison ·
2007
Ph.D.