Professional Summary

Dr. Choongho Lee is a professor of microbiology at Dongguk University College of Pharmacy with over 17 years of interdisciplinary experience in academia, biotechnology, and the pharmaceutical industry. His research specializes in antiviral drug discovery and host-pathogen interactions, with particular emphasis on hepatitis C virus, norovirus, and emerging coronaviruses.

He possesses extensive expertise in molecular biology, virology, pharmacology, protein biochemistry, and high-throughput screening, and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications. His background also includes leadership roles in scientific communities and collaborative research projects across Korea and the United States.

 Education

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine

(HCV replication & assembly – Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey S. Glenn)

• Ph.D. in Microbiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

(HPV oncoprotein E6 – Advisor: Dr. Laimonis Laimins)

• B.S. in Pharmacy, Seoul National University College of Pharmacy

 Research Interests

• Antiviral drug development (HCV, norovirus, SARS-CoV-2)

• Host-targeted therapeutics and virus-host interactions

• Oxidative stress signaling (Nrf2, PPARγ) in infection

• Peptide/lectin-based viral entry inhibitors

• AI-assisted antiviral screening and mechanism-of-action studies

 Previous Roles

• Postdoctoral Scientist, Roche Pharmaceuticals & Stanford (Joint Program)

• President, Korean Life Scientists in the Bay Area (KOLIS)

• Military Medic, U.S. Army 18th Medical Battalion, Korea

• Registered Pharmacist, Korea & California Intern License