Sangwoo (Steven) Park
NIH NCI K99/R00 Fellow & Former Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow
@ Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital
My research interests are in understanding the biophysical properties of the glycocalyx and in developing cell-based immunotherapy targeting the cancer cell glycocalyx, with the ultimate goal of eradicating cancer.
Keywords: Immunoengineering, Glycobiology, Biophysics
Email: svvpark [at] gmail.com | spark82 [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Postdoc Fellow, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (2023-)
Advisor: Marcela V. Maus, M.D., Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (2023)
Advisor: Matthew J. Paszek, Ph.D.
B.S. in Physics, KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea (2016)
Advisor: Tae-Young Yoon, Ph.D.
2025-2030 NCI Pathway to Independence K99/R00 Award ($1,099,888; Impact score: 10)
2024-2025 G-Rex® Grant Award ($50,000)
2024-2028 Damon Runyon Fellowship Award ($300,000)
2022-2023 Breast Cancer Research Grant ($25,000), Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
2025 Rising Stars Engineering in Health, Class of 2025 (hosted by Columbia, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Boston University Biomedical Engineering)
2025 NIH NCI Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
2025 NEBS-Samyang Biopharm Award, New England Bioscience Society
2024 G-Rex® Grant Award, ScaleReady
2024 Damon Runyon Fellowship Award (Merck Fellow)
2024 Yuhan-KASBP Fellowship, Korean American Society in Biotech and Pharmaceuticals
2024 Postdoctoral Representative (Elected) in Nanoscale Approach to Biology Subgroup, Biophysical Society
2023 Millipore Sigma High Impact Award, Nucleate
2023 NEBS-CELLGENTEK Award, New England Bioscience Society
2023 ASCB Ambassador, American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
2023 ASBMB Graduate Student Researcher Award, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
2023 Student Research Achievement Award, Biophysical Society
2022 The Pamela Delp Polashenski M.D. Breast Cancer Research Award, Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
2022 Life Sciences Technology Innovation Fellowship, Entrepreneurship at Cornell University, Cornell University
2020 Best Poster Award, Cornell Annual Biophysics Symposium
2017 Cornell Fellowship, Cornell University
2025 Maus MV and Park S. "MUC17-targeting CAR-T cells" (Provisional Patent filing)
2024 Maus MV and Park S. "CAR T cells with a glyco-bridge to improve efficacy" (Provisional Patent filing)
2024 Maus MV and Park S. "HPA-based CAR T cells for targeting cancer through Tn antigen" (Provisional Patent filing)
2021 Paszek MJ and Park S. "Compositions and methods for enhancing immune cell function using modified cells with glycocalyx editing enzymes" (PCT/US22/80937)
2018 Lee H, Na Y, Park S, Ryu JY. "Method and apparatus for analysis of protein-protein interaction" (PCT/KR2018/004580)
2024-2025 Postdoctoral Representative (Executive Committee), Nanoscale Approaches to Biology Subgroup, Biophysical Society
2023-2025 Scientific Judge, American Society for Cell Biology Travel Grant Judge
2023 Accountability Board committee, Life Sciences Technology Innovation Fellowship, Cornell University
2022 Discussion Leader, Gordon Research Seminar, Biointerface Science, Lucca, LU, Italy
2025 Supervised Fhasal Alam, Harvard College Chemistry Research-for-Credit Course (CHEM 98R - Fall 2025)
2025 Supervised Cassidy Ho, Research Technician, Massachusetts General Hospital
2024 Mentor, Nucleate Nexus Program, Nucleate, USA
2022 Guest Lecturer, CHEME 2880 Fundamentals of Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, USA
2016 Teaching Assistant, Yonsei-IBS Institute Summer Internship Program, Yonsei university, South Korea
2016 Teaching Assistant, PH430 Biophysics, KAIST, South Korea
2015 Teaching Assistant, KAIST Research Internship for Institut Teknologi Bandug, KAIST, South Korea
2015 Physics Tutor, Tutoring Program, KAIST, South Korea
2012 Teaching Assistant, Global Institute for Talented Education, KAIST, South Korea
2011 Physics Tutor, Tutoring Program, KAIST, South Korea
2011 Instructor, Global Bridge for Multicultural Students, Ministry of Education, South Korea
2010 Mentor, Mentoring Project, Korea Student Aid Foundation, South Korea
2018-2019 President, Korean Graduate Student Association (KGSA), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
2018-2023 Founder & President, Korean Scientists and Engineers Community (KSECC), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
2013-2015 Sergeant, Government Issued Fire Fighter, Gimcheon, South Korea
2023 Co-founder & Activator, Candy Therapeutics, USA
2016 Researcher, Proteina Inc, South Korea
2025 Postdoc Appreciation Week Spotlight: Sangwoo (Steven) Park
2025 ArvCon 2025 plays TTRPGs to fight cancer this weekend!
2024 Breast Cancer Coalition Announces Research Initiative’s Request for Proposals for 2025-2026 Grants
2024 Cell and Gene Therapies: Innovations, Challenges and Clinical Breakthroughs
2024 Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards $4.8 million to exceptional early-career scientists
2024 A Coalition-Funded Project Receives National Attention [Newsletter], Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
2023 Eight Students Advancing to 3MT Finals
2023 Biophysical Society selects Student Research Achievement Award winners [Biophysical Society, EurekAlert]
2023 Cancer cells with thicker glycocalyx barrier are better at evading immune cells, Medical Dialogues
2023 Oncology Times - Shop Talk, August 20, 2022 (doi: 10.1097/01.COT.0000872320.17796.78)
2023 Biologists discover how cancer cells elude the immune system, GEEK TECH
2023 Scientists discover how cancer cells evade immune system, Interesting Engineering
2022 Breast Cancer Coalition Voices of the Ribbon Autumn 2022 [Newsletter], Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
2022 A Conversation with Sangwoo Park, Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
2022 Breast Cancer Coalition awards $25,000 to support regional research, WHEC TV
2022 Cornell student awarded grant for research, WROC TV (RochesterFirst)
2022 Cornell student awarded grant for research, Inform NY
2022 Cornell student awarded grant for research, Binghamton Homepage
2022 Cornell student awarded grant for research, My Twin Tiers
2022 Cornell student awarded grant for research, CNY Homepage