I have educational background in Medical Technology, Biochemistry, and Human Genetics. I received a Ph.D. degree in Human Genetics from John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR), Australian National University (ANU), and have been working at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University for 35 years. My research works involved in genetics/genomics and molecular biology studies of human genetic diseases, which I attempted to understand their etiologies and molecular pathogenesis. I have published more than 120 articles in these fields. A part of my research work and publication (about 50 articles) was in the fields of molecular pathogenesis of infectious disease (i.e. dengue virus infection) and virus-host interactions at cellular and sub-cellular levels. These educational and research background pave the way for my current research interest in the field of cellular immunotherapy of cancer, in which the technologies in molecular genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology and cellular biology are applied.

My current research interest in cellular immunotherapy of cancer is focused on the development and evaluation of cytotoxic T cells (CTL) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for cancer therapy. Cancer is the disease that threatens human lives. It is the major cause of death of people in many countries worldwide; it is also the top leading cause of death in Thai people. It has been well known that almost all cancers occur from the accumulation somatic mutations while germline mutations take part only about 8% as the cause of heritable cancers. Our immune system plays crucial role to prevent cancerous cells to grow and spread as they will be detected and eliminated; cancer occurs because the cancerous cells can escape our body immune system. If we can strengthen our immune system, cancer will be prevented. We can also take the patient’s immune cells, especially T cells, to train or engineer them to use as ‘living drug’ for treatment of cancer. Our research group has successfully generated CTL activated by monocyte-derived dendritic cells presenting tumor-associated antigens (TAA) and generated CAR T cells targeting several TAA on cholangiocarcinoma (bile-duct cancer), breast cancer, retinoblastoma (eye cancer), and leukemia. We have reported these results in many recent publications and we are setting up clinical trials to translate these technologies into clinical application and service in our hospital and other hospitals in Thailand and the Southeast Asian region.

• Cancer Cellular Immunotherapy

• Human genetics

• Molecular Genetics and Medical Molecular Biology

• Molecular biology of dengue virus

1. Luangwattananun P, Junking M, Sujjitjoon J, Wutti-in Y, Poungvarin N,Thuwajit C, Yenchitsomanus PT. Fourth-generation chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting folate receptor alpha antigen expressed on breast cancer cells for adoptive T cell therapy. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2020. (Accepted; IF 2020: 3.550, Q1)

2. Sangsuwannukul T, Supimon K, Sujjitjoon J, Phanthaphol N, Chieochansin T, Poungvarin N, Wongkham S, Junking M, Yenchitsomanus PT. Anti-tumour effect of the fourth-generation chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting CD133 against cholangiocarcinoma cells. Int Immunopharmacol. 2020 Nov;89:107069. (IF 2020: 3.380, Q1)

3. Junking M, Rattanaburee T, Panya A, Budunova I, Haegeman G, Yenchitsomanus PT. Anti-Proliferative Effects of Compound A and Its Effect in Combination with Cisplatin in Cholangiocarcinoma Cells. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2020 Sep 1;21(9):2673-2681. (IF 2020: 1.31, Q2)

4. Thepmalee C, Panya A, Sujjitjoon J, Sawasdee N, Poungvarin N, Junking M, Yenchitsomanus PT. Suppression of TGF-β and IL-10 receptors on self-differentiated dendritic cells by short-hairpin RNAs enhanced activation of effector T-cells against cholangiocarcinoma cells. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2020 Oct 2;16(10):2318-2327. (IF 2020: 2.850, Q1)

5. Sawasdee N, Thepmalee C, Sujjitjoon J, Yongpitakwattana P, Junking M, Poungvarin N, Yenchitsomanus PT, Panya A. Gemcitabine enhances cytotoxic activity of effector T-lymphocytes against chemo-resistant cholangiocarcinoma cells. Int Immunopharmacol. 2020 Jan;78:106006. (IF 2020: 3.380, Q1)

6. Chieochansin T, Thepmalee C, Grainok J, Junking M, Yenchitsomanus PT. Cytolytic Activity of Effector T-lymphocytes Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma is Improved by Dendritic Cells Pulsed with Pooled Tumor Antigens. Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 27;9(1):17668. (IF 2019: 4.12, Q1)

7. Panya A, Thepmalee C, Sawasdee N, Sujjitjoon J, Phanthaphol N, Junking M, Wongkham S, Yenchitsomanus PT. Cytotoxic activity of effector T cells against cholangiocarcinoma is enhanced by self-differentiated monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2018 Oct;67(10):1579-1588. (IF 2018: 4.900, Q1)

8. Thepmalee C, Panya A, Junking M, Chieochansin T, Yenchitsomanus PT. Inhibition of IL-10 and TGF-β receptors on dendritic cells enhances activation of effector T-cells to kill cholangiocarcinoma cells. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2018 Jun 3;14(6):1423-1431. (IF 2018: 2.592, Q1)

9. Junking M, Grainok J, Thepmalee C, Wongkham S, Yenchitsomanus PT. Enhanced cytotoxic activity of effector T-cells against cholangiocarcinoma by dendritic cells pulsed with pooled mRNA. Tumour Biol. 2017 Oct;39(10):1010428317733367. (IF 2017: 3.650, Q1)

I was invited to receive the Senior Research Scholar Awards from Thailand Research Fund (TRF) twice in 2007 and 2010. I also had an opportunity to serve as a member of the Executive Board of the National Research University (NRU) Project, the Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC), Ministry of Education, Thailand, to promote the national university development during 2010 - 2015. I received several career achievement awards.

Personally, I am also interested in teaching and training mindfulness meditation practice and I have regularly organized mindfulness training courses for medical students and hospital staff for more than 20 years.