Shin No Stranger to Leading Scientific Breakthroughs

As a young girl growing up in South Korea, Ji-Yeon Shin’s fascination with nature allowed her to excel in the subject of biology in high school and beyond. But the mission to help people with neuromuscular disorders like that of her beloved father drove her to become a successful scientist. Her passion for this field has helped her achieve breakthroughs in neuromuscular research that she hopes will ultimately better the lives of patients worldwide.

“When I was a freshman in college in South Korea, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He suffered so much. The whole family suffered. I knew then I wanted to study neuromuscular diseases. I pursued a Ph.D. program that would allow me to do that,” said Dr. Shin.

Arriving at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) in March 2024 from Columbia University, Dr. Shin believes her dad, who passed away just a few years after she arrived in the United States in 2009, continues to live on through her work and in her lab.

“Dr. Shin is an insightful investigator who is tackling some critical health problems of our time,” said David Perlin, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and executive vice president of the CDI.

The Shin Lab at the CDI

While rising through the ranks and ultimately becoming an Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences in the Department of Medicine at Columbia University, Dr. Shin had been looking for a career opportunity to expand and translate her research to the clinic. She found that fit at the CDI.

As one of the most recent assistant members to join the CDI, Dr. Shin says she’s ecstatic by the support she’s already received at HMH. Part of continuing her groundbreaking research means putting in the work to establish a new lab, hiring staff, and writing grants to fund her studies.

But given the vast number of scholars surrounding her at the CDI, it’s been a perfect place to collaborate on projects.

“I think like many other scientists, I get very excited about new ideas,” said Dr. Shin.”The best part of the CDI is I can discuss with our team members new findings and how to test an exciting idea and together we can design new experiments. That really energizes me. You cannot do the research part alone.”

Currently, Dr. Shin and her team are focusing on two main research directions. They are studying neuromuscular disorders caused by mutations in genes that encode nuclear membrane-associated proteins. They’re also investigating steatotic liver disease, also known as fatty liver disease, which encompasses a range of liver disorders, including liver cancer.

Past Training and Breakthroughs

One of Dr. Shin’s most impressive breakthroughs during her training at Columbia University came quite unexpectedly. While studying muscular dystrophy, she discovered that a nuclear membrane protein complex plays a crucial role in hepatocyte lipid metabolism, which can ultimately play a role in cancer.

“When a nuclear envelope protein called LAP1 is depleted from hepatocytes, it causes abnormal lipid regulation, hepatocyte injury, and can lead to the development of liver cancer,” explained Dr. Shin.  “My most recent research grant funded by the NIH is focused on investigating how a nuclear envelope-localized protein complex regulates lipid metabolism and tumorigenesis in the liver.”

Liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is a devastating form of cancer. Although there have been significant improvements in medical therapies for HCC, the majority of patients with unresectable or non-transplantable HCC still succumb to the disease within five years.

Her team’s current research aims to uncover a new connection between the nuclear envelope and the development of liver cancer. It will address a major yet poorly understood medical issue: the strong tendency for HCC to develop in the context of chronic liver disease.

Family Impact And The Future

A bonus to working at the CDI in Nutley, NJ? Dr. Shin didn’t have to move her family from where they currently reside in Fort Lee. Her son is a junior at Stony Brook University, enrolled in their pre-med program. Her husband is an engineer and professor at City College of NY. Her hope is to one day set up more collaborative research with her husband.

Being as busy as she is establishing a new lab means less time for her hobbies, which include gardening, exploring nature, and house renovation projects. Her ultimate goal while expanding research at CDI is to improve the lives of patients with her findings.

Patients like her dad. He remains the driving force behind much of her work.

Dr. Shin concluded, “My dream is to ultimately improve therapy for these patients so they and their families don’t have to suffer so much. If my research program can by any means help improve or cure these diseases - I will be more than thrilled.”