James J. Moon

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Postdoctoral Associate, Materials Science & Engineering and Biological Engineering, 2008-2012
• Rice University
  • PhD, Bioengineering, 2008
  • Dissertation: Synthesis of Biomimetic Hydrogels for Neovascularization in vivo.
• University of California, Berkeley
  • BS, Bioengineering, 2002

My research group aims to develop novel therapeutics at the interface of immunology, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences. Specifically, we are developing drug delivery systems designed to target and modulate lymphoid organs and the gut microbiome in the context of vaccines and immunotherapies against cancer, infectious pathogens, and autoimmune disorders. Our work focusing on the development of nanotechnologies for vaccination and immunotherapy has been published in Nature Materials, Nature Nano, Nature Medicine, Nature Reviews Materials, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Communications, Sci Transl Med, PNAS, and ACS Nano.Our work has also led to 19 issued or pending patent applications as well as 3 startup biotech companies.

• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
    J. G. Searle Professor, 2021-
  • Chemical Engineering Department
    Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, without tenure, 2021-
  • Biomedical Engineering Department
    Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, without tenure, 2021-
  • Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
    John Gideon Searle Associate Professor, 2018-2021
  • Biomedical Engineering Department
    Associate Professor, without tenure, 2018-2021
  • Graduate Program in Immunology
    Member, 2018-
  • Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
    John Gideon Searle Assistant Professor, 2012-2018
  • Biomedical Engineering Department
    Assistant Professor, 2012-2018
  • Biointerfaces Institute,
    Core member, 2012-
  • Comprehensive Cancer Center,
    Core member, 2012-
  • Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences
    Member, 2012-
• EVOQ Therapeutics, LLC.
  • Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, 2016-
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, 2008-2012
• Boston Scientific, Boston, MA
  • Summer research intern, 2006

• Winner of Grand Prize in Innovate Michigan Competition, 2019
  EVOQ Therapeutics
• Emerging Leader Award, 2018
  American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
• Mid-Career Nanotechnology Scientific Award, 2018
  Applied Nanotech and Nanoscience International Conf.
• Young Innovator, 2017
  CMBE
• Senior Forbes Scholar, 2017
  University of Michigan
• Outstanding Bioengineering Alumnus Award, 2017
  Rice University
• Distinguished Investigator Award, 2017-2019
  Emerald Foundation
• CAREER Award, 2016-2021
  National Science Foundation
• Career Development Award (CDMRP), 2016-2019
  Department of Defense
• Young Investigator Award, 2015-2108
  Melanoma Research Alliance
• Associate Editor of Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2014
• New Investigator Award in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technologies, 2014
  AAPS
• Recipient of John Gideon Searle Assistant Professorship, 2013
• K22 Research Scholar Development and Faculty Transition Award, 2012-2014
  NIH/NIAID
• Trainee Award, 2012
  American Association of Immunologists
• Harvard Wyss Institute Award for Translational Research, 2011
  IEEE-EMBS
• Poster Award, 2011
  Biomaterials Gordon Research Conference
• Young Investigator Award, 2010
  Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS)
• Mary F.D. Morse Graduate Fellowship Award (for outstanding graduate student research, 2008
• Trainee Award, 2007
  American Society for Investigative Pathology
• First Place Graduate Student Research Award, 2007
  North American Vascular Biology Organization
• Sigma Xi Graduate Student Research Award (for outstanding graduate research), 2006

§-Corresponding author

• Sun X, Zhang Y, Li J, Park KS, Han K, Zhou X, Xu Y, Nam J, Xu J, Shi X, Wei L, Lei YL, Moon JJ§. Amplifying STING Activation by Cyclic Dinucleotide-Manganese Particles for Local and Systemic Cancer Metalloimmunotherapy. 16, 1260-1270, 2021, Nature Nanotech.
• Han K, Nam J, Xu J, Sun X, Huang X, Animasahun O, Achreja A, Joen JH, Pursley B, Kamada N, Chen GY, Nagrath D, Moon JJ§. Generation of systemic antitumour immunity via the in situ modulation of the gut microbiome by an orally administered inulin gel. 5, 1377-1388, 2021, Nature Biomedical Eng.
• Nam J, Son S, Park KS, Moon JJ§. Modularly programmable nanoparticle vaccine based on polyethyleneimine for personalized cancer immunotherapy, 8, 5:2002577, 2021, Advanced Science.
• Lee Y, Sugihara K, Gillilland MG 3rd, Jon S, Kamada N, Moon JJ§. Hyaluronic acid–bilirubin nanomedicine for targeted modulation of dysregulated intestinal barrier, microbiome and immune responses in colitis. 19, 1, 118-126, 2020, Nature Materials.
• Scheetz L, Park KS, Li Q, Lowenstein PR, Castro MG, Schwendeman A, Moon JJ§. Engineering patient-specific cancer immunotherapies. 3, 10, 768-782, 2019, Nature Biomedical Engineering.
• Nam J, Son S, Park KS, Zou W, Shea L, Moon JJ§. Cancer nanomedicine for combination cancer immunotherapy. 4, 398-414, 2019, Nature Reviews Materials.
• Kuai R, Yuan W, Xu Y, Fan Y, Schwendeman A§, Moon JJ§. Elimination of established tumors with nanodisc-based combination chemoimmunotherapy. 4,4, eaao1736, 2018, Science Advances.
• Nam J, Son S, Ochyl LJ, Kuai R, Schwendeman A, and Moon JJ§. Chemo-photothermal therapy combination elicits anti-tumor immunity against advanced metastatic cancer. 9, 1, 1074, 2018, Nature Communications.
• Kuai R, Ochyl LJ, Bahjat KS, Schwendeman A§ and Moon JJ§. Designer vaccine nanodiscs for personalized cancer immunotherapy. 16, 4, 489-496, 2017, Nature Materials. §Co-corresponding authors.