Faculty Profiles

The Kwon Lab in the Bioengineering Department at  UC San Diego engineers tools, diagnostics, and treatments for disorders that affect  the brain. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we design bioinspired  materials to interact with biological systems at the nanometer length scale  using the unique physical, biological, and smart properties of  nanomaterials. We build nanosensors that respond to disease-associated  activity of the protease calpain in traumatic brain injury to image calpain  activity in the living brain. These nanosensors can also be designed to  create a urine-based biomarker for a minimally-invasive diagnosis of brain injury. In addition, we develop targeted nanocarriers that deliver  therapeutic macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids to the injured brain. Ultimately, our goal is to develop precision medicine strategies to detect and treat brain disorders.

Capsule Bio:

Ester J. Kwon is an associate professor of Bioengineering at the University of California San Diego. She earned her B.S. in Bioengineering and B.A. in Molecular & Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Washington with Suzie H. Pun and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Sangeeta N. Bhatia. Dr. Kwon is a recipient of the pre- and post-doctoral NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards, the NIH Director’s New Innovator award, and the NSF CAREER Award. At UC San Diego, Kwon is the recipient of the Joan and Irwin Jacobs-Kavli Foundation Chancellor's Endowed Faculty Fellowship for Engineering the Brain and the Mind I. In addition to her research activities, Dr. Kwon is motivated to create an inclusive research environment through the individualized mentorship of trainees and outreach to young scientists.

Selected Publications:

Google Scholar Publications