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Ryang Hwa Lee, PhD

Ryang Hwa Lee
Ryang Hwa Lee, PhD

Associate Professor

Contact

Cell Biology and Genetics
238 Reynolds Medical Building
College Station, TX 77843-1114
rlee@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.436.9649
Fax: 979.847.9481

Biography

Dr. Ryang-Hwa Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics at the Texas A&M School of Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Stem Cell Biology from Pusan National University in Korea and completed her postdoctoral training under the guidance of Dr. Prockop, a pioneer in the field of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), at Tulane University. In 2011, she was appointed as an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University and her research focuses on MSCs, aiming to develop novel therapies for human diseases. Currently, Dr. Lee is focusing on developing MSC-based interventions for treating autoimmune diseases and tissue injuries. She has demonstrated the therapeutic potential of MSCs and MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in preclinical models of type 1 diabetes, autoimmune uveitis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and corneal injuries. Her research has unveiled novel mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of MSCs and their EVs in these preclinical models. Additionally, she has developed biomarkers and biopotency assays to validate the therapeutic effects of MSC-based therapeutics in vivo. Her research projects have received support from the NIH, Juvenile Diabetes Research foundation and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Education and Training

  • Pusan National University, BS, 1997
  • Pusan National University Medical School, Masters, 1999
  • Pusan National University Medical School, PhD, 2003

Research Interests

  • Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising cellular therapy for several human diseases as they are readily obtained from patients, expanded in culture and exhibit stem-like properties to differentiate into multiple cellular phenotypes. Furthermore, MSC have shown to suppress inflammation and immune responses in several pre-clinical models and patients. However, the underlying mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of MSCs have not been fully addressed and there are large variations among MSC isolates due to the differences in donors, culture conditions, and tissue sources, which yields controversial outcomes and hinders the development of robust MSC therapy. Currently, my lab focuses on studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of MSCs and MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in preclinical models of inflammation/immune-mediated diseases including autoimmune diseases and developing biomarkers and bioassays to assess the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs and MSC-derived EVs.

Awards, Recognition and Service

  • Extracellular Vesicles Produced by Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Novel Therapy for Autoimmune Uveitis awarded by DHHS-NIH-National Eye Institute
  • Therapeutic Effects of MSC-Derived Extracellular Vesicles on Sjögren's Syndrome awarded by DHHS-NIH-National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Representative Publications

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vOKd7MgAAAAJ&hl=en
 
  • T Tertel, B Giebel, RH Lee, M Muraca, LA Ortiz, O Parolini, S Perruche, PD Robbins, E Rohde, SR Strader, S Terai, WS Toh, R Yarani, DJ Weiss, EF Wiest, SK Lim. ISCT 2025 Exosomes Signature Series: A Thematic Synthesis for Advancing MSC EV Therapies. Cytotherapy, 102016. 2025
  • RH Lee. Methods for evaluation of extracellular vesicles. US Patent App. 19/097,796. 2025
  • D Pollalis, G Tombulyan, J Leung, PA Lo, CM Bloemhof, SH Kishi, RW Lee, E Bae, JK Bailey, BO Pennington, AI Khan, KR Kelly, AK Yeh, KS Sundaram, DO Clegg, S Louie, MS Humayun, SY Lee. Small Extracellular Vesicles Secreted by Retinal Pigment Epithelium Rescue Photoreceptors in Retinal Degeneration. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 66 (8), 4066-4066. 2025
  • JH Ko, HJ Lee, HJ Kim, JS Ryu, YR Choi, CH Yoon, HB Song, D Kim, RH Lee and Oh JY. Toll-like receptor 2 deficiency exacerbates corneal angiogenesis in injury by impairing regulatory T cells. Theranostics 15 (13), 6082, 2025
  • Kaur G, Bae EH, Zhang Y, Ciacciofera N, Barreda H, Paleti C, Oh JY and Lee RH. Biopotency and surrogate assays to validate the immunomodulatory potency of extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem/stromal cells. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles. 2024. 13(8): e12497. 
  •  Lee RH†, Boregowda SV, Shigemoto-Kuroda T, Bae E, Haga CL, Abbery CA, Bayless KJ, Haskell A, Gregory C, Ortiz L, and Phinney DG†. TWIST1 and TSG6 are Coordinately Regulated and Function as Potency Biomarkers in Human MSCs. Science Advances. 2023, 9(45): eadi2387. † co-corresponding authors.
  • Zhao Q, Bae EH, Zhang Yu, Shahsavari A, Lotey P, Lee RH†, Liu F†. Inhibitory Effects of Extracellular Vesicles from iPS-Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on the Onset of Sialadenitis in Sjögren’s Syndrome Are Mediated by Immunomodulatory Splenocytes and Improved by Inhibiting miR-125b. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023, 9;24(6):5258. † co-corresponding authors.
  • Oh JY, Kim H, Lee HJ, Lee K, Barreda H, Kim HJ, Shin E, Bae EH, Kaur G, Zhang Y, Kim E, Lee JY, Lee RH. MHC Class I Enables MSCs to Evade NK-Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Exert Immunosuppressive Activity. Stem Cells. 2022, 40(9):870-882.
  • Kim H, Zhao Q, Barreda H, Kaur G, Hai B, Choi JM, Jung SY, Liu F†, Lee RH†. Identification of Molecules Responsible for Therapeutic Effects of Extracellular Vesicles Produced from iPSC-Derived MSCs on Sjogren’s Syndrome. Aging and Disease. 2021, 12(6):1409-1422. † co-corresponding authors.
  • Kim H, Lee MJ, Bae EH, Ryu JS, Kaur G, Kim HJ, Kim JY, Barreda H, Jung SY, Choi JM, Shigemoto-Kuroda T, Oh JY†, Lee RH†. Comprehensive Molecular Profiles of Functionally Effective MSC-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Immunomodulation. Molecular Therapy. 2020, 28(7):1628-1644. †Co-corresponding authors.
  • Shigemoto-Kuroda T, Oh JY, Kim D, Jeong HJ, Park SY, Lee HJ, Kim TH, An SY, Prockop DJ and Lee RH. Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell-derived Extracellular Vesicles Attenuate Immune Responses in Two Murine Models of Autoimmune Diseases: Type 1 Diabetes and Uveoretinitis. Stem Cell Reports. 2017 May 9; 8(5): 1214–1225.
  • Lee RH†, Yu JM, Fosketta AM, Peltier G, Reneaua JC, Bazhanova N, Oh JY, and Prockop DJ†.  TSG-6 as a Biomarker to Predict Efficacy of Human Mesenchymal Stem/Progenitor Cells (hMSCs) in Modulating Sterile Inflammation in Vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2014. 111, 16766-16771.   † Co-corresponding authors.
  • Lee RH†, Yoon N, Reneau JC and Prockop DJ†. Human MSCs pre-activated with TNF-α exert tumor suppressive effects on some triple negative breast cancer cells. Cell Stem Cell. 2012. 11, 825-835. † Co-corresponding authors.
  • Lee RH, Pulin AA, Seo MJ, Kota DJ, Ylostalo J, Larson BJ, Semprun-Prieto L, Delafontaine P, Prockop DJ. Intravenous hMSCs Improve Myocardial Infarction in Mice Because Cells Embolized in Lung Are Activated to Secrete the Anti-Inflammatory Protein TSG-6. Cell Stem Cell. 2009. 5, 1-10.

 

Current Grant Support

 

NIH/NIDDK R01 1DK136890                      Lee (PI)                                                 04/01/2024-03/31/2029

Engineered extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of type 1 diabetes

 

NIH/NIDCR R01 DE032028                         Lee (MPI)                                             07/01/2025-06/31/2030

Therapeutic mechanisms of iPSC-MSC derived extracellular vesicles on dry mouth caused by Sjogren's syndrome or radiotherapy.

 

NIH/NHLBI R01 6HL144089                        Lee (Subaward PI)                            07/01/2025-06/31/2030

A Clinical Indications Prediction (CLIP) Scale for Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

 

NIH/NEI R21EY033710                                 Lee (PI)                                                 07/01/2023-06/30/2026

A Clinical Indications Prediction (CLIP) Scale for Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells