Professional Profile

• Assistant Professor, Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Mentor: Daniela Čiháková, M.D., Ph.D.)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI (Mentor: Yasmina Laouar, Ph.D.)

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Laboratory of Host Defense Modulation, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea (Advisor: Kwang Woo Hwang, Ph.D. and Do-Ik Lee, Ph.D.)
• M.S. in Immunology, Department of Immunology, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea (Advisor: Do-Ik Lee, Ph.D.)
• B.S. in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea

The heart is special. When it gets sick, it can jeopardize our overall well-being. When it stops functioning, our lives come to an end. The Won lab is dedicated to understanding the role of the immune system in the heart, with a focus on protecting the heart from inflammatory diseases. Inflammation in the heart due to microbial infections, autoimmune responses, or medications can lead to severe heart failure conditions or sudden cardiac death. 

Our primary goal is to develop innovative strategies for diagnosing, treating, and ultimately preventing inflammatory heart diseases. Currently, we are investigating the pathogenic role of autoreactive T cells targeting the heart using mouse models and clinical datasets. Under healthy conditions, the activity of these T cells is tightly regulated to maintain immune tolerance in the heart. However, genetic or environmental factors such as infections, autoimmune conditions, or medications can trigger the activation of T cells targeting the heart, leading to severe inflammation in the heart and its consequences. For more details, see my review article "Autoimmune Myocarditis, Old Dogs and New Tricks". 

• American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Early Career Faculty Travel Grant, IMMUNOLOGY2024, AAI, 2024
• The Outstanding Abstract in Clinical Research, 25^th Annual Department of Pathology Young Investigators’ Day, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2023
• Grover M. Hutchins, M.D. Memorial Research Award, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2022
• Excellence in Clinical Research, 24^th Annual Department of Pathology Young Investigator’s Day, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2022
• AAI Trainee Abstract Award, Virtual IMMUNOLOGY2021, AAI, 2021
• Excellence in Basic Research, 22^ndAnnual Department of Pathology Young Investigators’ Day, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2020
• Rhett Lundy Memorial Research Fellowship Grant, Myocarditis Foundation, 2019

• T cells in Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Injury-induced myosin-specific tissue-resident memory T cells drive immune checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis. Kalinoski H, Daoud A, Rusinkevich V, Jurčová I, Talor MV, Welsh RA, Hughes D, Zemanová K, Stříž I, Hooper JE, Kautzner J, Peichl P, Melenovský V, Won T^#, Čiháková D. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121(42):e2323052121.
  • Autoimmune myocarditis, old dogs and new tricks. Won T*, Song EJ, Kalinoski HM, Moslehi JJ, Čiháková D. Circ Res. 2024;134(12):1767-1790.
    
  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors associated cardiovascular immune-related adverse events. Jo W, Won T*, Daoud A, Čiháková D. Front Immunol. 2024;15:1340373.
  • Cardiac myosin-specific autoimmune T cells contribute to immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis. Won T*, Kalinoski HM, Wood MK, Hughes DM, Jaime CM, Talor MV, Lasrado N, Reddy J, Čiháková D. Cell Rep. 2022;41(6):111611.
  • Endothelial stromal PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) modulates CD8+ T-cell infiltration after heart transplantation. Bracamonte-Baran W, Gilotra NA, Won T, Rodriguez KM, Talor MV, Oh BC, Griffin J, Wittstein I, Sharma K, Skinner J, Johns RA, Russell SD, Anders RA, Zhu Q, Halushka MK, Brandacher G, Čiháková D. Circ Heart Fail. 2021;14(10):e007982.
• Innate Immunity in Cardiovascular Diseases
  • The protective role of GATA6⁺ pericardial macrophages in pericardial inflammation. Hughes DM, Won T, Talor MV, Kalinoski HM, Jurčová I, Szárszoi O, Stříž I, Čurnová L, Bracamonte-Baran W, Melenovský V, Čiháková D. iScience. 2024;27(7):110244.
  • Hypereosinophilia causes progressive cardiac pathologies in mice. Diny NL, Wood MK, Won T, Talor MV, Lukban C, Bedja D, Wang N, Kalinoski H, Daoud A, Talbot CC Jr, Leei Lin B, Čiháková D. iScience. 2023;26(10):107990.
  • Integrative single-cell analysis of cardiac and pulmonary sarcoidosis using publicly available cardiac and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sequencing datasets. Daoud A, Lema DA, Won T, Čiháková D. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023;10:1227818.
  • Innate lymphoid cells play an essential role in pericarditis. Choi HS, Won T, Hou X, Chen G, Bracamonte-Baran W, Talor MV, Jurčová I, Szárszoi O, Stříž  I, Hooper J, Melenovský V, Čiháková D. Cell Rep. 2020;30(9):2989-3003.
  • The cardiac microenvironment instructs divergent monocyte fates and functions in myocarditis. Hou X, Chen G, Bracamonte-Baran W, Choi HS, Diny NL, Sung J, Hughes D, Won T, Wood MK, Talor MV, Hackam DJ, Klingel K, Davogustto G, Taegtmeyer H, Coppens I, Barin JG, Čiháková D. Cell Rep. 2019;28(1):172-189.
• COVID-19 and Its mRNA Vaccine
  • Increased interleukin 18-dependent immune responses are associated with myopericarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Won T*, Gilotra NA, Wood MK, Hughes DM, Talor MV, Lovell J, Milstone AM, Steenbergen C, Čiháková D. Front Immunol. 2022;13:851620.
  • Endothelial thrombomodulin downregulation caused by hypoxia contributes to severe infiltration and coagulopathy in COVID-19 patient lungs. Won T*, Wood MK, Hughes DM, Talor MV, Ma Z, Schneider J, Skinner JT, Asady B, Goerlich E, Halushka MK, Hays AG, Kim DH, Parikh CR, Rosenberg AZ, Coppens I, Johns RA, Gilotra NA, Hooper JE, Pekosz A, Čiháková D.  EBioMedicine. 2022;75:103812.
• Arthritis
  • Programmed death ligand 1-expressing macrophages and their protective role in the joint during arthritis. Wood MK, Daoud A, Talor MV, Kalinoski HM, Hughes DM, Hooper JE, Won T^#, Čiháková D. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024;76(4):553-565.

*First or co-first author; ^#co-corresponding author

Complete list of published work:

• Pubmed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/taejoon.won.2/bibliography/public/
• Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pbMg5LkAAAAJ&hl=en

• Editor's Pick from BRIC (Biological Research Information Center, Pohang, South Korea), 2024
• Interview with BRIC, 2023
• Editor's Pick from BRIC, 2023
• News from Cancer Discovery, “Cardiac Antigen Implicated in ICI-Linked Myocarditis”, 2022
• News from Myocarditis Foundation, “2018 Rhett Lundy Memorial Research Fellowship Grant Recipient: Dr. Taejoon Won”, 2019

• Novel lactobacillus plantarum and composition comprising same. US20210069270A1 (pending). Kim BJ, Jung HW, Hwang SE, Lee JH, Lee KP, Hwang KW, Won TJ.
• Novel lactobacillus plantarum and composition comprising the same. US20210054467A1 (pending). Kim BJ. Jung HW, Lee KP, Kim SH, Chun TH, Hwang KW, Won TJ.
• Lactobacillus plantarum and composition comprising same. US10842833B2 (November 24, 2020). Kim BJ, Jung HW, Hwang SH, Lee JH, Lee KP, Hwang KW, Won TJ. 
• Lactobacillus plantarum and composition comprising the same. US10844443B2 (November 24, 2020). Kim BJ, Jung HW, Lee KP, Kim SH, Chun TH, Hwang KW, Won TJ.
• Lactobacillus plantarum and composition comprising same. US10130666B2 (November 20, 2018). Kim BJ, Jung HW, Hwang SH, Lee JH, Lee KP, Hwang KW, Won TJ.
• Lactobacillus plantarum and composition comprising the same. US10093995B2 (October 9, 2018). Kim BJ, Jung HW, Lee KP, Kim SH, Chun TH, Hwang KW, Won TJ.
• Lactobacillus plantarum and composition containing same. US9962417B2 (May 8, 2018). Kim BJ, Jung HW, Koh JH, Kim TJ, Lee KP, Hwang KW, Won TJ.
• Lactobacillus plantarum and composition containing same. US9572846B2 (February 21, 2017). Kim BJ, Jung HW, Koh JH, Kim TJ, Lee KP, Hwang KW, Won TJ.
• Food composition for preventing and improving of metabolic bone disease comprising extract of Sophorae fructus. KR100510426B1 (August 26, 2005). Kwon SH, Hwang BS, Kim KH, Lee SH, Yoon EJ, Lee SH, Lee MW, Lee DI, Choi YW, Joo SS, Won TJ, Kang HC.
• Pharmaceutical composition for preventing and treating of metabolic bone disease comprising extract of Sophorae fructus. KR100509682B1 (August 23, 2005). Kwon SH, Hwang BS, Kim KH, Lee SH, Yoon EJ, Lee SH, Lee MW, Lee DI, Choi YW, Joo SS, Won TJ, Kang HC.