Lee Hong, M.D., Ph.D.

(877) 541-4673
Lee Hong, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Oncologist
Clinical Expertise

Thoracic Oncology

Research Area

Thoracic Oncology

Other Languages Spoken
Korean
Academic Appointments

Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research

Clinical Teams
Thoracic Oncology
Research Teams
Thoracic Oncology

Lee Hong, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Clinical Professor specializing in thoracic oncology at City of Hope® Orange County. Dr. Hong’s research focuses on enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapies, including CAR T cell therapy and bispecific antibodies. She has contributed to groundbreaking work in CAR T therapy for solid tumors and gut microbiome research in breast cancer. She was named a Dr. James M. Alexander Scholar and served as a K12 scholar at Scripps Research, where she helped bring switchable CAR T therapy to clinical trials.

She earned her M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed her residency and fellowship at Scripps Clinic. Dr. Hong is also a classically trained violinist and enjoys crafting in her free time. She speaks and Korean fluently.

Location

Education & Experience

Degrees

  • 2020, Doctor of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill, NC
  • 2018, Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill, NC
  • 2010, Bachelor of Science in Biology, cum laude, Duke University; Durham, NC

Fellowship

  • 2022-2025, Hematology/Oncology, (ABIM Research Track), Scripps Clinic; La Jolla, CA

Residency

  • 2020-2022, Internal Medicine, Scripps Clinic/Scripps Green; La Jolla, CA

Professional Experience

  • 2025–Present, Assistant Clinical Professor, City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center; Irvine, CA

Publications

  • Cham J, Pandey AC, New J, Huynh T, Hong L, Orendain N, Topol EJ, Nicholson LJ. 6-month serologic response to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers. PLoS One. 2022 Apr 18;17(4): e0266781. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266781. PubMed PMID: 35436296.
  • Hermel DJ, Cham J, Spierling Bagsic SR, Hong LK, Costantini CL, Mason JR, Saven A, Sigal DS. An observational study of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with cancer in San Diego county. Future Oncol. 2022 Feb;18(6):719-725. doi: 10.2217/fon-2021-1116.
  • New J, Cham J, Puglisi L, Smith L, Huynh T, Kurian S, Bagsic S, Fielding R, Hong L, Reddy P, Eum KS, Martin A, Barrick B, Marsh C, Quigley M, Nicholson LJ, Pandey AC. Effects of antineoplastic and immunomodulating agent effects on postvaccination SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections, antibody response, and serological cytokine profile. J Immunother Cancer. 2024 Jan 31;12(1).
  • Hong LK, Chen Y, Smith CC, Montgomery SA, Vincent BG, Dotti G, Savoldo B. CD30-Redirected Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Target CD30+ and CD30- Embryonal Carcinoma via Antigen-Dependent and Fas/FasL Interactions. Cancer Immunol Res. 2018 Aug 7. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-18-0065. PubMed PMID: 30087115.
  • Landoni E, Fucá G, Wang J, Chirasani VR, Yao Z, Dukhovlinova E, Ferrone S, Savoldo B, Hong LK, Shou P, Musio S, Padelli F, Finocchiaro G, Droste M, Kuhlman B, Shamshiev A, Pellegatta S, Dokholyan NV, Dotti G. Modifications to the Framework Regions Eliminate Chimeric Antigen Receptor Tonic Signaling. Cancer Immunol Res. 2021 Apr;9(4):441-453. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-20-0451. PubMed PMID: 33547226.
  • Reppel L, Tsahouridis O, Akulian J, Davis IJ, Lee H, Fuca G, Weiss J, Dotti G, Pecot CV, Savoldo B. Targeting disialoganglioside GD2 with chimeric antigen receptor-redirected T cells in lung cancer. J Immunother Cancer. 2022 Jan;10(1): e003897. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003897. PubMed PMID: 35022195.
  • Bakhru P, Zhu ML, Wang HH, Hong LK, Khan I, Mouchess M, Gulati AS, Starmer J, Hou Y, Sailer D, et al. Combination central tolerance and peripheral checkpoint blockade unleashes antimelanoma immunity. JCI Insight. 2017 Sep 21;2(18). pii: 93265. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.93265. PubMed PMID:28931755; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5621898.
  • Thrasher B, Hong LK, Whitmire JK, Su MA. “Epigenetic Dysfunction in Turner Syndrome Immune Cells.” Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 2016.