Research Summary

Dr. Cho is a physician and geneticist who investigates the molecular basis of skin disease. With colleague Dr. Jeffrey Cheng, he co-directs the RashX initiative at UCSF, which develops precision transcriptomic biomarkers redefining canonical rash types. The ultimate goal of this project is to fingerprint and treat unusual cases of cutaneous inflammation.

Dr. Cho's laboratory first reported NOTCH receptors as the most commonly mutated genes in squamous cell cancers of the skin and SUFU loss-of-function as the basis for hereditary infundibulocystic basal cell cancer syndrome. His group also discovered that distinct cells of origin in sebaceous carcinoma explain differences in tumor lethality. In an international effort co-led with Dr. Andrew South, his laboratory identified APOBEC mutagenesis as the driver for cancer formation in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a severe, inherited blistering disease.

Receiving his MD and his PhD in Genetics from the Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Cho published the earliest demonstrations of transcriptional profiling, genetic screens, and SNV-based mapping on a whole-genome scale. He subsequently co-founded Ingenuity Systems, a privately funded genetic content and software concern later wholly acquired by Qiagen N.V.

His research is supported by NIH and has been awarded funding both from NIAMS and the NCI, as well as Janssen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Regeneron, and Sun Pharma. Dr. Cho received the American Academy of Dermatology Young Investigator Award, a LEO Foundation grant, and the Samsung Global Research Outreach Award. He was the Abby S. & Howard P. Milstein Research Scholar in Melanoma and received a Career Development Award from the Dermatology Foundation. He has lectured at the Structure and Function of the Skin series in the American Academy of Dermatology's Annual Meeting and gives talks internationally. On weekends, Dr. Cho serves as untidy sous-chef to his two young sons.

Education

Brown University, Sc.B., Honors, 06/92, Biology
Stanford University Medical School, M.D., 06/05
Stanford University Department of Genetics, Ph.D., 06/03, Genetics

Honors & Awards

  • 1992
    Stanford Medical Scholar, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • 1993
    American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Research Award, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • 1994
    Howard Hughes Medical Student Fellowship, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • 1997
    1st place finish, Business Association of Stanford Engineering Students (BASES) Entrepreneurial Competition; founding business plan for Ingenuity Systems, Inc.
  • 2008
    Samsung Biotechnology Scholar-in-Residence
  • 2008
    Molecular Medicine Fellowship, Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco
  • 2009
    Physician-Scientist Career Development Award, Dermatology Foundation
  • 2009
    Molecular Medicine Fellowship, Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco
  • 2009
    Samsung Biotechnology Scholar-in-Residence
  • 2010
    Samsung Biotechnology Scholar-in-Residence
  • 2010
    Physician-Scientist Career Development Award, Dermatology Foundation
  • 2011
    Physician-Scientist Career Development Award, Dermatology Foundation
  • 2012
    Physician-Scientist Career Development Award, Dermatology Foundation
  • 2012
    American Skin Association Scholar Award, American Skin Association
  • 2012
    Young Investigator Award, American Academy of Dermatology
  • 2012
    K08 Training Award, NIH/NCI
  • 2013
    Samsung Global Research Outreach Award, Samsung Electronics, Inc.
  • 2014
    Samsung Global Research Outreach Award, Samsung Electronics, Inc.
  • 2015
    Sohana Research Scholar, Sohana Research Fund
  • 2016
    Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Partnership Award, Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Partnership
  • 2016
    Department of Translational Molecular Pathology Distinguished Speaker, M.D. Anderson
  • 2018
    American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting Structure and Function Speaker Series
  • 2019
    Society of Investigative Dermatology Annual Meeting Plenary Lecture
  • 2019
    World Congress of Dermatology Co-Chair Inherited Tumor Section

Selected Publications

  1. Wang S, Cho RJ. Parapsoriasis en plaque, deciphered at single-cell resolution. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2025 Feb; 155(2):423-424.  View on PubMed
  2. Tandukar B, Deivendran D, Chen L, Cruz-Pacheco N, Sharma H, Xu A, Bandari AK, Chen DB, George C, Marty A, Cho RJ, Cheng J, Saylor D, Gerami P, Arron ST, Bastian BC, Shain AH. Genetic evolution of keratinocytes to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. bioRxiv. 2024 Dec 02.  View on PubMed
  3. Taylor MA, Yuan M, Wang S, North JP, Cheng JB, Cho RJ. A Case of Biologic-Resistant Hand Dermatitis Demonstrates Dual T2/T17 Transcriptomic Abnormalities and Responds to JAK Inhibition. Br J Dermatol. 2024 Nov 05.  View on PubMed
  4. Jairath V, Acosta Felquer ML, Cho RJ. IL-23 inhibition for chronic inflammatory disease. Lancet. 2024 10 26; 404(10463):1679-1692.  View on PubMed
  5. Reinstein ZZ, Zhang Y, Ospina OE, Nichols MD, Chu VA, Pulido AM, Prieto K, Nguyen JV, Yin R, Moran Segura C, Usman A, Sell B, Ng S, de la Iglesia JV, Chandra S, Sosman JA, Cho RJ, Cheng JB, Ivanova E, Koralov SB, Slebos RJC, Chung CH, Khushalani NI, Messina JL, Sarnaik AA, Zager JS, Sondak VK, Vaske C, Kim S, Brohl AS, Mi X, Pierce BG, Wang X, Fridley BL, Tsai KY, Choi J. Preexisting Skin-Resident CD8 and γδ T-cell Circuits Mediate Immune Response in Merkel Cell Carcinoma and Predict Immunotherapy Efficacy. Cancer Discov. 2024 Sep 04; 14(9):1631-1652.  View on PubMed
  6. Wu Z, Kondo A, McGrady M, Baker EAG, Chidester B, Wu E, Rahim MK, Bracey NA, Charu V, Cho RJ, Cheng JB, Afkarian M, Zou J, Mayer AT, Trevino AE. Discovery and generalization of tissue structures from spatial omics data. Cell Rep Methods. 2024 Aug 19; 4(8):100838.  View on PubMed
  7. Schepps S, Xu J, Yang H, Mandel J, Mehta J, Tolotta J, Baker N, Tekmen V, Nikbakht N, Fortina P, Fuentes I, LaFleur B, Cho RJ, South AP. Skin in the game: a review of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics in dermatological research. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2024 Sep 25; 62(10):1880-1891.  View on PubMed
  8. Xiao T, Eze UC, Charruyer-Reinwald A, Weisenberger T, Khalifa A, Abegaze B, Schwab GK, Elsabagh RH, Parenteau TR, Kochanowski K, Piper M, Xia Y, Cheng JB, Cho RJ, Ghadially R. Short cell cycle duration is a phenotype of human epidermal stem cells. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2024 Mar 13; 15(1):76.  View on PubMed
  9. Wu D, Hailer AA, Wang S, Yuan M, Chan J, El Kurdi A, Rahim M, Kondo A, Han D, Ali H, D'Angio B, Mayer A, Klufas D, Kim E, Shain AH, Choi J, Bhutani T, Simpson G, Grekin RC, Ricardo-Gonzalez R, Purdom E, North JP, Cheng JB, Cho RJ. A single-cell atlas of IL-23 inhibition in cutaneous psoriasis distinguishes clinical response. Sci Immunol. 2024 01 26; 9(91):eadi2848.  View on PubMed
  10. Chen L, Chang D, Tandukar B, Deivendran D, Pozniak J, Cruz-Pacheco N, Cho RJ, Cheng J, Yeh I, Marine C, Bastian BC, Ji AL, Shain AH. STmut: a framework for visualizing somatic alterations in spatial transcriptomics data of cancer. Genome Biol. 2023 11 30; 24(1):273.  View on PubMed
  11. Yu DM, Zhao J, Lee EE, Kim D, Mahapatra R, Rose EK, Zhou Z, Hosler C, El Kurdi A, Choe JY, Abel ED, Hoxhaj G, Westover KD, Cho RJ, Cheng JB, Wang RC. GLUT3 promotes macrophage signaling and function via RAS-mediated endocytosis in atopic dermatitis and wound healing. J Clin Invest. 2023 11 01; 133(21).  View on PubMed
  12. Taylor MA, El Kurdi A, Hailer A, Wang S, Yuan M, Mukhopadhyay S, Bhutani T, North JP, Cho RJ, Cheng JB. Optimizing Single T-Cell Transcriptomic Discrimination of Atopic Dermatitis Versus Psoriasis Vulgaris. J Invest Dermatol. 2024 Apr; 144(4):898-901.e3.  View on PubMed
  13. Jo SJ, Cho RJ. Preventing generalised pustular psoriasis. Lancet. 2023 Oct 28; 402(10412):1501-1503.  View on PubMed
  14. Hailer AA, Wu D, El Kurdi A, Yuan M, Cho RJ, Cheng JB. Isolation of human cutaneous immune cells for single-cell RNA sequencing. STAR Protoc. 2023 Apr 28; 4(2):102239.  View on PubMed
  15. Hakimi M, North JP, Taylor MA, Hailer A, Liu Y, Kim E, Morehead K, Shinkai K, Bhutani T, Cheng JB, Cho RJ. Transcriptomics aids differentiation of IL-23 overactivity in a patient with atypical skin and joint disease. Lancet. 2023 04 22; 401(10385):1381.  View on PubMed
  16. Cook CP, Taylor M, Liu Y, Schmidt R, Sedgewick A, Kim E, Hailer A, North JP, Harirchian P, Wang H, Kashem SW, Shou Y, McCalmont TC, Benz SC, Choi J, Purdom E, Marson A, Ramos SBV, Cheng JB, Cho RJ. A single-cell transcriptional gradient in human cutaneous memory T cells restricts Th17/Tc17 identity. Cell Rep Med. 2022 08 16; 3(8):100715.  View on PubMed
  17. Liu Y, Wang H, Cook C, Taylor MA, North JP, Hailer A, Shou Y, Sadik A, Kim E, Purdom E, Cheng JB, Cho RJ. Defining Patient-Level Molecular Heterogeneity in Psoriasis Vulgaris Based on Single-Cell Transcriptomics. Front Immunol. 2022; 13:842651.  View on PubMed
  18. Zhang S, Leistico JR, Cho RJ, Cheng JB, Song JS. Spectral clustering of single-cell multi-omics data on multilayer graphs. Bioinformatics. 2022 07 11; 38(14):3600-3608.  View on PubMed
  19. Liu Y, Wang H, Taylor M, Cook C, Martínez-Berdeja A, North JP, Harirchian P, Hailer AA, Zhao Z, Ghadially R, Ricardo-Gonzalez RR, Grekin RC, Mauro TM, Kim E, Choi J, Purdom E, Cho RJ, Cheng JB. Classification of human chronic inflammatory skin disease based on single-cell immune profiling. Sci Immunol. 2022 04 15; 7(70):eabl9165.  View on PubMed
  20. Patel J, den Breems NY, Tuluc M, Johnson J, Curry JM, South AP, Cho RJ. Elevated APOBEC mutational signatures implicate chronic injury in etiology of an aggressive head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2021 Apr 30; 15(1):252.  View on PubMed

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