Using cutting-edge high-throughput profiling methods to discover diagnostic and treatment biomarkers of various human diseases. Clinical whole-genome sequencing analysis and interpretation for personalized precision medicine.
Research Background
Dr. Sek Won Kong is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, and a faculty member in the Computational Health Informatics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Sek Won Kong received a MD from Seoul National University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Kong is a psychiatrist by training and completed his clinical training at Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Kong studied brain imaging and molecular medicine during his postdoctoral time and joined CHIP as a faculty member. His research interests include biomarker discovery using diverse genetics and genomics techniques as well as developing tools for computational biology and bioinformatics. Dr. Kong pioneered the discovery of molecular biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder for which he continues to dissect the sources and impacts of genetic and environmental risk factors. Dr. Kong has been leading precision medicine efforts in a network of pediatric hospitals, clinical implementation of whole-genome sequencing and polygenic risk score, and cell replacement therapy using reprogrammed autologous cells.
Publications
AI-readiness for Biomedical Data: Bridge2AI Recommendations. bioRxiv. 2024 Nov 24. View Abstract
Neutrophil extracellular traps formation is associated with postoperative complications in congenital cardiac surgery. Pediatr Res. 2024 Nov 11. View Abstract
Enhanced phagocytosis associated with multinucleated microglia via Pyk2 inhibition in an acute ß-amyloid infusion model. J Neuroinflammation. 2024 Aug 06; 21(1):196. View Abstract
Broadcasters, receivers, functional groups of metabolites, and the link to heart failure by revealing metabolomic network connectivity. Metabolomics. 2024 Jul 07; 20(4):71. View Abstract
Discordance between a deep learning model and clinical-grade variant pathogenicity classification in a rare disease cohort. medRxiv. 2024 May 23. View Abstract
GSDMB/ORMDL3 Rare/Common Variants Are Associated with Inhaled Corticosteroid Response among Children with Asthma. Genes (Basel). 2024 03 28; 15(4). View Abstract
Centrosome clustering control in osteoclasts through CCR5-mediated signaling. Sci Rep. 2023 11 27; 13(1):20813. View Abstract
Association between Neuroligin-1 polymorphism and plasma glutamine levels in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. EBioMedicine. 2023 Sep; 95:104746. View Abstract
Comprehensive characterization of putative genetic influences on plasma metabolome in a pediatric cohort. Hum Genomics. 2022 12 08; 16(1):67. View Abstract
Quantitative trait locus analysis for endophenotypes reveals genetic substrates of core symptom domains and neurocognitive function in autism spectrum disorder. Transl Psychiatry. 2022 09 24; 12(1):407. View Abstract
Evolution of multiple omics approaches to define pathophysiology of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome. Elife. 2022 08 01; 11. View Abstract
Inhibition of mevalonate metabolism by statins augments the immunoregulatory phenotype of vascular endothelial cells and inhibits the costimulation of CD4+ T cells. Am J Transplant. 2022 03; 22(3):947-954. View Abstract
Plasma metabolomics of autism spectrum disorder and influence of shared components in proband families. Exposome. 2021; 1(1):osab004. View Abstract
Increased Prevalence of Familial Autoimmune Disease in Children With Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2021 11; 8(6). View Abstract
WEScover: selection between clinical whole exome sequencing and gene panel testing. BMC Bioinformatics. 2021 May 20; 22(1):259. View Abstract
Genetic variation analyses indicate conserved SARS-CoV-2-host interaction and varied genetic adaptation in immune response factors in modern human evolution. Dev Growth Differ. 2021 Apr; 63(3):219-227. View Abstract
Two macrophages, osteoclasts and microglia: from development to pleiotropy. Bone Res. 2021 Feb 10; 9(1):11. View Abstract
GenoPheno: cataloging large-scale phenotypic and next-generation sequencing data within human datasets. Brief Bioinform. 2021 01 18; 22(1):55-65. View Abstract
A survey of genetic variants in SARS-CoV-2 interacting domains of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and TLR3/7/8 across populations. Infect Genet Evol. 2020 11; 85:104507. View Abstract
Personalized iPSC-Derived Dopamine Progenitor Cells for Parkinson's Disease. N Engl J Med. 2020 05 14; 382(20):1926-1932. View Abstract
Human autologous iPSC-derived dopaminergic progenitors restore motor function in Parkinson's disease models. J Clin Invest. 2020 02 03; 130(2):904-920. View Abstract
Correction: The Genomics Research and Innovation Network: creating an interoperable, federated, genomics learning system. Genet Med. 2020 Feb; 22(2):449. View Abstract
Assessment of coverage for endogenous metabolites and exogenous chemical compounds using an untargeted metabolomics platform. Pac Symp Biocomput. 2020; 25:587-598. View Abstract
The Clinical Genome and Ancestry Report: An interactive web application for prioritizing clinically implicated variants from genome sequencing data with ancestry composition. Hum Mutat. 2020 02; 41(2):387-396. View Abstract
Concordance between gene expression in peripheral whole blood and colonic tissue in children with inflammatory bowel disease. PLoS One. 2019; 14(10):e0222952. View Abstract
T Cell-Specific Adaptor Protein Regulates Mitochondrial Function and CD4+ T Regulatory Cell Activity In Vivo following Transplantation. J Immunol. 2019 10 15; 203(8):2328-2338. View Abstract
The Genomics Research and Innovation Network: creating an interoperable, federated, genomics learning system. Genet Med. 2020 02; 22(2):371-380. View Abstract
Highly differentiated cytotoxic T cells in inclusion body myositis. Brain. 2019 09 01; 142(9):2590-2604. View Abstract
The Pediatric Cell Atlas: Defining the Growth Phase of Human Development at Single-Cell Resolution. Dev Cell. 2019 04 08; 49(1):10-29. View Abstract
Comparative analysis of whole-genome sequencing pipelines to minimize false negative findings. Sci Rep. 2019 03 01; 9(1):3219. View Abstract
Co-inhibitory T cell receptor KLRG1: human cancer expression and efficacy of neutralization in murine cancer models. Oncotarget. 2019 Feb 15; 10(14):1399-1406. View Abstract
Solving for X: Evidence for sex-specific autism biomarkers across multiple transcriptomic studies. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2019 09; 180(6):377-389. View Abstract
DEPTOR modulates activation responses in CD4+ T cells and enhances immunoregulation following transplantation. Am J Transplant. 2019 01; 19(1):77-88. View Abstract
Measuring coverage and accuracy of whole-exome sequencing in clinical context. Genet Med. 2018 12; 20(12):1617-1626. View Abstract
Pluripotent stem cell-based therapy for Parkinson's disease: Current status and future prospects. Prog Neurobiol. 2018 09; 168:1-20. View Abstract
Development of the Precision Link Biobank at Boston Children's Hospital: Challenges and Opportunities. J Pers Med. 2017 Dec 15; 7(4). View Abstract
Comprehensive Analysis of Tissue-wide Gene Expression and Phenotype Data Reveals Tissues Affected in Rare Genetic Disorders. Cell Syst. 2017 08 23; 5(2):140-148.e2. View Abstract
Learning a Comorbidity-Driven Taxonomy of Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension. Circ Res. 2017 Aug 04; 121(4):341-353. View Abstract
Blood transcriptomic comparison of individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder: A combined-samples mega-analysis. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2017 Apr; 174(3):181-201. View Abstract
A model-driven methodology for exploring complex disease comorbidities applied to autism spectrum disorder and inflammatory bowel disease. J Biomed Inform. 2016 10; 63:366-378. View Abstract
ksRepo: a generalized platform for computational drug repositioning. BMC Bioinformatics. 2016 Feb 09; 17:78. View Abstract
Gene expression analysis in Fmr1KO mice identifies an immunological signature in brain tissue and mGluR5-related signaling in primary neuronal cultures. Mol Autism. 2015; 6:66. View Abstract
I148M variant in PNPLA3 reduces central adiposity and metabolic disease risks while increasing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Liver Int. 2015 Dec; 35(12):2537-46. View Abstract
An Efficient Search Algorithm for Finding Genomic-Range Overlaps Based on the Maximum Range Length. IEEE/ACM Trans Comput Biol Bioinform. 2015 Jul-Aug; 12(4):778-84. View Abstract
Mitf is a master regulator of the v-ATPase, forming a control module for cellular homeostasis with v-ATPase and TORC1. J Cell Sci. 2015 Aug 01; 128(15):2938-50. View Abstract
Summarizing polygenic risks for complex diseases in a clinical whole-genome report. Genet Med. 2015 Jul; 17(7):536-44. View Abstract
Reducing false-positive incidental findings with ensemble genotyping and logistic regression based variant filtering methods. Hum Mutat. 2014 Aug; 35(8):936-44. View Abstract
The MedSeq Project: a randomized trial of integrating whole genome sequencing into clinical medicine. Trials. 2014 Mar 20; 15:85. View Abstract
Prioritizing disease-linked variants, genes, and pathways with an interactive whole-genome analysis pipeline. Hum Mutat. 2014 May; 35(5):537-47. View Abstract
Divergent dysregulation of gene expression in murine models of fragile X syndrome and tuberous sclerosis. Mol Autism. 2014 Feb 24; 5(1):16. View Abstract
Pathway-based outlier method reveals heterogeneous genomic structure of autism in blood transcriptome. BMC Med Genomics. 2013 Sep 24; 6:34. View Abstract
Cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase 1A autoimmunity in sporadic inclusion body myositis. Ann Neurol. 2013 Mar; 73(3):408-18. View Abstract
Characteristics and predictive value of blood transcriptome signature in males with autism spectrum disorders. PLoS One. 2012; 7(12):e49475. View Abstract
gSearch: a fast and flexible general search tool for whole-genome sequencing. Bioinformatics. 2012 Aug 15; 28(16):2176-7. View Abstract
Taxonomizing, sizing, and overcoming the incidentalome. Genet Med. 2012 Apr; 14(4):399-404. View Abstract
Polycomb repressive complex 2 regulates normal development of the mouse heart. Circ Res. 2012 Feb 03; 110(3):406-15. View Abstract
Relationship between disease activity and type 1 interferon- and other cytokine-inducible gene expression in blood in dermatomyositis and polymyositis. Genes Immun. 2012 Apr; 13(3):207-13. View Abstract
Co-occupancy by multiple cardiac transcription factors identifies transcriptional enhancers active in heart. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 05; 108(14):5632-7. View Abstract
CompleteMOTIFs: DNA motif discovery platform for transcription factor binding experiments. Bioinformatics. 2011 Mar 01; 27(5):715-7. View Abstract
Heart failure-associated changes in RNA splicing of sarcomere genes. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2010 Apr; 3(2):138-46. View Abstract
Interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) conjugates proteins in dermatomyositis muscle with perifascicular atrophy. Ann Neurol. 2010 Jan; 67(1):53-63. View Abstract
Integration of heterogeneous expression data sets extends the role of the retinol pathway in diabetes and insulin resistance. Bioinformatics. 2009 Dec 01; 25(23):3121-7. View Abstract
Fast-twitch sarcomeric and glycolytic enzyme protein loss in inclusion body myositis. Muscle Nerve. 2009 Jun; 39(6):739-53. View Abstract
Fog2 is critical for cardiac function and maintenance of coronary vasculature in the adult mouse heart. J Clin Invest. 2009 Jun; 119(6):1462-76. View Abstract
MicroRNA-1 negatively regulates expression of the hypertrophy-associated calmodulin and Mef2a genes. Mol Cell Biol. 2009 Apr; 29(8):2193-204. View Abstract
GATA4 is a direct transcriptional activator of cyclin D2 and Cdk4 and is required for cardiomyocyte proliferation in anterior heart field-derived myocardium. Mol Cell Biol. 2008 Sep; 28(17):5420-31. View Abstract
Integrative analysis reveals the direct and indirect interactions between DNA copy number aberrations and gene expression changes. Bioinformatics. 2008 Apr 01; 24(7):889-96. View Abstract
Analysis of the Otd-dependent transcriptome supports the evolutionary conservation of CRX/OTX/OTD functions in flies and vertebrates. Dev Biol. 2008 Mar 15; 315(2):521-34. View Abstract
Type I interferon-inducible gene expression in blood is present and reflects disease activity in dermatomyositis and polymyositis. Arthritis Rheum. 2007 Nov; 56(11):3784-92. View Abstract
Altered microRNA expression in human heart disease. Physiol Genomics. 2007 Nov 14; 31(3):367-73. View Abstract
Phenotypic diversity and altered environmental plasticity in Arabidopsis thaliana with reduced Hsp90 levels. PLoS One. 2007 Jul 25; 2(7):e648. View Abstract
Network-based analysis of affected biological processes in type 2 diabetes models. PLoS Genet. 2007 Jun; 3(6):e96. View Abstract
Statistical methods in cardiac gene expression profiling: from image to function. Methods Mol Biol. 2007; 366:75-105. View Abstract
Gata4 is required for maintenance of postnatal cardiac function and protection from pressure overload-induced heart failure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Sep 26; 103(39):14471-6. View Abstract
Development of heart valves requires Gata4 expression in endothelial-derived cells. Development. 2006 Sep; 133(18):3607-18. View Abstract
A multivariate approach for integrating genome-wide expression data and biological knowledge. Bioinformatics. 2006 Oct 01; 22(19):2373-80. View Abstract
Discovering statistically significant pathways in expression profiling studies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Sep 20; 102(38):13544-9. View Abstract
CrossChip: a system supporting comparative analysis of different generations of Affymetrix arrays. Bioinformatics. 2005 May 01; 21(9):2116-7. View Abstract
Genetic expression profiles during physiological and pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in rats. Physiol Genomics. 2005 Mar 21; 21(1):34-42. View Abstract
Combining gene expression data from different generations of oligonucleotide arrays. BMC Bioinformatics. 2004 Oct 25; 5:159. View Abstract
Mouse cardiac surgery: comprehensive techniques for the generation of mouse models of human diseases and their application for genomic studies. Physiol Genomics. 2004 Feb 13; 16(3):349-60. View Abstract
The insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor induces physiological heart growth via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(p110alpha) pathway. J Biol Chem. 2004 Feb 06; 279(6):4782-93. View Abstract
Multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of high-energy phosphate metabolites in human brain following oral supplementation of creatine-monohydrate. Psychiatry Res. 2003 Jun 30; 123(2):87-100. View Abstract
Optimized individual mismatch negativity source localization using a realistic head model and the Talairach coordinate system. Brain Topogr. 2003; 15(4):233-8. View Abstract
Patterns of temperament and character in subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. 2001 Aug; 62(8):637-41. View Abstract