About the Principal Investigator

Dongwoo Chae, MD/PhD

Dongwoo Chae (MD/PhD) (email: dongy@yuhs.ac) is currently an Associate Professor of Pharmacometrics at Yonsei University College of Medicine and works as the Chief Scientific Officer at Microbiotix.

Research Interests

Phage-Bacteria-Immune Dynamics and Cocktail/Antibiotic Synergy in Phage Therapy
Systems Biology of Autophagy
Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Modeling and Simulation of Chemotherapeutic Agents
Clinical Pharmacology and Data Science in Anesthetic Medicine

Mathematical Modeling of Biological Phenomena

As an avid enthusiast of applied mathematics, he is deeply passionate about developing dynamic mathematical models to better understand complex biological phenomena. His journey began with pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) modeling, but over time, he became increasingly drawn to incorporating detailed biological mechanisms into these models. The intricate interactions between biological entities that lead to emergent behaviors have always intrigued him, prompting him to advance his academic career by integrating his expertise in modeling and data science into the realm of systems biology.

From a disease-oriented perspective, his primary focus is on unraveling the complexities of chemotherapy, both antibacterial and anticancer, with a major focus on phage therapy. He is also interested in unraveling the dual role of autophagy under varying disease conditions and identifying effective therapeutic targets. For example, his first work focused on how Beclin-1, a key inducer of autophagy, affects the life and death decision of ischemic neurons. The research objective was to explore potential therapeutic targets to extend the golden hour of thrombolytic therapy. Besides, he has forged a long-term collaborative relationship with the anesthesiology department in applying pharmacometrics and data science principles to fostering better personalization of anesthetic and analgesic medicines. As a clinical pharmacologist, he continues to advise pharmaceutical companies to better opimize dosing regimens, characterize PKPD, and predict clinical trial outcomes through simulations.

Education and Appointment

He graduated from Yonsei University, College of Medicine in 2006, and was trained as a clinical pharmacologist and a pharmacometrician. He completed residency in Clinical Pharmacology and acquired PhD in 2017.

He was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine in 2019.

Professional Activities

Chief Scientific Officer of Phage Therapy Development Biotech

He serves as the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Microbiotix, a Korean biotech company dedicated to developing phage therapy. He orchestrates the development of in silico modules for phage cocktail optimization and clinical trial simulations, based on principles of QSP/PKPD modeling and machine learning.

Nurturing Future Modeling Scientists

He is keen to train future pharmacometricians and quantitative modelers for the pharmaceutical industry and the academia. He believes that pharmacometrics and systems pharmacology are fundamentally applied disciplines whose values are maximized when practiced in the industry. For this reason, he tries to provide trainees with as much opportunity to work with industrial partners.

He is a member of Korean Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and was appointed as the Chair of Population Approach Group Korea as of 2025.