Melissa Pappas
Jina Ko, Professor in Bioengineering in Penn Engineering and in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine, didn’t initially gravitate toward science as a child. However, her interest in the human mind and health grew over time, leading her to study psychology and psychiatry. It wasn’t until she moved to the U.S. for her undergraduate studies that she discovered her passion for research.
“I initially thought I wanted to become a doctor, maybe a psychiatrist or a neurosurgeon. But once I started working in a lab, I realized that I could have a much deeper impact through research,” she explains.
In a lab as an undergrad, Ko worked on developing microscale devices to diagnose ovarian cancer for astronauts. The experience opened her eyes to how research could directly affect patients’ lives. She decided to pursue a Ph.D. to have the freedom to create her own research and contribute to advancements in diagnostic technologies. Now, the 2025 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award recipient is building her research lab at Penn, merging her expertise across bioengineering, molecular biology and chemistry to develop transformative technologies for molecular diagnostics of diseases, especially with respect to how brain-related conditions are diagnosed and treated.
“I’m looking forward to diving into this interdisciplinary work that combines the fields of pathology and bioengineering to develop a molecular diagnostic platform that could become a game changer for personalized treatment and healthcare for patients suffering from a variety of diseases,” says Ko. “The NSF CAREER Award is especially important in this mission as it provides essential support for early-stage researchers like myself as they establish a lab and research niches that not only set up their own career for success but those of students and postdocs they mentor.”
Addressing the Challenge of Diagnosing Brain Diseases with Molecular Diagnostics
Diagnosing brain diseases, such as neurodegenerative conditions and psychiatric disorders, presents unique challenges. They often involve complex and overlapping symptoms that make diagnosis difficult. Molecular diagnostics can help.
Molecular diagnostics is a type of medical testing that looks at molecules, such as DNA, RNA and proteins, in the body to help identify diseases and other conditions. For example, pregnancy and covid tests provide a positive or negative diagnosis based on your body’s molecules. Unlike traditional tests for brain-related diseases, which may focus on symptoms or imaging-based diagnoses, molecular diagnostics can detect diseases at a very early stage by examining the molecular changes that happen inside the body with samples of easy-to-collect bodily fluids like blood or saliva. This approach allows doctors to make more accurate and frequent diagnoses and tailor treatments specifically for each patient, improving the chances of successful outcomes. But current technology is still limited.
“The brain is so intricate, and the molecular signatures are complicated,” Ko says. “You can’t just look at one marker and say, ‘this is Alzheimer’s’ or ‘this is Parkinson’s.’ It’s especially challenging because molecular markers change depending on the stage of the disease, which makes it even harder to pinpoint exactly what’s happening.
“Additionally, with Alzheimer’s disease, patients don’t actually receive a confirmed diagnosis, they are only given a probable diagnosis of the disease,” continues Ko. “Doctors can only confirm the disease pathology postmortem, through the analysis of brain tissue. With new molecular technologies, we aim to offer more accurate diagnoses and provide personalized treatments that fit the disease and how it manifests in each patient.”
A New Approach to Disease Diagnosis: Adding Temporal Information
Ko already utilizes spatial transcriptomics, a relatively new field that profiles RNA in tissues to understand where cells are located and how they interact. However, she goes a step further by also adding temporal information, tracking how molecular compositions evolve over time.
“In traditional methods, we collect tissue samples from patients at different time points. But this approach is challenging because each tissue sample is so heterogeneous,” Ko explains. “We want to keep cells alive while profiling them to understand how they change over time without disrupting their function or compromising the accuracy of the data. This is one of the key areas of research supported by the NSF CAREER Award.”
By combining spatial and temporal data, Ko hopes to offer a deeper understanding of diseases, allowing doctors to better predict their progression and provide more personalized care.
Collaborating Across Disciplines for Better Solutions
Ko’s work thrives on collaboration. At Penn, she works with faculty from diverse disciplines to tackle complex challenges in molecular diagnostics. Her team includes Sydney Schaffer, an expert in bioengineering and pathology, who brings knowledge in profiling single cells, and George Xu, an M.D.-Ph.D. who bridges the gap between research and clinical practice. Xu provides valuable insights from the clinic, helping Ko’s team refine their diagnostic technology.
“We are working closely with clinical researchers, which is essential for translating our work from the lab into real-world applications,” says Ko. “George’s clinical expertise allows us to collect tissue samples directly from patients, which helps ensure that our technologies are grounded in real patient needs.”
A Strong Commitment to Mentorship and Public Outreach
Ko is also passionate about educating and mentoring the next generation of scientists. Through her lab, she works with students and postdocs from a wide range of backgrounds, encouraging them to explore new ideas and interdisciplinary approaches to research.
Ko is also collaborating with the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in a new initiative called “Colab,” where high school students will be introduced to the world of molecular diagnostics through hands-on experiences in a lab setting. She will mentor these students and help them explore the real-world applications of science.
“This project was originally coordinated by one of my students, Shailesh Senthil Kumar, a third-year undergraduate student in Biology,” she says. “I’m excited to give back to the community and share our work with high school students who may not have had exposure to scientific research. It’s an amazing opportunity to mentor and inspire the next generation of scientists, and I believe it’s critical to engage students in the process of discovery.”
With her NSF CAREER Award and her commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, Jina Ko is poised to make a significant impact in the field of molecular diagnostics. Through her work, she is paving the way for a future where personalized healthcare is the norm, improving the lives of patients and transforming the way we approach disease.
Learn more about Jina Ko’s research here.