Yoon-Jae Cho

Yoon-Jae Cho, MD is Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), a member of the Knight Cancer Institute, and Director of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Program at Doernbecher Children's Hospital. He is one of the leading researchers in medulloblastoma biology, known for significant contributions to the molecular subgroup classification of medulloblastoma—particularly the WNT and SHH subgroups—and for translational work identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities within these subgroups. His research integrates genomics, epigenomics, and developmental neurobiology to understand medulloblastoma pathogenesis. Dr. Cho performed much of his foundational research as a postdoctoral fellow and junior investigator at Stanford University and the Children's Hospital Boston/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he participated in landmark studies characterizing the four major medulloblastoma subgroups (WNT, SHH, Group 3, Group 4) using gene expression profiling and DNA methylation data from large international consortia. His subsequent independent work at OHSU has focused on understanding the developmental cell-of-origin for specific subgroups and identifying subgroup-specific driver mechanisms—including MYC amplification in Group 3 and SMO/PTCH alterations in SHH-subgroup tumors—as targets for therapy. Beyond subgroup classification, Dr. Cho's laboratory investigates epigenetic mechanisms of medulloblastoma pathogenesis and resistance, including the role of chromatin-remodeling complexes and histone modifications. He has contributed to clinical trial design for subgroup-stratified risk reduction in WNT-subgroup medulloblastoma—which has a favorable prognosis—and therapeutic intensification for Group 3 tumors with poor outcomes. His program at OHSU is expanding the use of patient-derived organoids and mouse models for preclinical drug development in medulloblastoma.