Department of Biochemistry
Rush University Medical Center, USA

Email: Hee-Jeong_Sampen@rush.edu

Qualifications

1992-1996  Ph.D., Biotechnolgy, University of New South Wales, Australia
1990-1991  M.S., Microbiology, University of New South Wales, Australia
1983-1987  B.S., Human Nutrition, Dongduk Women’s University, South Korea

Publications (Selected)

1. Bhavani P Thampatty, Hee-Jeong Im, James H-C. Wang. 2006. Leukotriene B4 at low dosage negates the catabolic effect of PGE2 in human patellar tendon fibroblasts: An in vitro study. GENE 372, 103-109. PMID: 16488093
2. Helieh S Oz, Hee-Jeong Im, Theresa S Chen, Willem de Villiers, Craig J McClain. 2006. Glutathione-enhancing agents protect against steatohepatitis in a dietary model. J. Biochem. Mol. Toxicol. 20, 39-47. PMID: 16498637
3. Shigeru Ohno, Hee-Jeong Im, Cheryl B Knudson, Warren Knudson. 2006. Hyaluronan Oligosaccharides induce MMP-13 via transcriptional activation of NFB and p38 MAP kinase in articular chondrocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 381, 17952-17960. PMID: 16648633
4. Bhavani P, Thampatty, Hongxia Li, Hee-Jeong Im, James H-C. Wang. 2007. EP4 receptor regulates collagen type-1, MMP-1, and MMP-3 gene expression by human tendon fibroblasts in response to IL-1 treatment. GENE 386, 154-161. PMID: 17046175
5. James H-C Wang, Bhavani P. Thampatty, Jeen-Shang Lin, Hee-Jeong Im. 2007. Mechanoregulation of gene expression in fibroblasts. GENE 391, 1-15.“Selected as the top 25 of most downloaded papers for GENE”PMID: 17331678
6. Hee-Jeong Im, Prasuna Muddasani, Viswanathan Natarajan, Thomas M Schmid, Joel A Block, Francesca Davis, Andre van Wijnen, Richard F. Loeser. 2007. Basic fibroblast growth factor stimulates matrix metalloproteinase-13viathe molecular cross-talk between MAPK and PKC pathways in human adult articular chondrocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 282, 11110-11121. PMID: 17311929
7. Prasuna Muddasani, Jim C. Norman, Michael Ellman, Andre J. Van Wijnen, Hee-Jeong Im. 2007. Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor-Mediated Activation of the MAPK and NFB Pathways that Converge on Elk-1 To Control production of matrix metalloproteinase-13 by human adult articular chondrocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 282, 31409-31421. PMID: 17724016
8. Hee-Jeong Im, Xin Li, Prasuna Muddasani, Gun-Hee Kim, Jayanthi Rangan, Christopher Forcyte, Michael Ellman, Eugene Thonar JMA. 2008. Basic fibroblast growth factor accelerates matrix degradation vianeural pathway in human adult articular chondrocytes. J. Cell. Physiol. 215, 452-463. PMID: 17960584
9. Xin Li, Howard S An, Michael Ellman, Frank M Phillips, Eugene Thonar JMA, Daniel Park, Ranjith Kamal Udayakumar, Hee-Jeong Im. 2008. The action of bFGF on the intervertebral discs. Arthritis Research & Therapy .10 (2): R48“Selected as the top 10 of most downloaded papers”PMID: 18435858
10. Michael Ellman, Howard S An, Prasuna Muddasani, Hee-Jeong Im. 2008. Biological impact of the fibroblast growth factor family on articular cartilage and IVD homeostasis. GENE 420 (1), 82-89 PMID: 18565695, NIHMSID: 215589.
11. Hee-Jeong Im, Richard F. Loeser, Bruce Richardson, Qianjin Lu, Susan Chubinskaya. 2009. Methylation of the OP-1 Promoter: Potential Role in the Age-related Decline in OP-1 Expression in Cartilage. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage 17(4), 513-517. PMID: 18829350
12. Xin Li, Frank Phillips, Howard S An, Michael Ellman, Eugene Thonar JMA, William Wu, Daniel Park, Hee-Jeong Im. 2008. The action of resveratrol, a phytoestrogen found in grapes, in the intervertebral discs. Spine 33(24), 2586-2595 PMID: 19011540
13. John D Cravero, Cathy S Carlson, Hee-Jeong Im, Richard F Loeser. 2009. Increased expression of the Akt/PKB inhibitor TRB3 in osteoarthritic chondrocytes inhibits IGF-1 mediated Akt/PKB activation. Arthritis Rheum 60(2), 492-500. PMID: 19180501
14. Xin Li, Michael Ellman, Prasuna Muddasani, James H-C Wang, Andre J van Wijnen, Gabriella Cs-Szabo, Hee-Jeong Im. 2009. Prostaglandin E2 and its cognate EP receptors play a pathophysiological role in human adult articular cartilage homeostasis. Arthritis Rheum 60:513-523 PMID: 19180509, NIHMS87449
15. Yejia Zhang, Dessislava. Markova, Hee-Jeoneg Im, Wenyang Hu, Eugene J-M.A. Thonar, Tong-Chuan He, Howard S. An, Greg Anderson. 2009. Primary Bovine Intervertebral Disc Cells Transduced with Adenovirus Overexpressing Twelve BMPs and Sox9 Maintain Their Chondrocyte-like Phenotype. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Am J Phys Med Rehab 88(6), 455-63 PMID: 19454853
16. Hee-Jeong Im, Robert A. Hipskind, Andre J van Wijnen, Dongyao Yan, Jaesung Kim, Andrew D Sharrocks. 2009. Basic fibroblast growth factor-mediated dynamic SUMO pathways regulate the expression of matrix metalloproteinzse-13 in human articular chondrocytes. Open Access Rheumatology: Research and Reviews 1, 151-161.
17. Hee-Jeong Im, Jaesung Kim, Xin Li, Naomi Kotwal, Dale R. Sumner, Andre J. van Wijnen, Francesca J. Davis, Dongyao Yan, Brett Levine, James L Henry, Jacques Desevré and Jeffrey S. Kroin. 2010. Alterations of sensory neurons and spinal response to an experimental osteoarthritis pain model. Arthritis Rheum 62(10):2995. NIHMSID: 214387Selected as “The paper of the Month” and recognized by “OARSI Investigator Award”
18. Takahashi N, Knudson CB, Arisoshi W, Mellor L, Hee-Jeong Im, Kundson W. 2010. Induction of CD44 cleavage in articular chondrocytes. Arthritis & Rheum 62(5):1338-1348 NIHMSID: 211558
19. Jeasung Kim, Michael B Ellman, Howard S An, Hee-Jeong Im. 2010. Insulin-like growth factor-1 synergizes bone morphogenetic protein 7-mediated anabolism in bovine intervertebral disc cells. Arthritis Rheum 62(12):3706-3715
20. Dongyao Yan, Francesca J Davis, Andrew D Sharroks,Hee-Jeong Im. 2010. Emerging roles of SUMO modification in arthritis. GENE 466:1-15
21. Howard S An, Koichi Masuda, Gabriella Cs-Szabo, Yejia Zhang, Ana Chee, Gunnar BJ Andersson, Hee-Jeong Im, Eugene JMA Thonar. 2011. Biologic repair and regeneration of the intervertebral disc. JAAOSAAOS Kappa Delta/OREF Awards, 2011
22. Xin Li, Gary Gibson, Jaesung Kim, Jeffrey Kroin, Shunbin Xu, Andre J van Wijnen, Hee-Jeong Im. 2011. MicroRNA-146a is linked to pain-related pathophysiology of osteoarthritis. GENE 480(1-2):34-41
23. Xin Li, Jaesung Kim, Andre van Wijnen, Hee-Jeong Im. 2011. Osteoarthritic tissues modulate functional properties of sensory neurons associated with symptomatic OA pain. Mol Biol Report 38(8):5335-9 PMID: 21327824
24. Jaesung Kim, Jeffrey S. Kroin, Asokumar Buvanendran, Xin Li, Andre J van Wijnen, Kenneth J Tuman, Hee-Jeong Im.2011. Characterization of a new animal model for evaluation and treatment of back pain due to lumbar facet joint osteoarthritis Arthritis Rheum 63(10):2966-73
25. Dongyao Yan, Simon Cool, Andre J. van Wijnen, Katalin Mikecz, Gillian Murphy, Hee-Jeong Im. 2011. FGFR1 is principally responsible for FGF2-induced catabolic activities in human articular chondrocytes. Arthritis Res Therapy 13(4):R130. PMID: 21835001Our publication has been chosen as anEditorial, Fibroblast growth factor 2: good or bad guy in the joint? by Tonia L Vincent Arthritis Res Therapy 2011,13:127
26. An HS, Masuda K, Cs-Szabo G, Zhang Y, Chee A, Andersson GB, Hee-Jeong Im, Thonar EJ, Kwon YM. Biologic repair and regeneration of the intervertebral disc. Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2011 Jul;19(7):450-2. PMID: 21724924
27. Rajiv Kumar, Mark R. Pittelkow, Jeffrey L. Salisbury, Joseph P. Grande, Hee-Jeong Im, Kathrin A. Feldmann and David Schilling, 2003. A Novel Vitamin D-Regulated Immediate Early Gene, IEX-1 Alters Cellular Growth in Apoptosis. Recent Results in Cancer Research. J. Reichrath, M. Friedrich, W. Tilgen (Eds) Springer pp 123-134.
28. Michael B Ellman, Dongyao Yan, Di Chen, Hee-Jeong Im. 2011 Biochemical Mediators involved in Cartilage Degradation and the Induction of Pain in Osteoarthritis, ISBN 979-953-307-082-6The impact of this book has been recognized by a record number of download in one year (>3,5 million times)
29. Meina Wang, Jie Shen, Hongting Jin, Hee-Jeong Im, John Sandy, Di Chen 2011. Recent progress in understanding molecular mechanisms of cartilage degeneration during osteoarthritis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1240(1):61-9 PMID: 22172041