Primary Academic Title:
- Associate Professor of Medicine
Other Titles:
- Associate Professor of Neuroscience,
- Associate Director of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Laboratory,
Director, Mouse Metabolic Physiology Core
Centers and Institutes:
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Laboratory
Research Interests
Dr. Sangwon Kim’s research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate systemic energy metabolism, with particular emphasis on the role of inositol polyphosphate multikinase (IPMK) in coordinating nutrient sensing, mitochondrial function, and metabolic adaptation across multiple tissues. His NIH-funded research centers on the role of skeletal muscle IPMK in regulating fuel utilization, mitochondrial energetics, and whole-body energy balance. His laboratory has shown that IPMK deficiency in muscle impairs glucose oxidation, promotes lipid accumulation, reduces exercise tolerance, and shifts systemic fuel preference, highlighting skeletal muscle as a critical hub for maintaining metabolic flexibility. His group combines genetic mouse models, metabolic flux analysis, transcriptomics, and chemical-genetic tools to dissect the molecular underpinnings of nutrient regulation. In parallel, Dr. Kim has made extensive contributions to the understanding of hepatic IPMK in the context of glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and therapeutic responses to antidiabetic agents such as metformin. His published work has helped define how IPMK interacts with AMPK, mTOR, and redox signaling pathways in hepatocytes, positioning the liver as a key site of metabolic regulation. His research also explores how widely used pharmacologic agents, including HIV integrase inhibitors and atypical antipsychotics, disrupt metabolic homeostasis. His team has demonstrated that dolutegravir impairs thermogenesis in brown and beige adipose tissue, and that central histamine–AMPK–IPMK signaling contributes to drug-induced weight gain and metabolic side effects. While the primary focus remains on skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue, his lab is also initiating studies into the role of IPMK in other metabolically active organs, including the heart.
Collectively, Dr. Kim’s research aims to define how IPMK coordinates metabolic signaling across tissues and contexts, with the long-term goal of identifying new therapeutic strategies for obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiometabolic disease.
Background
Dr. Kim earned his BS in Biophysics from Iowa State University and completed his PhD in Experimental Medicine at McGill University. He later pursued postdoctoral training in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as a faculty member, he held dual appointments in Pharmacology and Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. At Johns Hopkins, he holds joint appointments in Medicine (Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism) and Neuroscience, and serves as Associate Director of Endocrinology Research Laboratories.
Throughout his career, Dr. Kim has led multiple NIH-funded projects and interdisciplinary collaborations focused on metabolic disorders, specifically obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. He is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins Discovery Award and the Center for AIDS Research Scholar Award, among others, and serves as an editor and grant reviewer for multiple national and international biomedical organizations.
Selected Publications
- Tyagi R, Chakraborty S, Tripathi SJ, Jung IR, Kim SF, Snyder SH, Paul BD.
Inositol polyphosphate multikinase modulates redox signaling through NRF2 and glutathione metabolism. iScience. 2023;26(7):10719. PMC10345128 - Jung I, Tu-Sekine B, Jin S, Anokye-Danso F, Ahima RS, Brown TT, Kim SF. Dolutegravir suppresses thermogenesis via disrupting UCP1 and mitochondrial functions in brown/beige adipocytes in preclinical models. J Infect Dis. 2022;226(9):1626-1636. PMID: 35512127
- Tu-Sekine B, Padhi A, Jin S, Kalyan S, Apperson M, Kapania R, Hur SC, Nain A, Kim SF. Inositol Polyphosphate Multikinase is a metformin target that regulates cell migration. FASEB J. 2019;33(12):14137-14146. PMC6804044
- Bang S, Chen Y, Ahima RS, Kim SF. Convergence of IPMK and LKB1-AMPK signaling pathways on metformin action. Mol Endocrinol. 2014;28(7):1186-93. PMC4075158
- Kim SF, Huang AS, Snowman AM, Teuscher C, Snyder SH. Antipsychotic drug-induced weight gain mediated by hypothalamic AMP-activated kinase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007;104(9):3456-3459. PMC1805549
Honors and Awards
- Center for AIDS Research Scholar Award, Johns Hopkins, 2020
- Johns Hopkins Discovery Award, 2019
- Young Investigator Award, NARSAD/Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 2011
- NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), 2006–2012
