Meet Seon-Ung Hwang, PhD, Research Faculty at the FOXG1 Research Center
Seon-Ung and his family in NYC!
When FOXG1 parents hear the word “research,” it often feels far away- tucked inside labs filled with microscopes, charts, and complicated machines. But for the scientists at the FOXG1 Research Center, every experiment begins and ends with something much closer to home: the lives of children and families affected by FOXG1 syndrome.
Today, we’re sharing the story of Seon-Ung Hwang, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher whose journey from South Korea to Buffalo - and from embryology to patient-derived stem cells - reflects both the challenges and the quiet hope behind FOXG1 science.
A Childhood Spark
When asked why he pursued a career in science, Seon-Ung goes back to his childhood. Growing up in South Korea, he remembers watching heartbreaking stories on TV about patients waiting indefinitely for organ transplants. The shortage of donors left many without hope.
“As a young person, I wondered if there was another way,” he recalls. “Could science create replacement organs so patients wouldn’t have to wait?”
That question led him down a path into veterinary medicine and embryology, where he studied embryonic stem cells and the revolutionary discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These technologies held the promise of creating patient-specific cells - a way to model disease, test treatments, and, one day, even generate healthy tissues.
A Deep Academic Foundation
Seon-Ung earned his Ph.D. in Veterinary Medicine from Chungbuk National University. His doctoral research involved modeling neurological diseases using both in vivo animal models and in vitro brain organoids. The animal models were developed via somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), while the organoids were derived from embryonic stem cell lines established through both in vitro fertilization (IVF) and SCNT.
At the time, his work wasn’t focused on a single condition. Instead, it was about building systems - general tools that could be applied to study many diseases. He compares the academic journey to digging:
Undergraduate study: “like tilling a wide field.”
Master’s degree: “exploring different spots in that field.”
Ph.D.: “digging a few distinct holes.”
Postdoctoral work: “choosing one of those holes and digging as deep as possible.”
For him, that hole is FOXG1 syndrome.
The Leap from Animal Models to Neurons
Moving from animal models to patient-derived human neurons was no small transition. “I didn’t have experience with human neurons in the cell culture,” he admits. “I had to learn a lot very quickly. It was a new world for me.”
In animal work, he explains, the stress often comes from product turnover. You produce many clones, often with tight timelines, and then move on to the next cycle. Stem cell work, however, demands an entirely different rhythm. It’s slower, more delicate, and sometimes frustratingly unforgiving.
One contamination can wipe out weeks of progress.
Yet his background in embryology gave him the skills to set up the in vitro control system that anchors the FOXG1 Research Center’s stem cell program. And he’s not alone in this journey: his colleague Lian also transitioned from embryology to FOXG1 stem cell work, sharing the same steep learning curve.
Life Inside the Stem Cell Team
Within the FOXG1 Research Center, there are really two parallel teams: the mouse team and the stem cell team.
The mouse team is larger, with more members and a faster pace. Their experiments can yield results in weeks, sometimes days, providing vital insight into FOXG1 biology and therapeutic testing.
By contrast, the stem cell team is small - and their work stretches over much longer timelines. “Our differentiation protocol alone takes about a month,” Seon-Ung explains.
Here’s what that looks like:
Day 0: He begins with iPSCs stored in a nitrogen tank, carefully thawing and preparing the cells.
Day 7: The media is changed, providing nutrients that push the iPSCs to differentiate into neurons along their developmental path.
Day 21: Early neuronal characteristics begin to appear - the first glimpse that the cells are becoming neurons.
Day 30: If all goes well, fully differentiated neurons are ready to study.
But “if all goes well” is a big caveat. Contamination, equipment hiccups, or even a small mistake can mean starting completely over.
“Stem cell work teaches you patience,” he says. “You don’t see immediate results. But when the neurons finally appear, it’s very rewarding.”
The Science of Patience and Persistence
For families eager for treatments, waiting can feel endless. Scientists feel that wait too.
“In my opinion, it will take a long time,” Seon-Ung says honestly. “I’m realistic about my work.”
That realism is balanced by hope. Within the FOXG1 Research Center, Drs. Soo-Kyung and Jae Lee bring a rare perspective - approaching this science not only as researchers, but also as parents of a child with FOXG1 syndrome. Their leadership keeps the lab’s focus both deeply personal and grounded in realistic expectations, a combination that shapes the careful, deliberate pace of every project.
Meeting Families, Changing Perspectives
For all the challenges, there are moments that remind Seon-Ung why the slow, delicate work matters. One stands out clearly: meeting the parents of the child whose iPSCs he now studies.
“I told them, ‘In a way, I am also raising a part of your child in my lab,’” he remembers.
The experiments themselves didn’t change - but the feeling did. Every dish of cells became more than data. It became a reflection of a real child, a real family, waiting on the other side.
Building Toward the Future
Today, Seon-Ung is analyzing neurons, laying the foundation for a manuscript. But this is only the beginning. His work helps expand the library of patient-derived iPSCs at the FOXG1 Research Center, creating a platform to test drugs and therapies directly on human neurons.
“It allows us to validate findings from our mouse studies in a human system,” he explains. “That gives us greater confidence that what we’re seeing is truly relevant to families.”
Looking forward, he hopes to deepen the lab’s single-cell analysis of FOXG1, unraveling exactly how mutations alter the function of individual neurons.
Outside the Lab
When he isn’t in the lab, Seon-Ung lives in Williamsville with his family. He enjoys the changing seasons of Buffalo, the snow that makes winter feel like winter, and summers that are warm without being overwhelming.
At home, life is quieter. He spends time cleaning, playing with his son, and unwinding with movies and TV shows. “It helps me recharge,” he says with a smile.
A Message of Hope, Grounded in Reality
For Seon-Ung, the most important thing families should know about science is its rigor. “We cross-check our findings in both mouse models and patient-derived neurons,” he emphasizes. “That level of validation is rare, and it matters.”
But he also wants families to understand that humans are infinitely complex. Promising results don’t always translate immediately into therapies. The challenge isn’t only finding something that works, it’s ensuring it doesn’t cause harm.
As he puts it: “You don’t want to burn down the house just to catch a pest.”
Closing Thoughts
The stem cell team’s work may be slow, sometimes invisible for weeks, but it is essential as we are working with human cells from FOXG1 patients. Each experiment brings us one step closer to understanding FOXG1 at its deepest level, and each neuron grown in the lab represents a story of persistence, patience, and quiet hope.
For Seon-Ung, it’s not about speed. It’s about precision, responsibility, and remembering that every cell connects back to a child and a family waiting for answers.
Seon-Ung Hwang, PhD working in the Stem Cell lab.
FOXG1 Research Center is dedicated to understanding and finding treatments for FOXG1 syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Our Team
Drs. Soo-Kyung Lee, PhD. and Jae W. Lee, PhD. are the principal investigators of FOXG1 Research Center. Our team is full of dedicated individuals with the common goal of studying FOXG1 Syndrome to find treatment options and further understand the condition.
Our Publications
To learn more details about our research, please refer to our publications.
