Sun Young Lee, MD, PhD

Dr. Sun Young Lee is a board-certified retina surgeon and clinician-scientist at the University of Southern California, where she serves as a tenured Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Physiology & Neuroscience. She has extensive expertise in diagnosing and managing complex, vision-threatening retinal conditions. Dr. Lee specializes in age-related macular degeneration, inherited retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and surgical complications. She is nationally and internationally recognized for her surgical precision, clinical expertise, and seamless dedication to patient care.

Dr. Lee’s patient care is empowered by cutting-edge research funded by the National Eye Institute. Her laboratory investigates the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the pathogenesis and treatment of retinal disease. She leads the development of EV-based intraocular therapies, a transformative approach to targeted drug delivery, gene therapy, and regenerative medicine for blinding retinal disorders such as age-related macular degeneration, inherited retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy. Her research is deeply committed to restoring and preserving vision in patients with challenging conditions and limited treatment options.

For more information on Dr. Lee’s work, visit LeeRetinaLab.com

• ARVO Foundation: Eye Research/Retina Research Foundation Travel Grant, 2009
• Los Angeles Ophthalmology Society (LASO): Dr. Henry & Lilian Nesburn Award for Best Research by a Resident, 2016
• Women in Retina (WinR) Mentoring Program: Travel Grant, 2016
• Fellowship Research Award: The Retina Society, 2017
• Presbyterian Health Foundation (PHF): Clinician Scientist Development Award, 2019
• Women in Retin (WinR)/ American Society of Retina Specialist (ASRS): Mina Chung Research Award, 2021
• Alcon Research Institute: Young Investigator Award, 2023
• American Society of Retina Specialists: Fellow, 2024
• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO): Silver Fellow, 2025

• Pusan National University, S. Korea — MD — 1999
• University of Ulsan, S. Korea — PhD — 2007
• Asan Medical Center , S. Korea — Ophthalmology Residency/Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship — 2007
• Johns Hopkins University, MD — Post-doctoral Fellowship — 2010
• University of Southern California, CA — Ophthalmology Residency — 2016
• University of Iowa , IA — Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship — 2018

• Extracellular vesicle-based intraocular therapy combined with active targeting of ocular neovascularization
  NIH/NEI · R01EY034193 · Feb 1, 2024 – Jan 31, 2029 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Extracellular Vesicle Therapy for Diabetic Retinopathy
  NIH/NEI · R21EY035425 · Sep 30, 2023 – Aug 31, 2025 · Role: Principal Investigator
• USC Alpha Clinic Network Expansion for Cell and Gene Therapies (PI: Buchanan, T)
  California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) · Feb 1, 2023 – Jan 31, 2027 · Role: Vision Disorder Lead
• Exosome based intraocular therapy combined with active targeting of ocular neovascularization
  NIH/NEI · R56EY034193 · Sep 30, 2022 – Sep 29, 2024 · Role: Principal Investigator
• USC Roski Eye K12 Clinician-Vision Scientist Training Program
  NIH/NEI · K12EY028873 · Feb 1, 2022 – Jan 31, 2024 · Role: Scholar

• RPE Cell Implant Study (2/1/2026)
• Exosome Based Therapeutics Development Summit (09/06/2023)
• NEI EV workshop (12/21/2023)
• USC campus news (03272024)

• Nagiel, Aaron
• Moshfeghi, Andrew
• Berry, Jesse
• Shahidi, Mahnaz
• Lenz, Heinz-Josef
• Ameri, Hossein