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Sang-Mo Kang, M.D.
Associate Professor of Surgery
Division of Transplant Surgery
Surgical Director, Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplantation
Contact Information
| Academic Office (415) 476-0789 sang-mo.kang@ucsfmedctr.org Connie Frank Transplant Center at UCSF 400 Parnassus Ave., Seventh Floor San Francisco, CA 94143 Phone: (415) 353-1551 Phone: (888) 894-6361 Intestinal Rehabilitation & Transplantation Program 350 Parnassus Ave., Suite 410 San Francisco, CA 94143 Phone: (415) 353-2336 | Liver Transplant Program 400 Parnassus Ave., Sixth Floor San Francisco, CA 94143 Phone: (415) 353-1888 Pancreas Transplant Services 400 Parnassus Ave., Seventh Floor San Francisco, CA 94143 Phone: (415) 353-1551 Phone: (888) 894-6361 |
BiographyEducation
- Cornell University, B.A., Chemistry, with Distinction, 1982-86
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, M.D., Magna Cum Laude 1986-92
Residencies
- University of California, San Francisco, Intern and Resident, General Surgery Program, 1992-95
- University of California, San Francisco, Resident, General Surgery Program, 1997-99
Fellowships
- University of California, San Francisco, Fellow, Transplant Surgery, 1999-01
Postdoctoral Training
- University of California, San Francisco, Postdoctoral Fellow , Immunology and Transplantation, 1995-97
Board Certification
- American Board of Surgery, 2000
Program Affiliations
- Diabetes Center at UCSF
- The Liver Center at UCSF
- UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
- UCSF Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplantation
Clinical Expertise
- Bile Duct Injuries
- Bile Duct Strictures
- Choledochal Cyst Disease
- End-Stage Kidney Disease
- Fulminant Hepatic Failure
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Liver Cancer)
- Intestinal Failure
- Intestinal Transplantation
- Kidney Transplantation
- Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy
- Liver Cysts
- Liver Transplantation
- Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- Pancreas Transplantation
- Pediatric Kidney Transplantation
- Pediatric Liver Transplantation
- Portal Hypertension
- Short Bowel Syndrome
Research Interests
- Dendritic Cell Immune Therapy
- Novel Strategies for the Induction of Transplant-specific Tolerance
- T-cell Mediated Transplant Rejection as well as Tolerance
- Transplant Immunology
Website Links
Biography
Dr.Sang-Mo Kang is an Associate Professor of
Surgery and transplant surgeon. He joined the UCSF School of
Medicine faculty in 2001 and in 2005 was
named Surgical Director of Intestinal Rehabilitation and
Transplantation at UCSF Medical Center. Dr. Kang takes care
of both adult and pediatric patients and performs kidney, liver,
pancreas and intestinal transplants as well as surgery for numerous
hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal diseases.
Dr. Kang received his B.S. in chemistry from Cornell University and his M.D. from Harvard University Medical School. He completed a general surgery residency, and immunology and clinical transplantation fellowships at University of California, San Francisco. Dr Kang was recognized with two Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowships, one during medical school and one during his residency.
Dr. Kang's current research focus is in the development of novel strategies for the induction of transplant-specific tolerance. Dr. Kang has published numerous articles in medical and scientific journals and been invited to present at national and international seminars and conferences.
Dr. Kang is a member of numerous medical societies including American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Association of Immunologists, National Kidney Foundation, Association for Academic Surgery, and Society of University Surgeons.
Research Summary
The Kang Lab is developing novel strategies for the induction of transplant-specific tolerance. The research focuses on achieving what is known as "allo-specific transplant tolerance", a specialized method of preventing the rejection of a transplanted organ without suppressing the entire immune system.
Currently, transplant recipients must receive immunosuppressive drugs to suppress their own white blood cells (T cells) that attack foreign cells and cause organ rejections. Unfortunately, these non-specific drugs affect the entire immune system and thus carry significant risks for infection and certain malignancies. The goal is to eliminate the need for global immunosuppression in transplant recipients. Ideal immunotherapy would be one that targets only the donor-specific immune cells that cause rejection, without affecting any of the other immune cells, thus leaving the immune system intact and able to function at full capacity.
To this end, the lab is conducting several experiments to gain insight into the mechanisms of rejection. These projects include the use of specialized immune cells in targeting specific lymphoid organs, as well as investigations into the contributions of CD+4 T cells and CD8 T cells to the process of transplant rejection. The laboratory's work is helping to define important parameters for potential treatments in humans.
Selected Publications
- Brennan TV, Hoang V, Garrod KR, Liu FC, Hayden T, Kim J, Kang SM. A new T-cell receptor transgenic model of the CD4+ direct pathway: level of priming determines acute versus chronic rejection. Transplantation. 2008 Jan 27; 85(2):247-55.
- Kim J, Chang CK, Hayden T, Liu FC, Benjamin J, Hamerman JA, Lanier LL, Kang SM. The activating immunoreceptor NKG2D and its ligands are involved in allograft transplant rejection. J Immunol. 2007 Nov 15; 179(10):6416-20.
- Kang SM. Investigating the immunological mechanisms underlying organ transplant rejection. J Vis Exp. 2007; (7):256.
- Liu F, Kang SM. Small bowel transplantation in mice. J Vis Exp. 2007; (7):258.
- Liu F, Kang SM. Heterotopic heart transplantation in mice. J Vis Exp. 2007; (6):238.
In the News
Dr. Sang-Mo Kang Appears in Documentary by Indie pop star Pat Spurgeon
San Francisco International Film Festival - May 01, 2009Thirteen years ago, Pat Spurgeon of the indie pop band Rogue Wave received a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, just as the band started to take off, the kidney began to fail. The feature documentary "D Tour" chronicles Pat's experience as a UCSF kidney patient including his search for a living organ donor. The film also features Dr. Sang-Mo Kang of the UCSF Division of Transplantation, the surgeon who took care of Pat. * Image of Pat Spurgeon courtesy of "The independent, SF" and provided under a creative commons attribution license.
