Q&A: Dr. Yujin Chun, 2026 KCA Grant Winner

Dr. Yujin Chun received the 2026 KCA Chromophobe Focus Award in partnership with the Chromophobe and Oncocytic Tumor Alliance for “ELOVL4-Driven Very Long-Chain Fatty Acid Metabolism as a Novel Vulnerability in ChRCC” to show whether blocking production of cell-building fats can interfere with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) cell growth. Dr. Chun is a postdoctoral fellow at UC Irvine. We spoke with her about her research and the impact it can have on people with kidney cancer.

Describe your project and how you developed the idea.

Chromophobe kidney cancer is the second most common type of non-clear cell kidney cancer, but there are still no targeted treatments specifically for it. Under a microscope, chromophobe cancer cells look very different from other kidney cancer cells. They are packed with tiny internal compartments, such as mitochondria (the cell’s power plants) and lysosomes (the cell’s recycling centers). These compartments are surrounded by membranes that need the right kinds of fats to work properly. Our early findings suggest that chromophobe cancer cells depend on a specialized type of very long fat to maintain these internal structures. When we blocked its production, the cells grew much more slowly. With this award, we will study how these fats support chromophobe cancer cells and whether interfering with their production can slow tumor growth. We hope this work will provide new insight into what makes chromophobe kidney cancer different and help guide future treatment development.

The idea grew out of my earlier work with Dr. Gina Lee and Dr. Cholsoon Jang on tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis complex, or TSC. While studying the fats in those tumors, I noticed that they contained unusually high levels of a rare class of very long-chain fats. As I looked more closely, I realized that TSC-associated tumors and chromophobe kidney cancer share a growth pathway called mTORC1. That connection made me wonder whether chromophobe tumors might also depend on these fats. Our early findings suggested that the process that makes these fats may be especially active in chromophobe tumors, which set this project in motion.

What is the most exciting thing about your research for patients and families?

For patients and families, I hope the most exciting part is that this research looks for a weakness unique to chromophobe kidney cancer. Until now, patients have largely relied on treatments developed for other types of kidney cancer. Our work starts from a simple idea: what a tumor depends on may also become a weakness. Our early findings suggest that chromophobe cancer cells depend on these rare fats to support the internal structures that help them grow. We are now studying whether this dependence could reveal a weakness specific to chromophobe kidney cancer.

What would a real breakthrough in ChRCC science look like and where does your research fit into that goal?

Chromophobe tumors are unusual in many ways, but we still don’t understand why their cells are built so differently, or how those unique features help the cancer grow. A real breakthrough would be putting these pieces together. That means learning more about the molecular features that distinguish chromophobe kidney cancer and how they may help the cancer survive and grow.

We are building on the important work of researchers who have long worked to better understand this rare disease. Our study adds a metabolism and organelle-biology perspective to that ongoing effort. By studying how chromophobe cells build and maintain the compartments that define them, we hope to provide new insight into the disease and identify processes that may be worth exploring in future treatment research. I believe this is where basic science matters most, because every new treatment begins with understanding the disease.

What motivates you?

I’m motivated by the belief that what we discover in the lab can one day make a real difference for patients. My research focuses on how cancer cells use nutrients and fats to grow, and I hope to bring that perspective to chromophobe kidney cancer, a disease that has long been overlooked. That sense of purpose keeps me going, even on days when experiments don’t work.

What else do you want others to know about you or your research?

I’m deeply grateful to my mentors, Dr. Cholsoon Jang and Dr. Brian Shuch, whose support has given me the confidence that we are pursuing important and exciting science. I also want to remember Dr. Gina Lee, who is deeply missed. She taught us to keep moving forward, follow our curiosity, and never stop searching for answers, and that lesson continues to guide my work. Finally, I want to thank the Kidney Cancer Association and to the patients and families whose support and generosity make research like this possible.