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Hamilton Se-Hwee Oh, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA.

Credit: Hamilton Se-Hwee Oh, PhD

NEW YORK, New York, USA, 22 July 2025 – In a featured interview for Brain Medicine, Dr. Hamilton Se-Hwee Oh shares new perspectives on the connection between the brain and body, offering valuable understanding of aging, depression, and neurodegeneration. Through his research at the Brain-Body Institute and the Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease at Mount Sinai in New York, Dr. Oh merges expertise across several scientific areas to uncover how internal systems influence neurological and psychiatric health, laying the groundwork for innovative treatment strategies.

Personal Experiences Fuel Scientific Drive

Dr. Oh’s interest in biology began in high school with the notion of "sonder"—the appreciation of each person’s unique inner world. This awareness made him curious about the biological systems that shape human emotions and experiences. A personal diagnosis of a rare kidney disorder and his best friend's chronic unexplained illness further cemented his desire to tackle invisible ailments through science.

"I wanted to understand the hidden mechanisms of life with the hope that one day, I might help ease suffering caused by complex illnesses," Dr. Oh shares. This desire now guides his focus on how immune function and metabolic systems influence symptoms of mood disorders.

Breakthrough Work Alters View on Aging

While earning his PhD at Stanford under Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray, Dr. Oh made significant strides in the field of aging. His studies showed varying aging rates among different human organs—a finding with critical implications for disease risk. With three leading scientific papers in prestigious journals like Nature and Nature Medicine, his research sheds light on why two people of the same age may experience completely different health outcomes, ranging from heart disease to neurodegeneration.

His most notable contribution may be the identification of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers that signal Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms become evident—a discovery that could push healthcare systems toward prevention rather than reactive care. How would medicine change if we could detect Alzheimer's decades early?

Integrating Brain and Body Research

Currently, at Mount Sinai, Dr. Oh is examining the two-way communication between the brain and other body systems under the guidance of Drs. Scott Russo and Alison Goate. His findings reveal that mental health is affected not only by brain activity but also by signals from other organs. Utilizing wide-ranging tools such as human proteomics, transcriptomics, and animal studies, he illustrates how stress can accelerate organ aging and how these effects influence brain function and mood.

This integrated method is enhancing how we approach personalized care. By studying the molecular effects of treatments such as exercise and ketamine, Dr. Oh hopes to explain why certain therapies succeed in some people but not others. Might we one day use simple blood tests to guide mental health treatment?

From Cell Biology to Systemic Research

Dr. Oh’s journey through science mirrors larger trends in medical research. Initially passionate about stem cell applications during his time at UCLA, he was struck by how inflammation was a common thread across diseases like cancer and cardiovascular conditions. This realization led him to study how immune cells form and develop in Dr. Hanna Mikkola’s lab.

Recognizing that environmental factors impact how cells behave moved him toward exploring the wider relationship between immunity and the brain. Today, his inquiries focus on how immune responses and metabolic signals shape our cognition and emotional resilience. Could even more organ systems be affecting brain health in unrecognized ways?

Potential for Next-Generation Treatments

Dr. Oh’s ongoing work has practical implications for medicine. By identifying proteins and metabolites linked to depression, he’s uncovering new treatment avenues. His research on how organs age differently could also lead to therapies that address root causes rather than symptoms alone. His exploration of exercise and ketamine’s biological impacts may inform the design of future mental health treatments.

Depression is known to affect numerous body systems, yet current treatments mostly target brain neurotransmitters. Dr. Oh’s findings suggest that tackling surrounding issues like inflammation and specific organ aging could offer more effective solutions. What might psychiatry look like if clinicians considered the aging patterns of a patient's internal organs alongside mental health assessments?

Shaping the Future of Scientific Inquiry

In addition to his research, Dr. Oh is vocal about the need to rethink how scientific projects are funded. While originality is celebrated in theory, funding bodies frequently prefer safer proposals backed by extensive data. This gap, he argues, hinders the pursuit of trailblazing ideas.

Dr. Oh stresses the importance of academic freedom, even when pursuing novel paths results in temporary slowdowns in productivity. His own progress—from stem cell researcher to leader in computational aging and cross-system studies—demonstrates how uncharted investigative directions can produce transformative discoveries. What breakthroughs might we unlock by encouraging bold, exploratory science more openly?

Dr. Hamilton Se-Hwee Oh’s full interview appears in the Genomic Press series "Innovators & Ideas," which profiles key thinkers behind today’s most decisive advancements in science. These interviews mix in-depth research discussion with personal stories to offer a closer view of the people transforming their fields. This blend of narrative and expertise provides an engaging format ideal for exploring both scientific impact and human experience.

Journal

Brain Medicine

DOI

10.61373/bm025k.0086

Method of Research

News article

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Hamilton Oh: A journey studying the science of humanity

Article Publication Date

29-Jul-2025

COI Statement

The author declared no conflicts of interest.