Dr Suji Lee is a Race Against Dementia/Rosetrees Trust-funded Research Associate at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London. She first joined King's as a PhD student, where her research investigated the role of amyloid-β in Alzheimer's disease. Her current postdoctoral research focuses on understanding the synergistic interactions between amyloid-β and α-synuclein, with the aim of identifying shared molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Suji has extensive experience across both clinical and translational neuroscience. She has worked with patients with Alzheimer's disease, contributing to neurocognitive assessments and clinical research studies, including clinical trials. Following completion of her PhD, she undertook postdoctoral research at the Seoul National University Brain Bank, where she gained expertise in human brain banking, including participation in brain autopsies, tissue processing, and the handling of post-mortem brain specimens from individuals with various forms of dementia as well as neurologically healthy controls. Her research also involved working with three-dimensional brain organoids derived from patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), reprogrammed from dural fibroblasts obtained from donated tissue.

Prior to pursuing a career in neuroscience research, Suji worked as a behavioural therapist supporting children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder.

Research Interests

• Neurodegenerative disease
• Synaptic dysfunction
• Amyloid-beta
• Alpha-synuclein

Key Publications

1. Low concentrations of amyloid-beta oligomers induce synaptogenesis characteristic for mild cognitive impairment and alter the de novo proteome. K Wu, S Lee, R Martinez-Serra, L Zhang, S Lynham, KP Giese. Translational psychiatry. 2026

2. Amyloid‐β aggregates induce vasculopathy via ferroptosis in brain endothelial cells. S Son, S Kim, MT Jeon, M Choi, KS Kim, S Lee, SY Nah, DG Kim. Brain Pathology. 2026

3. Aging-independent decrease of complex multi-spine boutons in hippocampal area CA1 after contextual fear conditioning. R Martinez-Serra, S Lee, I Kraev, KP Giese. Molecular brain. 2025

4. Decreased cortical thickness and local gyrification in individuals with subjective cognitive impairment. HC Youn, M Choi, S Lee, D Kim, S Suh, CE Han, HG Jeong. Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 19 (4), 640. 2021

5. Spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 induce pathological changes in molecular delivery and metabolic function in the brain endothelial cells. ES Kim, MT Jeon, KS Kim, S Lee, S Kim, DG Kim. Viruses 13 (10), 2021

6. Emerging pathogenic role of peripheral blood factors following BBB disruption in neurodegenerative disease. MT Jeon, KS Kim, ES Kim, S Lee, J Kim, HS Hoe, DG Kim. Ageing research reviews 68, 101333. 2021

7. Brain network analysis reveals that amyloidopathy affects comorbid cognitive dysfunction in older adults with depression
S Lee, D Kim, HC Youn, WSW Hyung, S Suh, M Kaiser, CE Han, ... Scientific Reports 11 (1), 4299, 2021

8. Cerebral amyloid accumulation is associated with distinct structural and functional alterations in the brain of depressed elders with mild cognitive impairment. WSW Hyung, J Kang, J Kim, S Lee, HC Youn, BJ Ham, C Han, S Suh, ... Journal of Affective Disorders 281, 459-466. 2021

9. Association between brain amyloid accumulation and neuropsychological characteristics in elders with depression and mild cognitive impairment. HC Youn, S Lee, C Han, SH Kim, HG Jeong. International journal of geriatric psychiatry 34 (12), 1907-1915. 2019

10. Diffusion tensor imaging reveals abnormal brain networks in elderly subjects with subjective cognitive deficits. D Kim, S Lee, M Choi, HC Youn, S Suh, HG Jeong, CE Han. Neurological Sciences 40 (11), 2333-2342. 2019

11. Comparison of neurodegenerative types using different brain MRI analysis metrics in older adults with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s dementia. M Choi, HC Youn, D Kim, S Lee, S Suh, JK Seong, HG Jeong, CE Han. PloS one 14 (8), e0220739, 2019

12. Regional glucose metabolism due to the presence of cerebral amyloidopathy in older adults with depression and mild cognitive impairment
HC Youn, ES Lee, S Lee, S Suh, HG Jeong, JS Eo. Journal of affective disorders 239, 30-36. 2018

13. Differences in regional cerebral glucose metabolism pattern according to amyloid accumulation in depressed patients with MCI: SPM analysis
ES Lee, HC Youn, S Lee, HG Jeong, JS Eo. Journal of Nuclear Medicine 59 (supplement 1), 479-479. 2018

14. Obstetric risk factors for depression during the postpartum period in South Korea: a nationwide study. HC Youn, S Lee, SW Han, LY Kim, TS Lee, MJ Oh, HG Jeong, GJ Cho. Journal of psychosomatic research 102, 15-20. 2017

15. Effects of psychotropic drugs on seizure threshold during electroconvulsive therapy. SH Chi, HG Jeong, S Lee, SY Oh, SH Kim. Psychiatry investigation 14 (5), 647. 2017

16. Predicting neurocognitive function with hippocampal volumes and DTI metrics in patients with Alzheimer's dementia and mild cognitive impairment. G Shim, KY Choi, D Kim, S Suh, S Lee, HG Jeong, B Jeong. Brain and behavior 7 (9), e00766. 2017

17. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate level varies nonlinearly with symptom severity in major depressive disorder. D Uh, HG Jeong, KY Choi, SY Oh, S Lee, SH Kim, SH Joe. Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 15 (2), 163. 2017"