EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY | Research

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Research Team Led by Professor Park Ji Hun Develops Nanocoating Technology Using Carbohydrate Substance

Research Team Led by Professor Park Ji Hun Develops Nanocoating Technology Using Carbohydrate Substance An undergraduate student of the Department of Science Education participated as a co-author in a research article published in Applied Surface Science, a top 5% international journal in the field of material science, coating and films. Graduate student Lee Hyunjung and undergraduate Han Yehee from Professor Park Ji Hun’s lab participated as a lead author and a co-author respectively in a research paper titled “Enhanced Deposition of Fe(III)-Tannic Acid Complex Nanofilm by Fe(III)-Embedded Dextran Nanocoating,” which explores an original technology to tune the thickness and roughness of a nanocoating layer as desired using a carbohydrate substance. The research team has focused on “dextran,” a carbohydrate substance which can be combined with iron. The team closely examined the formation process of dextran-iron compound and surface absorption characteristics. Based on this, the team identified the optimal conditions for forming a nanocoating layer, showing that a nanocoating layer can be a surface medium that can transfer iron and confirming the possibility of fine-tuning the thickness and surface properties of the coating layer as desired. The researchers were able to observe a layer more than three times thicker compared to results of preceding studies. This technology is meaningful as it can tune the properties of the coating layer and also constitutes complex nanocoating technology enabling the fusion of carbohydrates and polyphenol materials. Professor Park explained, “We expect this newly-developed nanocoating technology to create a synergy effect by fusing carbohydrates and polyphenol materials, which can be utilized for drug delivery and pharmaceutical studies.” Professor Park Ji Hun developed and patented an eco-friendly and robust nanocoating technology and studied its commercialization last October. In particular, a patent application was submitted and is currently being reviewed for the new nanocoating technology described above, which can be used for diverse applications including pharmaceutical research. Using such developed and accumulated nanocoating technologies, Professor Park plans to found an affiliate company of Ewha Womans University Technology Holding Company and release nanocoating products.
- No.97
- Writer
- Date2021.10.26
- Views11846
96
Professor Hwi Young Kim from Department of Medicine Develops AI-based Model to Predict Risk of Hepatocellular...

Professor Hwi Young Kim from Department of Medicine Develops AI-based Model to Predict Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma among Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Professor Hwi Young Kim developed an AI-based model named “PLAN-B” to predict the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with chronic hepatitis B. The multinational and multi-institutional clinical study, conducted jointly with foreign and domestic researchers including a research team led by Professor Jeong-Hoon Lee from the Department of Internal Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital, is drawing attention as it is expected to demonstrate high practical utility in real clinical practice by improving the prediction accuracy of hepatocellular carcinoma risk among patients with chronic hepatitis B for which prediction and preparation are vital. In collaboration with researchers at home and abroad, research teams led by Professors Kim and Lee analyzed the data of a total of 13,508 patients with chronic hepatitis B from 18 institutions across South Korea and 11 institutions across Europe and North America, applying the data to AI-based machine learning algorithms to develop “PLAN-B,” which is a prediction model for the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. “PLAN-B” is expected to be highly beneficial to practice as its prediction accuracy is significantly higher than that of existing prediction models. By providing more detailed analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma risk through a gradient-boosting machine algorithm, it will also contribute significantly to enabling treatment and patient management tailored to the characteristics of individual patients. First author Professor Kim remarked, “We developed a unique prediction model for hepatocellular carcinoma using artificial intelligence, and this study holds significant clinical implications as its efficacy was validated using large-scale patient data from the East and the West,” and explained, “PLAN-B will greatly help in identifying patients with high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma as well as those with very low risk.” PLAN-B was developed with support from “'Dr. Answer 2.0,” which is an AI-based precision medical solution development project. The research findings, titled “An Artificial Intelligence Model to Predict Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Korean and Caucasian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B,” were published in the online edition of Journal of Hepatology (IF = 25.083), a world-renowned academic journal in the field of gastrointestinal diseases and the official academic journal of the European Association of the Study of the Liver, on Friday, October 1. Professor Kim, an expert in liver diseases, is particularly recognized in the domestic and international academia for his outstanding research achievements in clinical epidemiologic studies and prediction model development for liver cancer, cirrhosis and fatty liver. He is also active as a member of the Publication Committee and the Public Relations Committee at the Korean Association for the Study of the Liver.
- No.95
- Writer
- Date2021.10.18
- Views12819
94
Professor Nam Jong-kuk Selected for Excellent Scholars Program by National Research Foundation of Korea

Professor Nam Jong-kuk Selected for Excellent Scholars Program by National Research Foundation of Korea Professor Nam Jong-kuk from the Department of History under the College of Liberal Arts has been selected for the “2021 Excellent Scholars Program” by the National Research Foundation of Korea. The “Excellent Scholars Program” is aimed at supporting the establishment of a stable research environment that allows outstanding scholars in the field of humanities and social sciences to compile and further develop their research achievements to date, and promote the social dissemination of such achievements. A total of eight researchers were selected this year based on their research creativity, research capabilities, and excellence in research planning. Professor Nam will be supported by a research fund amounting to a total of 150 million KRW for the next three years to carry out an in-depth study under the theme of “Rediscovering Shylock: Changing Perceptions in Interest-based Moneylending.” Shylock, a fictional character in Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, is portrayed as the epitome of vicious Jewish moneylenders who extort poor Christians. Through his study on interest-based moneylending, which was condemned as a vice in the medieval Christian society, Professor Nam plans to explore the historical origins of modern capitalism by tracing how the perception of interest-based moneylending changed from ancient to early modern eras and how these changes affected the direction and outcomes of economic development in Europe. Professor Nam has previously conducted studies on the history of civilizational exchanges in the medieval Mediterranean region, medieval Italian merchants and commodities, the history of East-West exchanges during the Pax Mongolica era, the rise of capitalism, and medieval Christian pilgrimages, and published approximately 30 papers to date. He has written Le[BS1] commerce du coton en Méditerranée à la fin du Moyen Age (Leiden and New York: Brill, 2007), How Did Medieval Mediterranean Trade Change Europe? (Minumin, 2011), The Great Adventure of Medieval Italian Merchants: The Origin of Modern Capitalism and Innovation (LP, 2015), and Venice: The Medieval Maritime Empire (Ewha Womans University Press, 2020), and translated The Merchant of Prato: Francesco Di Marco Datini: Daily Life in a Medieval Italian City (LP, 2009) and The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Volume II [BS2](Kachi Publishing, 2017). In addition, he is active in giving lectures on the EBS program Insight and has been expanding the educational horizon by launching a lecture series titled “The Story of Three Civilizations: The History of Medieval Mediterranean Exchanges” on the Korean Massive Open Online Course (K-MOOC) in the first semester of 2021. The College of Liberal Arts, which has shared the history and tradition of Ewha since the establishment of the Humanities Division in 1925, has produced future talents who will lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution by providing courses in literature, history, philosophy, foreign language studies, Christian studies, and convergence humanities major and interdisciplinary programs. It ranked first for the humanities employment rate in the 2019 JoongAng Ilbo University Assessment, and continues to demonstrate excellent educational and research capabilities by making remarkable achievements in various government-sponsored research projects, including the University Innovation Support Project.
- No.93
- Writer
- Date2021.10.12
- Views11410
92
“Ewha Frontier 10–10 Project” to Lead the Future of Ewha

“Ewha Frontier 10–10 Project” to Lead the Future of Ewha Ewha Womans University announced the “Ewha Frontier 10–10 Project” to select a total of 20 project teams consisting of 10 teams each in leading research fields and future-oriented challenging research fields for its leap toward as a world-class research-oriented university on Tuesday, October 5. The “Ewha Frontier 10–10 Project,” aimed at enhancing Ewha’s competitiveness and consolidating its status as a research-oriented university under the capable leadership of President Eun Mee Kim, represents a core task for Ewha’s main objective of “Establishing an Environment Conducive to World-Class Research” under “Ewha Vision 2030+.” The project will be implemented with the aim to enhance Ewha’s external reputation by supporting leading and promising academic fields, securing outstanding faculty members, and generating innovative research outcomes. Based on the project, Ewha plans to solidify its status as a research-oriented university with world-class research capabilities. Ewha will select up to 10 project teams respectively in “leading research fields” and “future-oriented challenging fields,” which are areas with global competitiveness, and support each team with funding of 2 to 5 billion KRW for a total of three years. The selected project teams will conduct leading research with full support, such as the invitation of renowned scholars or outstanding faculty members, support for new researchers and graduate students, expansion of research environment and infrastructure, and support for international joint research and globalization. Through the project, Ewha plans to pioneer its own growth and prioritize future-oriented academic and research fields as well as establishing an environment conducive to world-class research based on its tradition of academic diversity encompassing liberal arts, social studies, arts and physical education, and convergence fields. The evaluation for project selection will be conducted between November and December, and the project’s full-scale implementation will commence in March 2022. Detailed information can be found in the project announcement by each college (or graduate school). Meanwhile, the Office of Research officially launched the “PURE service” (https://ewha.elsevierpure.com/) to disseminate and promote Ewha’s excellent research achievements. The service is a web-based solution provided by the global academic information analytics company Elsevier and is tailored for the promotion of research achievements and the implementation of marketing strategies by enhancing researchers’ convenience by providing the comprehensive management of research activities and achievements, visual research statistics based on a vast international academic database such as SCOPUS, and performance analysis sample reports for individual researchers or groups. Anyone who is interested in Ewha’s research performance and achievements can search for paper publication records, research activities, related statistics, and keywords by individual researchers on the PURE service’s official website. The launch of this service will enable the effective management of various research performance and achievements of individual researchers on a single platform. Vice President Lee Hyang-sook of the Office of Research remarked, “We expect that the PURE service will contribute to increasing the possibility of international joint research and convergence research in collaboration with the world’s leading research and academic institutions by maximizing the publicity and dissemination of our research achievements online, and enhancing the convenience of obtaining basic research performance data and reporting materials necessary for applying for and implementing external research projects.”
- No.91
- Writer
- Date2021.10.06
- Views13711
90
Ewha University-Industry Collaboration Foundation Concludes Technology Transfer Agreement for Cell Type–specific Deliver

Ewha University-Industry Collaboration Foundation Concludes Technology Transfer Agreement for Cell Type–specific Delivery of RNA Therapeutics The Ewha University-Industry Collaboration Foundation (EUICF) held a signing ceremony with EnhancedBio Inc. to join the technology transfer agreement for “lipid nanoparticles (LNP) for targeted delivery of RNA therapeutics into different types of cells” on Wednesday, September 15. The technology, developed by Professor Hyukjin Lee at the College of Pharmacy, enables the targeted delivery of RNA therapeutics to various types of cells by the formulation of lipid nanoparticles (LNP). The presenting technology has shown clinically relevant gene-transfer efficacy as well as good safety. Although this is a core technology that has already been used for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer, it represented an essential endeavor for biotech companies to secure their own LNP technology. The relevant core technology patents are mostly held by U.S. companies and other foreign companies. It is important to note that the presenting technology has been developed solely by a domestic research group and the patent (KR10-2198763) has been granted with this technology. The research team, led by Professor Lee at the College of Pharmacy, already transferred the patent of 246C10 LNP technology to EnhancedBio Inc. in May 2020 and two more follow-up patents will be transferred through this agreement. The agreement contains an advance payment, a milestone payment for the commencement of clinical trials, and royalties on sales, which are expected to add to the school’s revenue from the technology transfer fee. “The LNP platform technology for the delivery of RNA therapeutics will be a game-changer for non-viral gene therapy and can be applied widely to various RNA therapeutics including siRNA and mRNA that are currently on the market,” explained Professor Hyukjin Lee. “In particular, LNP for the cell-specific delivery of RNA therapeutics negates the disadvantage of current LNP technology and represents an extraordinary advancement that simultaneously guarantees the efficacy and safety of RNA therapeutics.” He also added, “We will actively participate in commercializing RNA therapeutics and making inroads into global markets through continued joint research and collaboration with EnhancedBio Inc., a company that develops anti-cancer therapeutics based on siRNA.” “This agreement is meaningful to Ewha in that the stability of the patent rights has been proved after the first technology transfer last year and a patent portfolio was established with the subsequent R&D outcomes, leading to a new patent technology for which the second technology transfer agreement was signed,” said EUICF President Lee Hyang-sook, who also added, “I hope this ceremony serves as an opportunity for Ewha Womans University and EnhancedBio Inc. to advance to the next step and take the lead in the global biotechnology market.” Ewha holds an extensive range of about 1,000 patents across various fields including the humanities, social sciences, entertainment, sports as well as science and technology. The EUICF actively supports the entire process of technology commercialization based on Ewha’s excellent research outcomes, from the creation of intellectual properties, to technology transfer and business launch. The EUICF will continuously endeavor to establish a virtuous cycle to generate profits from technology transfers, businesses creation, industry-university joint research, and recruitment linkages regarding outstanding technologies and patents held by Ewha and reinvesting such profits into research and development, amidst Ewha’s dedicated efforts to construct a creative research ecosystem conducive to world-class performance under the vision of “A Creative and Innovative Platform Leading to a Sustainable Society.”
- No.89
- Writer
- Date2021.09.16
- Views11568
88
Ewha Develops International Climate Risk Management Model with Financial Supervisory Service

Ewha Develops International Climate Risk Management Model with Financial Supervisory Service Ewha signed an industry-government-academia business agreement to develop an international climate risk management model named “Frontier-1.5D” in partnership with the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), major Korean businesses and the British Embassy in Seoul. Frontier-1.5D, a collaborative effort by Ewha, the FSS, major Korean companies, and the British Embassy, is aimed at taking the initiative towards reaching a global consensus on limiting the average global temperature rise within 1.5℃ above the pre-industrial level (before 1850) and actively participating in climate risk management. The business agreement, as the first global collaboration effort involving financial supervisory authorities, businesses, academia and foreign embassies, is expected to present an exemplary case of international collaboration in the development of future climate risk management models. The business agreement signing ceremony held at the British Embassy on Monday, September 13 was attended by President Eun Mee Kim of Ewha Womans University, Governor Jeong Eun-bo of the Financial Supervisory Service, British Ambassador to South Korea Simon Smith, the UK’s High-Level Climate Action Champion for COP26 Nigel Topping, CEO Kim Jun of SK Innovation, CEO Choi Eun-seok of CJ Cheiljedang, CEO John Rim of Samsung Biologics, Chairman Yoon Jong-Kyoo of KB Financial Group, and Chairman Cho Yong-byoung of Shinhan Financial Group. The business agreement aims to mitigate climate-related uncertainties by developing a management model for climate risk, estimating the range of costs incurred by climate risk, and forecasting the losses faced by businesses and financial institutions following abnormal climate change and countermeasures such as carbon emission reduction. The development of a new model will make it possible to reduce management uncertainty, present methods of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG), and attract foreign investors. Ewha has been taking the initiative in researching climate change and now aims to play a leading role in developing the aforementioned climate risk management model as the only education and research institution to have signed the business agreement. The six corporations will provide climate risk data for each business sector and the analysis thereof, while the British Embassy will assume an advisory role for the development of the climate risk model, and the FSS will play a coordinating role in sharing their knowhow and mediating cooperation among the participants. This joint industrial-government-academia project, which is based on the role of financial authorities in responding to a “Green Swan,” referring to unpredictable risks and threats brought by the climate change as defined by the Bank for International Settlements, is expected to contribute to enhancing the climate risk management capacity of stakeholders by coordinating their needs and capabilities.
- No.87
- Writer
- Date2021.09.14
- Views11868
86
Ewha Selected for Three Projects under Academic Support Program in Humanities and Social Sciences

Ewha Selected for Three Projects under Academic Support Program in Humanities and Social Sciences The Ewha Asian Center for Women’s Studies (ACWS), the Institute of School Violence Prevention, and a research team at the Department of Special Education have been selected for new projects under the “2021 Basic Research for the Humanities and Social Sciences” program supported by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea. The Institute Programs in the Humanities & Social Sciences has been implemented since 2019 with the aim to create a virtuous cycle in the academic research ecosystem by helping college institutes to grow into specialized and professional research hubs that nurture future generations of researchers. The program will provide the institutes selected this year with an annual research funding of 300 million KRW for a maximum total of 1.8 billion KRW over the period of six years (three years + three years). The ACWS (Director Jung Ji-young) was selected for the pure academic research category with a research project titled “Race and Gender: Analysis and Theorization of the Phenomenon of Neo-racialization in Globalized Korea,” and the Institute of School Violence Prevention was selected for the problem-solving and general (top-down) category with a study on the establishment of evidence-based policy for preventing and responding to school violence. In addition, the Social Science Korea (SSK) program selected a research team led by Professor Lee Youngsun at the Department of Special Education with a research project titled “Digital Transformation for Inclusive and Sustainable Disability-Friendly Society” The SSK program, which is intended to support institutes to become world-class research centers and produce quality long-term data research, will provide funding up to 1.5 billion KRW over the period of ten years (three years + three years + four years). Meanwhile, the Ewha Institute for the Humanities and a research team at the Department of Communication Disorders, which were selected for the Priority Research Institute Program in the Humanities and Social Sciences and the SSK program in 2018, successfully executed the first phase of their research project and entered into the second phase. Subsequently, the Ewha Institute for the Humanities (Director Ham Dong-ju) will conduct interdisciplinary research in the humanities and convergence areas with art- and technology-related fields, with funding of 600 million KRW for the next three years. In addition, a research team led by Professor Kim Young-tae at the Department of Communication Disorders will continue a study on platform-based support for linguistic and emotional-behavioral development to ensure the social integration of children exposed to linguistic and cultural diversity with funding of 300 million KRW for the next three years. Under the vision of “A Creative and Innovative Platform Leading to a Sustainable Society,” Ewha will dedicate itself towards establishing its position as a research hub for the humanities and social sciences, vitalizing research by conducting research projects and nurturing outstanding researchers based on the research capability accumulated in the humanities and social sciences.
- No.85
- Writer
- Date2021.09.10
- Views12789
84
Research Team Led by Professor Sangheon Lee Discovers the Secret of Atoms Hidden in Nanosynthesis

Research Team Led by Professor Sangheon Lee Discovers the Secret of Atoms Hidden in Nanosynthesis A team of researchers led by Professor Sangheon Lee (Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science) has identified the mechanism through which surface ligands control the growth of nanomaterials by utilizing quantum mechanical modeling and atom probe tomography. The outcome of this research was published in Nature Communications on July 14 (Wed), 2021, titled “Three-dimensional Atomic Mapping of Ligands on Palladium Nanoparticles by Atom Probe Tomography.” The research was jointly conducted in collaboration with Professor Pyuck-Pa Choi (Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST), and Ms. Jiwon Yu, who is currently a Ph.D. student at The University of Texas at Austin after receiving B.S. and M.S. from Ewha Womans University, made a significant contribution as a co-author. Ligands are long-chain organic molecules involved in the process of nanoparticle synthesis. It has been well known that ligands are anchored on the surface of nanoparticles, like spines of chestnuts and sea urchins, and play a key role in controlling the shape and various properties of nanoparticles. Therefore, ligand-based synthesis techniques have already been applied to mass production of some commercialized products, such as quantum dot displays. However, the scientific understanding of the mechanism by which ligands control the nanoparticle growth remained unknown due to the difficulty in direct characterization of the interaction between ligands and nanoparticles. For the first time in the world, the Ewha-KAIST joint research team succeeded in imaging the three-dimensional distribution of ligands over the surface of palladium nanoparticles using an atomic tomographic microscope. Then, the research team performed state-of-the-art quantum mechanical calculations and demonstrated that a specific combination of ligands leads to the formation of a specific shape of nanoparticles by selectively stabilizing specific facets of palladium nanoparticles. The physical insights and relevant technologies obtained through this experiment-theory joint research are expected to be directly applied to the design and manufacture of nanoparticles with superior properties. “The primary goal of my research is to understand the underlying mechanisms involved in the formation and behavior of new materials based on atomic-level understanding,” said Professor Lee. “This joint research is academically very important, as the presented results encompass all the previously reported conflicting results.” Professor Lee also acknowledged, “I am very fortunate to be able to make a world-class achievement by working with brilliant students and by taking full advantage of the excellent research infrastructure at Ewha Womans University.”
- No.83
- Writer
- Date2021.08.24
- Views12209
82
Research Team of Professor Kim TaeSoo Publishes Findings in Nucleic Acids Research, a World-renowned Academic Journal

Research Team of Professor Kim TaeSoo Publishes Findings in Nucleic Acids Research, a World-renowned Academic Journal A research team including Professor Kim TaeSoo at the Department of Life Science under the College of Natural Sciences discovered a new expression regulation mechanism of cryptic noncoding RNA within gene bodies. The results of this study, participated in by Dr. Lee Bo Bae of the Life Science major as the first author, were published in a SCI journal, Nucleic Acids Research (IF 16.971, within the top 2.5%), on July 28 (Wed). With the implementation of the Human Genome Project, scientists across the world believed that causes of incurable diseases that entail changes in DNA sequencing could be determined through understanding the function of all protein coding genes in the human genome. However, subsequent studies proved that transcription occurs not only in genes that encode proteins but also in DNA sequence (noncoding DNA), which does not encode proteins, leading to the conclusion that there exist a vast number of noncoding RNAs whose functions are unknown. These noncoding RNAs, which have come to receive significant attention recently, play key roles in the regulation of cell function, differentiation and death, and are known to be closely related to various diseases. Professor Kim TaeSoo’s research team selected noncoding RNAs which were uniquely expressed in cells under continuous environmental shifts and investigated their regulation mechanism, the results of which were already published in Nature Communications in 2016. Since then, the research team has conducted a follow-up study focusing on the expression patterns of genes within cells and those of noncoding RNAs depending on environmental changes. Gene expression is determined by “promoters,” DNA sequences to which transcription factors bind themselves. The Ewha research team carried out an experiment to substitute a certain gene’s original core promoters with those from genes that are differentially expressed. Through the experiment, the team identified that an increase in the activity of core promoters leads to a decrease in the expression of cryptic noncoding RNAs from internal cryptic promoters, as shown in the figure. Based on this, the research team newly found that promoter strength and transcription elongation factors play important roles in the regulation of noncoding RNAs expressed within gene bodies. Professor Kim TaeSoo expressed his high expectations, remarking “This study demonstrated for the first time that gene expression and noncoding RNA expression are strongly correlated. This will lead to the proposal of a new research direction on the regulation of noncoding RNA expression, which serves a key function within cells.” He added, “In addition, research on the expression regulation of cancer cell-specific noncoding RNAs will make it possible to understand the mechanism of carcinogenesis induced by noncoding RNAs, with the aim to develop a new biomarker and to suggest treatment targets.”
- No.81
- Writer
- Date2021.08.17
- Views11727
80
Professor Sun Choi’s Joint Research Team Identifies a New Development Mechanism Behind Liver Cancer and Designs...

Professor Sun Choi’s Joint Research Team Identifies a New Development Mechanism Behind Liver Cancer and Designs Peptides with Efficacy Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma A joint research team including Professor Sun Choi of the Department of Pharmacy as a co-corresponding author identified a mechanism underlying hepatic fibrosis and hepatoma based on the signaling activation of the tumor protein c-Src and the cell membrane protein TM4SF5. They also succeeded in designing peptides (small protein fragments) that inhibit carcinogenesis by blocking protein-protein interactions between TM4SF5 and c-Src, which efficacy was verified through animal testing. The results of this study were published in a top world-renowned academic journal, Theranostics (IF 11.556, JCR top 3.22% in the Medicine, Research & Experimental category), on July 6 (Tue), 2021. Professor Sun Choi’s research team in collaboration with Professor Jung Weon Lee from Seoul National University College of Pharmacy conducted research on the correlation between liver diseases and the cell membrane protein TM4SF5, which transmits signals by binding to intra- and extra-cellular proteins,. In the landmark of this profitable collaboration, they also recently published an article in Cell Metabolism (IF 27.287, JCI top 1.69% in the Endocrinology & Metabolism category) identifying that, although the expression of TM4SF5 was insignificant in normal liver tissue, it increased under inflammatory metabolic disorders and inflammatory diseases to play a critical role in developing fatty liver, fatty hepatitis, and hepatoma. In this study, the research team discovered a new mechanism for c-Src signaling, a typical tumor protein that appears in various cancer cells, to be activated by binding to the membrane protein TM4SF5. The C-terminal tail of TM4SF5 binds to the inactive form of c-Src in the cytoplasm, recruiting c-Src at the cell membrane. This complex further binds with phosphatase that activates the tumor protein. In summary, the team newly found that the tumor protein c-Src can be activated at the cell membrane through its association with the membrane protein TM4SF5, even if it does not possess the ability to remain at the membrane, for example, by binding to fat molecules. Furthermore, through molecular modeling and point-mutation studies, the research team identified the atomic-level details of the binding process between TM4SF5 and c-Src, including the designed peptides with the ability to disrupt their binding. The team predicted that these peptide fragments, which resemble the C-terminal tail of TM4SF5, would intercept the c-Src action by competing against the actual TM4SF5, thus disrupting the binding of the two cell proteins. By conjugating with specific viral sequences, that help to infiltrate into cells, the designed peptides were confirmed to be effective in animal models. By actually injecting these peptide fragments into cells and tumor-infested laboratory mice, the team identified that both, the development of liver cancer and its metastasis to the lungs were inhibited. The research team emphasized the significance of this study, noting that “By identifying the molecular mechanism of hepatic fibrosis and hepatoma based on the signaling activation of the tumor protein aided by and the cell membrane protein, we obtained key information to control the activation of the tumor protein by disrupting the binding between the two proteins. This study will be expected to serve as a starting point in developing of safe peptide biomedicines that can prevent the development of liver diseases, including hepatoma.” This study was the result of a nice collaboration conducted by Professor Sun Choi at Ewha and Professor Jung Weon Lee at Seoul National University College of Pharmacy (co-corresponding authors), and participated in by Professor Yoonji Lee (co-first author) at Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy who received bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees at Ewha Womans University College of Pharmacy and served as an instructor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the U.S.
- No.79
- Writer
- Date2021.08.06
- Views11858

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