Professor Hyukjin Lee Wins Korean Scientist and Engineer of the Month Award
- 작성처
- Date2021.11.03
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Professor Hyukjin Lee Wins Korean Scientist and Engineer of the Month Award
Professor Hyukjin Lee at the College of Pharmacy was selected as the “Korean Scientist and Engineer of the Month” in recognition of his contribution toward developing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that can safely deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics into the body.
The Korean Scientist and Engineer of the Month Award, presented by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea, selects a recipient every month who has made a contribution of the development of science and technology with excellent research performance to receive the Minister of Science and ICT Prize. Professor Lee developed novel lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that can effectively deliver mRNA substances that can be utilized as vaccines and biotherapeutics for various infectious diseases and incurable diseases including COVID-19. His group was the first team to succeed the development of LNP technology in Korea, thereby earning the November Korean Scientist and Engineer of the Month.
Professor Lee developed LNPs that encapsulate and deliver mRNA therapeutics safely to target cells by using an ionizable lipid whose state changes depending on the surrounding pH conditions to enhance the transfection efficiency of mRNA therapeutics to target cells.
The research team administered the mRNA encapsulated LNP into an animal model, confirming that a single injection could deliver mRNA therapeutics to more than 80% of target cells, which proved its validity as original technology for a safe and efficient drug delivery system, and published the findings in the online edition of Science Advances on February 26, 2021.
This is the first LNP technology developed and patented domestically in South Korea and is expected to enable the development of effective and safe RNA therapeutics through a transfer agreement with EnhancedBio Inc., a bio-venture company that develops anti-cancer therapeutics.
“The study offers an efficient drug delivery platform for mRNA, as a form of next-generation RNA therapeutics, to target cells, which is significant as the first LNPs to be developed and patented domestically,” Professor Lee explained. He also added, “This technology will be applied to the development of future RNA therapeutics and mRNA vaccines, and is expected to contribute to the development of the biopharmaceutical industry.”