Professor Hyuk Jin Lee receives the 'Scientific Technology Medal' in honor of Science·Information and Communication Day
- Date2023.04.26
- 6293
Only one in the country to succeed in developing ionization lipid and commercialization of liquid nanoparticles
Acknowledged for developing a high-efficiency RNA drug transporter that is capable of delivering to the targeted cell
In commemoration of the 56th Science Day and 68th Information and Communication Day, Pharmacy department professor Hyuk Jin Lee received the Scientific Technology Medal at the '2023 Science·Information and Communication Day commemoration ceremony,' which was opened at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Center.
Professor Hyuk Jin Lee is our country's first to succeed in discovering ionization lipid and the commercialization of liquid nanoparticle(LNP). Through a technique using LNP, highly-efficient RNA drug transporters that is capable of delivering to a targeted cell are developed. Through this, the way to cure various infectious and/or incurable diseases, including Corona, is opening. Global pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna, used this messenger RNA(mRNA) technique to make the Corona vaccine in one year and proved the safeness and effectiveness of this technique worldwide.
Professor Lee has received his bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degree at Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, and KAIST. Under the guidance of Robert Langer, the founder of Moderna and MIT professor, he progressed the research of LNP and genetic medicine with a base on short interfering RNA(siRNA) and nucleic acid structure. After being appointed to Ewha's pharmacy department in 2012, he has carried on projects of developing a next-generation RNA nucleic acid medicine with a base on nucleic acid nanotechnology, and a 3rd generation LNP excavation research for the delivery of genetic medicines to the body.
Professor Lee has been acknowledged for his role in making a substance that transmits the mRNA drug safely into the body, and has received the 'This Month's Scientific Technology Person Award' and the Young Researcher Award at 'The 1st Im Sung Gi Researcher Awards' in 2021. In 2022, he was selected for the greatest result out of 100 national research projects for the 'development of a highly-efficient RNA drug transporter that is capable of delivering to the targeted cell.' Also, through the cooperative research and technology transfer with companies · institutes, he contributed greatly to the making of mRNA hemophilia medicine, siRNA anti-cancer medicine, lung fibrosis medicine etc, and he is continuing with various researches, such as the development of new medicine containing mRNA.
Professor Lee said, "I'm delighted to be acknowledged for my efforts in developing LNP for genetic medicines and mRNA vaccines. I will continue to do my best in commercializing these medicines and vaccines nationally. I give thanks to fellow professors, co-researchers, and lab students who worked with me. In order for this kind of project to be progressed, Ewha's Pharmacy department and governmental institutes such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Health and Welfare etc provided lots of support. I thank them as well."