Voice Series: Interview with Prof. Dr. Sangyong Jon, KAIST Chair Professor : Published Online: January 13 2021

Abstract

Prof. Sangyong Jon received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Now, he has returned to KAIST as the Chair Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences and also as the Director of the Center for Precision BioNanomedicine. His research interest lies at the interface of biomedicine, biotechnology, biomaterials, and nanomedicine. His major research focus is on the development of various platform technologies that may address unmet medical needs. Some of the platforms his team developed over a decade ago include the “Aptide” platform that enables the screening and identification of high-affinity peptides for various protein targets such as antibodies; the “Bilirubin Nanomedicine” platform that provides a universal nanomedicine solution for various inflammatory diseases, and the “Cancer Stem Cell” platform that enables facile generation of three-dimensional (3D) cancer stem cell spheroids from various differentiated cancer cells for basic cancer research and drug development. Prof. Jon has received numerous awards and honors including the 2020 KAIST Innovation Prize and the 2015 College of Fellows at the American Institute of Medical Imaging and Biological Engineering. His most recent innovation is the development of bilirubin-based nanoparticles, which has demonstrated its therapeutic feasibility in many pre-clinical disease models, including inflammatory bowel disease. More interestingly, he cofounded a start-up company (BiliX Inc) based on the platform technology. In this interview, we learn first-hand about Prof. Jon’s exciting innovation and the importance of integrating basic science and translational medicine.