• Event Name: KOREA-US Frontiers in Health and Life Sciences (KUFHLS)
• Date: 2025. 11. 6(Thu) ~ 7(Fri)
• Venue: Four Seasons Hotel, Grandballroom (3F)
• Hosted /Organized by

International Symposium(KUFHLS)

KOREA-US Frontiers in Health and Life Sciences

Successfully Concluded

📌 Self-introduction and research institute

My name is Professor Hyun Jung Shin, and I conduct research in the fields of cellular mechanics and mechanobiology in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KAIST. Our bodies are constantly subjected to various mechanical forces, and cells experience diverse physical stimuli. I am particularly interested in how cells respond to these stimuli and under what conditions normal cells transition into diseased states.

Many diseases are characterized by specific "markers" or "indicators" at the genetic or protein level. Our group goes beyond this by focusing on the development of mechanical biomarkers that can be used more intuitively and efficiently for cancer diagnosis and assessment.

Currently, as part of a Korea-US joint research support program, we are collaborating with the National Cancer Center and Sejong University in Korea, and with Professor Ian Wong at Brown University, Professor Ming Guo at MIT, and Dr. Blanche Ip at the Broad Institute in the United States. Our team is recreating the mechanical microenvironment during cancer metastasis to track cancer cell metastatic processes and developing strategies for patient-tailored therapies.

📌 Ongoing research project

Cancer is much more lethal after it has metastasized than when it remains at its primary site. However, metastasis is often very difficult to prevent or accurately predict using current treatment modalities. Our research began with the question: “If we can properly understand the physical characteristics of metastatic sites and the interactions among cells in those environments, could we more accurately predict the optimal timing of treatment and the responses to specific drugs?”

Although cancer cells can, in principle, spread to all organs in the body, in reality they tend to preferentially colonize certain organs, a phenomenon often referred to as metastatic organotropism. In particular, we focus on the physical properties of the microenvironment that determine whether cancer cells can survive in a given organ—such as how stiff the tissue is (mechanical stiffness or rigidity) and how the surrounding matrix and tissue structures are organized.

To investigate these issues, we have developed a platform called a metastatic niche-on-a-chip, which recreates an environment highly similar to that inside the human body. Using this system, we can observe and analyze in real time which types of microenvironments cancer cells prefer, how they establish themselves and grow at metastatic sites, and which drugs can inhibit or block the metastatic process.

The ultimate goal of this project is to understand how cancer cells adapt to and survive within such diverse microenvironments. Building on this understanding, we aim to further develop this into a platform that can rapidly determine which therapeutic strategy works best using cells obtained from individual patients.

📌 Research outcomes to date

The major outcomes we expect from this research are as follows.
First, to develop a niche-on-a-chip technology that faithfully mimics the actual environments where cancer cells metastasize.
Second, to acquire high-resolution imaging data of how cancer cells respond in distinct metastatic microenvironments and to quantitatively analyze these responses.

By quantitatively dissecting each aspect of cancer cell behavior, we can gain a much more accurate understanding of how cancer cells exhibit distinct phenotypes depending on the organ-specific microenvironment. Furthermore, we expect that this work will evolve into a personalized therapeutic screening system that can rapidly test which drugs are most effective for each patient.

📌 Beneficiaries and societal impact

The most direct beneficiaries of this research will be patients with metastatic cancer, especially those with refractory disease for whom it is difficult to predict which drugs will be effective. To date, many patients have been treated with similar anticancer regimens, which has often resulted in limited efficacy or severe side effects. In contrast, the platform we are developing can emulate each patient’s unique metastatic environment in the laboratory and predict in advance which drugs are likely to work well.

This will open the way to:

• Avoid unnecessary trial-and-error in treatment selection,

• Minimize adverse effects, and

• Identify the most appropriate therapy for each patient in a shorter period of time.

In the long term, this technology has the potential to become a new standard in cancer treatment, providing a foundation for more precise, personalized, and effective care for patients with metastatic disease.

📌 Self-introduction and research overview

My name is Chaok Seok, and I am a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Seoul National University. I study biomolecules in the field of chemistry, focusing on understanding how they work at the molecular level. My research involves using computers to calculate and predict how molecules behave, and applying AI to investigate the functions of biomolecules and to develop therapeutic agents.

The title of our research project is “Digital Cytokine System.” Here, “digital” reflects the fact that we are using AI-based approaches. You may have heard the term “cytokine storm” frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cytokines act like an emergency siren in the body. When external threats such as viruses invade, or when cancer cells arise within the body, cytokines trigger our immune cells to become active by sounding this “alarm.” However, when cytokines are excessively produced, they can cause severe cytokine storms, which lead to serious clinical problems. If we can develop molecules that modulate these cytokine functions, they can serve as highly effective therapeutics.

In this project, we aim to develop small-molecule compounds that can be formulated as orally available drugs. Using AI, we design candidate molecules, synthesize them, and evaluate their activity, carrying out a collaborative research program to ultimately develop them into new medicines.

📌 Research achievements

This research has produced several important outcomes. Broadly, there are three main aspects: advances in AI methodology, progress in the discovery of active molecules, and a deeper molecular-level understanding of how cytokine systems operate, even though these processes are not directly visible.

First, on the AI side, we have improved algorithms so that we can explore extensive conformational changes of molecules that could not be adequately handled by AlphaFold alone.

Second, in terms of small-molecule discovery, we have identified initial small-molecule hits that can potentially be developed into orally available drugs. We have obtained evidence that these molecules indeed act within the cytokine system of interest.

Third, we are uncovering a new picture of how cytokines transmit signals inside cells. When a cytokine signal arrives, it triggers very strong and rapid signaling in immune cells. We are revealing a mechanism in which many molecules cluster together simultaneously to propagate this signal, providing a new molecular-level vision of cytokine signaling.

📌 Research goals and expected impact

In this research, our goal is to develop new drugs targeting cytokines that, unlike existing therapies requiring injections, can be taken orally so that patients can use them more conveniently.

In this project, we are focusing on a specific cytokine called interleukin-17 (IL-17) and developing molecules that modulate its function. The research platform and strategy we are establishing can be extended not only to IL-17 but also to other cytokines. Such drugs may be used as anticancer agents or as treatments for autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. We expect that this work will contribute to providing convenient therapeutic options for many patients suffering from inflammation, cancer, or autoimmune disorders.

Through the Korea–US joint research support program, what we ultimately hope to achieve is to contribute to the development of orally available anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and autoimmune therapeutics that enhance patient convenience and quality of life.

In this global era, researchers with diverse expertise can come together for a common purpose, regardless of nationality or location. This enables research in which a variety of technologies are integrated across borders, and we believe that such a mode of collaboration will become increasingly important in the future.