Professor Hee-Sung Park has been selected as the “Scientist of the Month” for May for his contributions to synthetic protein production research. The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSI) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) choose a scientist monthly based on the criteria of great impact in their respective fields.

The proteins within a human body utilize over 200 types of post-translational modification (PTM) such as phosphorylation and acetylation to transfer biological signals and govern crucial cellular and metabolic processes. However, anomalous protein modification through various genetic or environmental factors often leads to cancer, dementia, and other degenerative diseases. Biologists have attempted to construct synthetic proteins with specific functions to no avail.

However, Professor Park successfully controlled protein phosphorylation, the most extensive PTM, by developing a method of locally adding non-standard amino acids to a target protein. Through further research, he applied the specific nature of the chemical reactions from the non-standard amino acids to trigger carbon bonds on the protein surface, establishing for the first time a technique to synthesize protein with over 200 possible functions. Experimentation with laboratory mice revealed that the procedure can target specific steps and locations of the protein during biosynthesis without disturbing other nearby organs. The team limited regulation of acetylation, a primary cause of nerve diseases, to livers and kidneys.

Professor Park affirmed that his research has been “a breakthrough in identifying the causes of and developing treatment methods for diseases such as dementia and cancer brought on by abnormal PTMs”. MSI and NRF stated that Professor Park’s technology will serve an important role in pharmaceutical research; he had also been previously selected as the “KAISTian of the Year” in 2017 for his research.