The Leading Research Institute KIST Challenges the Nobel Prize with Ultra-High Difficulty 3 Major Research Tasks

Taking on the 'Grand Challenge' Tackling Three Difficult but Impactful Tasks: Autism, Aging, and Artificial Retina

▲KIST

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] There is a widespread criticism that South Korea's failure to produce Nobel laureates stems from a research culture focused on performance, leading researchers to only pursue projects with high chances of success. As scientists become complacent, there have been no achievements in 'first-of-its-kind research'?a key criterion for Nobel-winning work that has a significant impact on the world. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the leading government-funded research institute, is taking on ultra-challenging research projects with low chances of success but the potential to change the world, such as autism treatment, overcoming aging, and vision restoration, to foster a culture of bold research.

KIST announced on the 23rd that it had finalized three detailed projects under the Grand Challenge (GRaND Challenge) initiative at the end of last month and plans to focus intensively on these for the next six years.

KIST explained, "Since the inauguration of President Yoon Seok-jin last year, we have boldly broken away from the issues raised about government-funded research institutes, such as ‘performance-oriented research’ and ‘pursuit of projects with high success probability,’ and presented a vision to attempt research in uncharted territories with no known answers and world-first studies."

To this end, KIST began soliciting GC candidate projects in November last year, receiving a total of 22 proposals. Through an internal research planning committee, nine projects were selected for preliminary planning research. Subsequently, after evaluation by 17 domestic and international experts by research topic, three projects were finally selected at the end of August: ‘Early Diagnosis and Therapeutic Development for Autism,’ ‘Adipose Immune-Induced Aging Control Technology,’ and ‘Artificial Photoreceptor-Based Vision Restoration Technology.’

The ‘Early Diagnosis and Therapeutic Development for Autism (Principal Investigator Dr. Chu Hyun-ah)’ project aims to diagnose autism early based on core mechanisms of symptoms and develop customized therapeutics, as earlier diagnosis leads to better treatment outcomes. Currently, the fastest diagnostic technology can only diagnose after 14 months of age, and even in the U.S., considered advanced in autism research, the average diagnosis age is only 4.5 years. The research team aims to develop a continuous brain tracking technique to diagnose autism immediately after birth and propose symptom-specific treatments. The team will also conduct global collaborative research with MIT, Harvard University, and Duke University.

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The ‘Adipose Immune-Induced Aging Control Technology Development (Principal Investigator Dr. Kim Se-hoon)’ project aims to develop foundational technology to induce healthy aging in preparation for a super-aged society. Focusing on the fact that visceral fat is the tissue where senescent cells accumulate most with age, the project will elucidate the biological interactions between senescent cells and immune cells within adipose tissue and develop a novel aging control technology that directs the immune system appropriately to regulate systemic aging phenomena.

The ‘Artificial Photoreceptor-Based Vision Restoration Technology Development (Principal Investigator Dr. Kim Jae-heon)’ project aims to develop foundational technology for an artificial retina that enables continuous and color-perceptive vision using artificial photoreceptors. This new approach differs from existing stagnant technologies such as camera-based artificial retinas and optic nerve stimulators. The plan is to secure paradigm-shifting technology that restores vision by introducing artificial photoreceptors into the optic nerves of patients with retinal damage. The project seeks to overcome vision impairment increasing due to aging, reduce social and economic losses caused by retinal diseases, and lead the artificial retina market.

Each research team will conduct studies for the next three years and may continue for an additional three years based on evaluations not only of goal attainment but also growth. To ensure the successful execution of the three selected projects, customized support will be provided to researchers in various forms, including funding, space, and facilities.

President Yoon Seok-jin emphasized, "The biggest obstacle to conducting challenging research is the evaluation system that requires proving the value of research outcomes through papers and other means. Since GC projects are not fields with proven feasibility through existing research, both the results and processes of adventurous research are recognized as achievements. We will foster a culture that further encourages challenging research through this approach."