Professors Kim Bitnaeri, Bae Sangsoo, and Lee Jumyeong Receive the 3rd Im Seonggi Researcher Award

Professor Kim Bitnaeri, Chair Professor of the Department of Biological Sciences at Seoul National University, was selected as the grand prize winner of the Im Seong-gi Researcher Award. The Young Researcher Award recipients are Professor Bae Sangsoo of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Professor Lee Jumyeong of Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine.

Winners of the 3rd Im Seong-gi Researcher Award. Professor Kim Bit-nae-ri, Distinguished Professor of the Department of Life Sciences at Seoul National University, Professor Bae Sang-soo of Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Professor Lee Joo-myung of Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine (from left).
[Photo by Im Seong-gi Foundation]

The Im Seong-gi Foundation recently held a board meeting and announced on the 18th that it had selected three recipients for the 3rd Im Seong-gi Researcher Award, targeting Korean researchers who have made highly regarded achievements in the fields of biotechnology and medical science with beneficial applications for new drug development.

The Im Seong-gi Researcher Award, regarded as the most prestigious award in biotechnology and medical science in Korea, was established by the Im Seong-gi Foundation, founded by the family of the late Chairman Im Seong-gi, the founder of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group, to continue his legacy in new drug development. The foundation formed a separate judging committee composed of eminent scholars in medicine, pharmacy, and life sciences to conduct a rigorous selection process for the awardees.

The award ceremony for the 3rd Im Seong-gi Researcher Award will be held on March 4th in the afternoon at Museum Hanmi in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The grand prize winner will receive a plaque and a prize of 300 million KRW, while the two Young Researcher Award recipients will each receive a plaque and 50 million KRW.

Professor Kim Bitnaeri, the grand prize winner, currently serves as the director of the RNA Research Group at the Institute for Basic Science, conducting research to elucidate the operating mechanisms of micro ribonucleic acid (RNA) that regulates gene expression. Professor Kim was highly evaluated for comprehensively analyzing various virus-derived RNAs, known as a "treasure trove of unexplored knowledge," and for discovering RNA sequences that can increase protein production, the final product of genomic information, under RNA stabilization conditions. It is expected that applying this to the production of messenger RNA (mRNA), which acts as a messenger for genes, could be utilized as an innovative technology to enhance the performance of mRNA-based vaccines or therapeutics.

The judging committee stated, "Professor Kim is a world-renowned scholar who has made significant achievements in the theory of micro RNA generation and understanding gene and cell regulatory functions through it," adding, "This research is expected to serve as an innovative bridge for new drug development by linking to the development of RNA-based new antiviral and anticancer drugs."

Im Seong-gi Foundation CI
Photo by Im Seong-gi Foundation

Among the Young Researcher Award recipients under 45 years old, Professor Bae Sangsoo, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine, has conducted various studies in gene editing technology and therapeutic fields. The research background for this award is characterized by precisely editing genes without causing DNA breaks, proposing a fundamental treatment method for congenital intractable diseases. Although the CRISPR gene-editing technology that cuts mutant genes causing congenital genetic diseases is currently used, problems such as extensive gene loss, chromosomal translocation, and cell death caused by double-stranded DNA breaks occur.

The judging committee said, "Professor Bae has achieved results in developing highly precise gene editing technology applicable to the treatment of congenital intractable diseases," and added, "He not only proposed innovative technologies to treat various intractable genetic diseases but also significantly contributed to realizing a global hub by providing related technologies free of charge to domestic and international researchers."

The other recipient, Professor Lee Jumyeong, is an associate professor in the Department of Cardiology at Samsung Seoul Hospital and Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, conducting various therapeutic studies including interventional procedures for heart diseases. He identified an indicator that can pre-select high-risk groups with acute rejection prognostic factors through coronary physiological assessment instead of conventional myocardial tissue biopsy in heart transplant patients. This created new evidence that more intensive drug treatment and monitoring should be conducted for high-risk patients with acute rejection prognostic factors.

The judging committee stated, "Establishing safer transplantation techniques to control acute rejection, which occurs in about 15-30% of heart transplant patients, has been a long-standing wish in medical practice," and added, "Professor Lee contributed to opening new horizons in heart disease treatment through foundational research that enables early diagnosis of treatment possibilities."

The late Lim Sung-ki, Founding Chairman of Hanmi Pharmaceutical
[Photo by Hanmi Pharmaceutical]

Lee Gwansoon, Chairman of the Im Seong-gi Foundation (former Vice Chairman of Hanmi Pharmaceutical), said, "The three recipients selected this time have achieved meaningful accomplishments in biotechnology and medical science with beneficial applications for new drug development, earning the honor of the award," and added, "We hope the Im Seong-gi Researcher Award will establish itself as an award that gives great hope to domestic researchers who open new horizons despite difficult circumstances."