This Year's Top Scientist and Engineer, Seopan Gil, Director of Korea Brain Research Institute

Seopan-gil, Director of the Korea Brain Research Institute

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] This year, Seo Pangil, director of the Korea Brain Research Institute, was selected as the top scientist and engineer in South Korea. He was highly praised for elucidating the molecular identity of phospholipase C (PLC), a key enzyme in brain cell signal transduction, and for revealing the operating principles of signal transduction.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies announced on the 1st that Director Seo was selected as the recipient of the 'Korea's Top Scientist and Engineer' award and will be presented with a presidential certificate and a prize of 300 million won at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Korea Science and Technology Annual Conference held on the 3rd.

Director Seo is a figure who established a new paradigm for the mechanism of signal transduction, a fundamental concept in understanding life phenomena. He was the first in the world to isolate and purify phospholipase C (PLC), the key enzyme of signal transduction, from the brain and succeeded in cloning its gene. He also led the global life science community by establishing the signal transduction process mediated by PLC at molecular, cellular, and organism levels. PLC is an enzyme that breaks down membrane phospholipids in response to external stimuli to produce two secondary messengers, IP3 and DAG.

Furthermore, Director Seo expanded the basic concept of biological signal transduction to elucidate the precise regulatory process of stem cell differentiation. He also discovered that imbalances in signal transduction induce abnormal cell growth and cause cancer and various brain diseases, presenting new possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of intractable diseases.

As of the end of February this year, Director Seo has published 348 research papers, with over 14,000 citations and an H-Index of 62, ranking him among the top scientists in the field of life sciences. In addition, he successfully hosted the 10th International Brain Research Organization (IBRO 2019) World Congress of Neuroscience last year.

Director Seo stated, "I believe research based on data from cells, animals, and humans is necessary," adding, "Based on my experience so far, I plan to focus on 'collaborative research rather than solo research,' 'interdisciplinary research,' and 'virtuous cycle translational research through data analysis.'"

With Director Seo's selection as this year's top scientist and engineer, the number of awardees in the life sciences field in South Korea has reached 15, equal to the natural sciences field (35%). Historically, the number of awardees in the engineering field is 13 (30%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.