Professor Lee Hyuk-jin Achieves Domestic Production of mRNA Drug Delivery Materials... Awarded Scientist of the Month

Professor Lee Hyuk-jin, Ewha Womans University

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 3rd that Professor Lee Hyuk-jin of Ewha Womans University, who developed lipid nanoparticles (LNP) that effectively deliver messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) substances into the body, was selected as the recipient of the Science and Technology Person of the Month Award for November.

Professor Lee succeeded in domestic production by developing lipid nanoparticles (LNP) that effectively deliver mRNA substances, such as those used in COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer. mRNA refers to messenger RNA that carries genetic information from DNA to ribosomes in the cytoplasm, where proteins are produced. mRNA drugs have a short development period due to the absence of cell culture production processes and exhibit high therapeutic effects, making them a new treatment method for cancer and genetic diseases since the 2010s.

The problem is that mRNA is vulnerable to environmental factors such as ambient temperature and pH (hydrogen ion concentration) and is rapidly degraded by enzymes in the body. Therefore, there is intense competition to secure core technology for lipid nanoparticles (LNP) that safely transport mRNA drugs into the body for biopharmaceutical development.

To increase the efficiency of delivering mRNA drugs into cells, Professor Lee developed ionizable lipids whose ionization state changes according to the surrounding pH environment. He succeeded in producing lipid nanoparticles (LNP) that safely package mRNA drugs and deliver them into cells. When mRNA packaged with lipid nanoparticles developed by Professor Lee’s research team was injected into animal models, it was confirmed that more than 80% of target cells received the mRNA drug with just one administration, proving the safety and efficiency of this drug delivery core technology. The research results were published online on February 26 this year in the international journal Science Advances.

Professor Lee Hyuk-jin stated, “This research developed a delivery technology that transports next-generation RNA therapeutics, mRNA, to target cells in the body. It is significant as the first domestically developed and patented lipid nanoparticle (LNP).” He added, “It is expected to contribute to the development of the biopharmaceutical industry by being utilized in the development of RNA therapeutics and mRNA vaccines in the future.”

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