Professor Kim Yoon-ki's KAIST Team Identifies New Protein Synthesis Process Inside Cells

Development of Low-Dose, High-Efficiency RNA Vaccine Becomes Possible

KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 23rd that the research team led by Professor Yoon Ki Kim from the Department of Biological Sciences has identified a new mechanism for the protein synthesis process of circular RNA occurring within eukaryotic cells. This provides an important foundation for the development of low-dose, high-efficiency RNA vaccines.

Professor Yoonki Kim, Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST

The research team elucidated a new form of protein translation occurring in circular RNA. They revealed that most circular RNAs produced within cells possess an Exon Junction Complex (EJC). The EJC directly binds to a protein (eIF3g) responsible for recruiting ribosomes, which are in charge of protein synthesis, ultimately attracting ribosomes to induce protein synthesis.

Professor Yoon Ki Kim, who led the research, stated, "Through this study, we expect to develop mRNA vaccines capable of high stability and high-efficiency protein synthesis while minimizing side effects." Professor Kim also serves as co-CEO of the startup company Ribotech, which is working on the commercialization of circular RNA technology.

The currently widely used coronavirus mRNA vaccines have linear mRNA, which is highly unstable within cells. In contrast, circular RNA is much more stable than linear RNA, leading numerous domestic and international pharmaceutical companies to develop circular RNA to enhance RNA stability. Therefore, research on the protein synthesis process occurring in circular RNA is necessary.

This study, in which Jiyoon Jang and Minkyeong Shin, doctoral students from KAIST’s Department of Biological Sciences, and Juri Park participated as co-first authors, was published on October 9 in the world-renowned international journal Nucleic Acids Research.

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