Pukyong National University to Develop Core Nano-Semiconductor Technology for New Drug Development

Professor Lim Hyoryeong's Team Selected for 'Semiconductor Global Advanced Fab Collaboration Project'

National Pukyong University (President: Jang Youngsoo) is set to embark on the development of an organoid chip (Organ-on-a-chip), a technology that has recently garnered significant attention, utilizing nano-semiconductor technology.

On the 22nd, National Pukyong University announced that the research team led by Professor Lim Hyoryeong (Department of Human Bio-Convergence) has been selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT's "2024 Global Advanced Semiconductor Fab Utilization Project."

Professor Lim Hyoryung (center) and research team.

This project supports international joint research for the development of fundamental technologies in the nano-semiconductor field through collaboration between domestic and international research institutions possessing leading technologies in nano-semiconductors and applied fields, as well as advanced semiconductor infrastructure institutions in Korea and the United States, such as the National Nanofab Center and NY Creates.

Professor Lim Hyoryeong's team will lead the project titled "Development of an Organoid Evaluation Chip Using Semiconductor-Based 500nm-Class Multi-Nanosensors," with a project budget of 1 billion KRW.

The overseas joint research institution participating in the project is Professor Shin Suryeon’s team at Harvard Medical School-Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the contract research institution is Marananotech, located on the Yongdang Campus of National Pukyong University, led by CEO Lee Hyeyeon. This research aims to have outstanding early-career and mid-career female researchers collaborate to apply semiconductor process-based nanobiosensors to the national advanced strategic technology sector and present a vision for commercialization.

The organoid chip, which refers to a bio-tissue chip, is a key technology in new drug development, as it enables the cultivation of artificial organs on a chip fabricated using semiconductor microfabrication techniques, allowing for the analysis of the physical and physiological environments of internal organs and disease modeling.

Utilizing organoid chip technology is expected to offer various possibilities, including early diagnosis and treatment of diseases, reduction of costs and time in new drug development, decreased reliance on animal testing leading to improved animal welfare, and the pioneering of new markets in life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

The research team plans to develop an organoid evaluation chip capable of real-time, multiplexed verification for diverse and accurate analysis according to drug response conditions and time. In the first year of the project, they will begin developing a nanosensor-microfluidic chip system; in the second year, they will develop high-precision evaluation technology; and in the third year, they will develop a prototype integrating nanosensors and microfluidic chips, as well as multi-evaluation technology for three-dimensional cardiac tissue.

Professor Lim Hyoryeong stated, "Through this research, we aim to develop technology that can precisely monitor and analyze complex biological responses such as cardiac organoids by integrating nanosensors and microfluidic chips. In the long term, we will strive to advance biomimetic technology and contribute to the development of precise disease modeling and treatment methods."

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