Four Recipients Including Professors Karl Diceros and An Myeongju Awarded Asan Medical Prize

A Total Prize of 770 Million KRW Awarded

Professor Karl Deisseroth of the Department of Bioengineering and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University in the United States was selected as the winner of the 18th Asan Medical Award in the Basic Medical Science category. The honor of winning in the Clinical Medical Science category went to Professor Myung-Joo Ahn of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine.

Professors Kal Daiseros, An Myeongju, Park Yonggeun, and Choi Hongyun (from left). Asan Social Welfare Foundation

The Asan Social Welfare Foundation announced this at the 18th Asan Medical Award ceremony held on the 18th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. The winner in the Basic Medical Science category receives $250,000, and the winner in the Clinical Medical Science category receives 300 million KRW.

In the Young Medical Scientist category, Professor Yong-Keun Park of the Department of Physics at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and Professor Hong-Yoon Choi of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital, along with two others, were awarded a total prize money of 770 million KRW, with each receiving 50 million KRW.

Professor Karl Deisseroth is the founder of optogenetics, a genetic technology that uses light-responsive proteins to control cells in living tissues with light. He was recognized for his contributions to understanding the cellular basis of sensation, cognition, and behavior, and for elucidating the mechanisms connecting the brain and behavior.

Professor Myung-Joo Ahn is a world-renowned authority in the fields of lung cancer and head and neck cancer. He has led clinical trials of new targeted therapies and immuno-oncology drugs to improve cancer treatment outcomes. His extensive translational research has been highly praised for contributing to the advancement of oncology.

Professor Yong-Keun Park, awarded in the Young Medical Scientist category for medical scientists under 45, developed the core technology of 'holographic tomography,' which allows high-resolution 3D imaging and analysis of cells and tissues without staining, contributing to the advancement of bioimaging. Professor Hong-Yoon Choi received high praise for proposing new directions in medical diagnosis and treatment through research that integrates various fields, such as analyzing nuclear medicine molecular imaging and spatial transcriptome data using artificial intelligence (AI) technology and fusing it with medical imaging.

The Asan Social Welfare Foundation established the Asan Medical Award in 2008 to encourage medical scientists who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in the fields of basic and clinical medical sciences. To date, a total of 57 individuals have received the Asan Medical Award (15 in Basic Medical Science, 16 in Clinical Medical Science, and 26 in the Young Medical Scientist category).

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