Kookmin University's Yongchul Park Selected for Core Research Program under Basic Research Project

Research Supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation

Professor Yongchul Park from the Department of Convergence Bioengineering at Kookmin University has been selected for the 2026 Core Research (Type C) program under the Basic Research Project led by the Ministry of Science and ICT and supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea. The title of the project is "Development of a Genetic Tool Kit for the Food Yeast Candida utilis for Precision Fermentation and Its Application in Food Ingredient Production."

Professor Yongchul Park and his research team from the Department of Convergent Bioengineering at Kookmin University. Kookmin University

The Basic Research Project is a government-led initiative aimed at strengthening creative and challenging basic research and fostering outstanding researchers to enhance future capabilities in science and technology. Among its various categories, the 'Core Research' field is designed to support highly creative individual research, cultivate excellent basic research skills, and provide a foundation for researchers to become leaders in their fields. Eligible applicants include faculty members in science and engineering at universities, as well as researchers at national, public, government-funded, and private research institutes.

The project led by Professor Yongchul Park at Kookmin University aims to develop a genetic tool kit (including components and modules for genome and gene modification) for the food yeast Candida utilis based on synthetic biology technologies, and to use this as a foundation for developing precision fermentation technologies necessary for the future supply of food ingredients. Through this research, it is expected that the development of stable domestic production technologies for food ingredients such as proteins and amino acids will form the basis for addressing uncertainties in food ingredient supply due to climate change and broaden the possibilities for developing and producing a variety of food materials.

Professor Park's research team has recently proposed white biotechnology-based microbial synthetic biology and precision fermentation technologies capable of mass-producing various biohealth materials, including human milk oligosaccharides, glutathione, agarose, and terpenes. Building on this, the team is expanding its research into the biochemistry field, including the production of biodegradable plastics and plastic degradation. Previously, in 2022, the team published a paper in Bioresource Technology on the development of carbon dioxide-capturing yeast microbes, demonstrating the scalability of their technology.

Professor Park has conducted a wide range of studies on industrialization technologies based on biology, including CRISPR-based engineering of food yeasts and bacteria, as well as microbial process-based synthetic biology and precision fermentation technologies. As a result of these achievements, he has been recognized with awards from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In addition, by founding the yeast-specialized company BioCraft Co., Ltd., he has played a leading role in the industrialization of laboratory technologies.

This selection for the core research program is another demonstration of Kookmin University's research competitiveness in the field of biotechnology, where the university has particular strengths. Professor Yongchul Park's research is expected to contribute to securing industrialization technologies in the fields of synthetic biology and precision fermentation for food ingredient production in the future.

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