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KIST's Persons of the Month: Dr. Ae Nim Pae and Dr. Yun Kyung Kim (2020.02.29)
- Date : 2020-03-06
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International Cooperation Team
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KIST's Persons of the Month: Dr. Ae Nim Pae and Dr. Yun Kyung Kim
On January 28,
2020, Dr. Ae Nim Pae and Dr. Yun Kyung Kim from KIST’s Convergence Research
Center for Dementia DTC received the KIST Person of the Month Award for their
achievements.
Dr. Ae Nim Pae,
the Head of KIST’s Convergence Research Center for Dementia DTC, and principal
researcher Dr. Yun Kyung Kim have developed candidate materials for the
treatment of dementia using the Tau protein anti-clogging method.
Researchers at
KIST have established cellular and animal models which enable oligomer
formation to be monitored during the early, coagulative stages of a Tau
protein, one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s dementia. Through drug screening
and optimization derived from those models, KIST researchers were able to
determine which materials excelled in efficacy and safety.
In order to
develop the technology as a competitive clinical candidate, KIST transferred it
to Dong-A ST, a major pharmaceutical company in Korea, for a down payment of
KRW 1 billion (milestone set based on development and clinical progress), and
signed an MOU on the 11th of December, 2019 for carrying out joint clinical
research and development.
Dr. Ae Nim Pae,
who majored in the synthesis of drugs, conducted the design and synthesis of
new compounds, while Dr. Yun Kyung Kim established an evaluation system for Tau
protein coagulation efficacy based on close cooperative research to derive the
top high-performing materials for dementia treatment.
KIST’s Person of
the Month Award recognizes and rewards high achievers who contribute to the
Institute in creative, innovative ways. Winners are selected by the Reward
Deliberation Committee. This time, Dr. Ae Nim Pae and Dr. Yun Kyung Kim were
both selected in recognition of their research achievements.