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KIST, Changing the World with World-First & World-Best Research! (September 23, 2021)
- Date : 2021-11-15
- Views : 1399
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KIST, Changing the World with World-First & World-Best Research!
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST;
President: Dr. Seok-Jin Yoon) has taken the first step in pursuing new research
that will change the world through its GRaND Challenge Program. Through this
program, KIST seeks to promote an ultra-high level of research which, while
having a high likelihood of ending in failure, also has a high likelihood of
changing the world if it is successful. As such, KIST plans to create a
challenging research environment where bold and adventurous R&D is actively
carried out.
After taking office last year, Dr. Yoon, the President of
KIST, boldly stated his intention to break away from “performance-oriented
research” and “researchers that tend to succeed without huge struggles,” which
have been raised as problems for Korean government-funded research institutes
such as KIST, and presented his vision to turn KIST into a world-leading
institute for such ambitious and challenging research.
KIST opened the GRaND Challenge candidate project
competition in November of last year. A total of 22 projects were submitted,
with nine of them being selected by the KIST Research Planning Committee for
preparation of a preliminary research plan. Following an evaluation of each
research topic by 17 domestic and foreign experts, three projects were finally
selected at the end of August: 1) Early diagnosis of autism and development of
treatments; 2) Development of obesity-induced immune cell aging control
technology; and 3) Development of artificial photoreceptor-based visual
restoration technology.
The first, “Early diagnosis of autism and development of
treatments” (Dr. Hyunah Choo, Principal Researcher), aims to diagnose autism at
an early stage when treatment can have a greater therapeutic effect, on the
basis of the core mechanism of each symptom, and develop customized treatments
accordingly. Currently, the earliest diagnosis with existing technology is 14
months after birth, and even in the United States, which is considered to be
ahead of the pack in autism research, the average age at which autism is
diagnosed is only 4.5 years. The research team aims to develop continuous brain
tracking techniques to diagnose autism immediately after birth and propose
treatments for each autism symptom. The research team will also conduct global
network collaboration with MIT, Harvard University, and Duke University.
The second, "Development of obesity-induced immune
cell aging control technology” (Dr. Sehoon Kim, Principal Researcher), aims to
develop original technology that induces healthy aging in preparation for a
super-aged society. Based on the fact that, as we age, the tissue that
accumulates the most aging cells is visceral fat, the team plans to identify
biological interactions between aging cells and immune cells in adipose tissue
and develop a new concept of aging control technology that controls systemic aging
by inducing the immune system in the right direction.
The third, “Development of artificial photoreceptor-based
visual restoration technology” (Dr. Jae Hun Kim, Principal Researcher), aims to
develop fundamental artificial retinal technology that can be continuously
colored using artificial photoreceptors. Using a new approach differentiated
from existing technologies such as camera-based artificial retinas and optic
stimulators, the team aims to secure technology that can trigger a paradigm
shift in restoring vision by introducing artificial photoreceptors to the optic
nerve of patients with impaired retinas.
These three projects will be pursued over the next three
years, with an additional three years of research to be granted following a
successful evaluation of project growth as well as achievement of goals. To
promote the successful performance of these three projects,
researcher-customized support will be provided in various ways, including
funding, space, and facilities.
Dr. Yoon, the President of KIST, stated, “The biggest obstacle to conducting research is the evaluation system, through which the value of the research results must be proved through paperwork. Since these GRaND Challenge projects are not in areas that have been proven feasible through existing research, taking this approach to research allows us to recognize both the results and the process of exploring adventurous research as achievements. In this way, we will create a culture that further encourages the pursuit of challenging research.”