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Dr. Ryu Hoon Joins KIST’s Center for Neuroscience (2019.03.06)
- Date : 2019-03-27
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Dr. Ryu Hoon Joins KIST’s Center for Neuroscience
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) appointed Dr. Ryu Hoon, a prestigious brain scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine, as head of its Center for Neuroscience.
Dr. Ryu has been spearheading research into neuronal gene regulation and epigenetics for degenerative brain diseases. His particular focus has been to discover epigenetic biomarkers for Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s in order to better understand the pathogenesis of these diseases, diagnose them more effectively, and treat them using epigenetic gene-targeted drugs.
After receiving his Ph.D., he joined Harvard Medical School as a research associate before later working there as an instructor. Next, he began work at the Boston University School of Medicine. He has published over 120 articles in SCI(E) journals, and Korea’s Biological Research Information Center (BRIC) included him on their list of Hanbitsa (“people who brighten Korea”) on 12 separate occasions.
KIST’s hiring of Dr. Ryu is expected to spark active cooperation between KIST’s Brain Science Institute (BSI) and the Boston University School of Medicine. In 2018, these two institutions signed a cooperation agreement with each other, and BSI has made plans to expand research collaboration with Boston-based research institutes.
Dr. Ryu stated that his decision to join KIST was based on BSI’s “world-class researchers, research capabilities, and passion for research.” He also said he would do his best to “educate young brain scientists and promote human mental health.”
KIST President Lee Byoung Gwon described Dr. Ryu as “essential for expanding KIST’s brain science research capacities.” He went on to say that, “Even though BSI currently leads this kind of research in Korea, we believe the addition of Dr. Ryu will result in even greater success.”