Korea University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Professor Sun Hwa Kim's research lab specializes in advanced drug delivery systems, with a primary focus on exosome-based therapeutics and nanocarrier technologies for targeted cancer therapy and tissue regeneration. The lab explores the biological functions of exosomes—particularly those derived from M2 macrophages—to reprogram immune cells and enhance wound healing, while also developing smart nanomaterials such as functionalized PLGA and PEG-based hydrogels for controlled release. A key research direction involves engineering surface-modified nanoparticles and polyelectrolyte complexes to improve cellular uptake and gene silencing efficiency in cancer cells through folate receptor targeting. The lab integrates principles of biomaterials, cell biology, and nanomedicine to design biocompatible, stimuli-responsive systems for precision medicine applications.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Macrophages (Mϕs) critically contribute to wound healing by coordinating inflammatory, proliferative, and angiogenic processes. A proper switch from proinflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 dominant Mϕs accelerates the wound healing processes leading to favorable wound-care outcomes. Herein, an exosome-guided cell reprogramming technique is proposed to directly convert M1 to M2 Mϕs for effective wound management. The M2 Mϕ-derived exosomes (M2-Exo) induce a complete conversion of M1 to M2 Mϕs
Poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles with anionic surface charge were surface coated with cationic di-block copolymer, poly(L-lysine)-poly(ethylene glycol)-folate (PLL-PEG-FOL) conjugate, for enhancing their site-specific intracellular delivery against folate receptor overexpressing cancer cells. The PLGA nanoparticles coated with the conjugate were characterized in terms of size, surface charge, and change in surface composition by XPS. By employing the flow cytometry method a
Exosomes are cell-secreted nanovesicles that naturally contain biomolecular cargoes such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Exosomes mediate intercellular communication, enabling the transfer biological signals from the donor cells to the recipient cells. Recently, exosomes are emerging as promising drug delivery vehicles due to their strong stability in blood circulation, high biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and natural targeting ability. In particular, exosomes derived from specific
Exosomes are a class of extracellular vesicles, with a size of about 100 nm, secreted by most cells and carrying various bioactive molecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids, and reflect the biological status of parent cells. Exosomes have natural advantages such as high biocompatibility and low immunogenicity for efficient delivery of therapeutic agents such as chemotherapeutic drugs, nucleic acids, and proteins. In this review, we introduce the latest explorations of exosome-based d
Macrophages (Mφs) are characterized by remarkable plasticity, an essential component of chronic inflammation. Thus, an appropriate and timely transition from proinflammatory (M1) to anti-inflammatory (M2) Mφs during wound healing is vital to promoting resolution of acute inflammation and enhancing tissue repair. Herein, exosomes derived from M2-Mφs (M2-Exos), which contain putative key regulators driving Mφ polarization, are used as local microenvironmental cues to induce reprogramming of M1-Mφs
Cell specific gene silencing effects of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AS-ODN), synthetic small interfering RNA (siRNA-S), and siRNA expressing plasmid (siRNA-P) were comparatively evaluated. Poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and PEI-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)-folate (PEI-PEG-FOL) conjugate were used to form nanosized polyelectrolyte complexes with the above three nucleic acids coding for inhibition of green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression. The three nucleic acid complexes formulated with either P
Polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) micelles modified with cancer cell targeting moieties were prepared for intracellular delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) small interfering RNA (siRNA). A luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) peptide analogue was coupled as a cancer targeting ligand to the distal end of the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-siRNA conjugate. The siRNA-PEG-LHRH conjugate self-assembled to form nanosized PEC micelles upon mixing with poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) via ion
In the past few years, there have been many efforts underway to develop effective wound healing treatments for traumatic injuries. In particular, wound-healing peptides (WHPs) and peptide-grafted dressings hold great promise for novel therapeutic strategies for wound management. This study reports a topical formulation of a new synthetic WHP (REGRT, REG) embedded in a hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogel dressing for the enhancement of acute excisional wound repair. The copper-free click chemistr
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