Skip to main content

Ji-Won Woo

Yonsei University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

About the Lab

Professor Ji-Won Woo's research lab specializes in advanced tissue clearing technologies and extracellular vesicle (EV) engineering for regenerative medicine and biomedical imaging. The lab develops innovative, scalable methods for whole-body and organ-level 3D visualization using improved passive clearing techniques like Bone-mPACT+ and quantitative assays such as PACA-Light/Glow to standardize tissue transparency evaluation. A key focus is enhancing the yield, purity, and regenerative bioactivity of mesenchymal stem cell-derived EVs through serum-free 3D culture and molecular priming strategies, particularly using melatonin. The lab also investigates the surface electrochemistry and biocompatibility of biomedical alloys, such as titanium-silver, for dental and orthopedic applications.

tissue clearingextracellular vesicles3D imagingregenerative medicinebiomaterials

Research Overview

Papers
33
Total Citations
284
Papers (5y)
12
Primary Field
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
12total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
108total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|60 citations·2016
Optimization of the optical transparency of rodent tissues by modified PACT-based passive clearing
Jiwon Woo, Mirae Lee, Jeong Min Seo, Hyo Suk Park, Yong Eun Cho
SJR Q1Experimental & Molecular MedicineOA

Recently, a bio-electrochemical technique known as CLARITY was reported for three-dimensional phenotype mapping within transparent tissues, allowing clearer whole-body and organ visualization with CB-perfusion (CUBIC) and leading to the development of whole-body clearing and transparency of intact tissues with the PACT (passive clarity technique) and PARS (perfusion-assisted agent release in situ) methodologies. We evaluated the structure–function relationships in circuits of the whole central n

BiophysicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Article|52 citations·2022
Bolstering the secretion and bioactivities of umbilical cord MSC-derived extracellular vesicles with 3D culture and priming in chemically defined media
Jun Yong Kim, Won‐Kyu Rhim, Seung-Gyu Cha, Jiwon Woo, Joo Youn Lee, Chun Gwon Park, Dong Keun Han
SJR Q1Nano ConvergenceOA

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been known to possess the features of the origin cell with nano size and have shown therapeutic potentials for regenerative medicine in recent studies as alternatives for cell-based therapies. However, extremely low production yield, unknown effects derived from serum impurities, and relatively low bioactivities on doses must be overcome for translational applications. As several reports have demonstrated the tunabili

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
3
Article|34 citations·2019
An in vivo cell-based assay for investigating the specific interaction between the SARS-CoV N-protein and its viral RNA packaging sequence
Jiwon Woo, Eunice Yoojin Lee, Mirae Lee, Taeyeon Kim, Yong Eun Cho
SJR Q2Biochemical and Biophysical Research CommunicationsOA
Infectious DiseasesMedicine
4
Article|19 citations·2022
The Upregulation of Regenerative Activity for Extracellular Vesicles with Melatonin Modulation in Chemically Defined Media
Jun Yong Kim, Won‐Kyu Rhim, Jiwon Woo, Seung-Gyu Cha, Chun Gwon Park, Dong Keun Han
SJR Q1International Journal of Molecular SciencesOA

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have been widely known to have therapeutic effects by representing characteristics of the origin cells as an alternative for cell-based therapeutics. Major limitations of EVs for clinical applications include low production yields, unknown effects from serum impurities, and relatively low bioactivities against dose. In this study, we proposed a cell modulation method with melatonin for human umbilical cord MSCs (hUCMS

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
5
Article|15 citations·2021
Highly effective induction of cell-derived extracellular matrix by macromolecular crowding for osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells
Yong-In Yoo, Kyoung‐Won Ko, Seung-Gyu Cha, So‐Yeon Park, Jiwon Woo, Dong Keun Han
SJR Q1Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
SurgeryMedicine
6
Article|13 citations·2022
Comparative Analyses of Clearing Efficacies of Tissue Clearing Protocols by Using a Punching Assisted Clarity Analysis
Jiwon Woo, Eunice Yoojin Lee, Mirae Lee, Seockmo Ku, Jeong Yoon Park, Yong Eun Cho
SJR Q1Frontiers in Bioengineering and BiotechnologyOA

The advent of tissue clearing methods, in conjunction with novel high-resolution imaging techniques, has enabled the visualization of three-dimensional structures with unprecedented depth and detail. Although a variety of clearing protocols have been developed, little has been done to quantify their efficacies in a systematic, reproducible fashion. Here, we present two simple assays, Punching-Assisted Clarity Analysis (PACA)-Light and PACA-Glow, which use easily accessible spectroscopy and gel d

Cellular and Molecular NeuroscienceNeuroscience
7
Article|13 citations·2020
Investigation of PRDM7 and PRDM12 expression pattern during mouse embryonic development by using a modified passive clearing technique
Jiwon Woo, Haewon Kang, Eunice Yoojin Lee, Sangkyu Park, Yong Eun Cho
SJR Q2Biochemical and Biophysical Research CommunicationsOA
BiophysicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
8
Article|11 citations·2005
Surface characteristics of titanium-silver alloys in artificial saliva
Hyung‐Min Shim, K.-T. Oh, Jiwon Woo, Chung–Ju Hwang, K. N. Kim
SJR Q3Surface and Interface AnalysisOA

Titanium and its alloys are widely used in biomedical and dental fields because of their excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. It is well known that titanium is protected from corrosion because of the stability of the passive film that controls and determines the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of titanium and its alloys. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the electrochemical properties of titanium–silver alloys and the surface characteristics of passive film in a

Biomedical EngineeringEngineering
9
Article|11 citations·2023
Optimization of the optical transparency of bones by PACT-based passive tissue clearing
Byung-Ho Jin, Jiwon Woo, Mirae Lee, Seockmo Ku, Hyung Seok Moon, Seungjun Ryu, Young‐Min Hyun, Jeong Yoon Park, Sung Uk Kuh, Yong Eun Cho
SJR Q1Experimental & Molecular MedicineOA

Recent developments in tissue clearing methods such as the passive clearing technique (PACT) have allowed three-dimensional analysis of biological structures in whole, intact tissues, thereby providing a greater understanding of spatial relationships and biological circuits. Nonetheless, the issues that remain in maintaining structural integrity and preventing tissue expansion/shrinkage with rapid clearing still inhibit the wide application of these techniques in hard bone tissues, such as femur

Biomedical EngineeringEngineering
10
Article|11 citations·2020
A Modified Magnified Analysis of Proteome (MAP) Method for Super-Resolution Cell Imaging that Retains Fluorescence
Jiwon Woo, Jeongmin Seo, Mirae Lee, Ju-Young Kim, Sol Min, Sang‐Tae Kim, Seockmo Ku, Jeong Yoon Park
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Biological systems consist of a variety of distinct cell types that form functional networks. Super-resolution imaging of individual cells is required for better understanding of these complex systems. Direct visualization of 3D subcellular and nano-scale structures in cells is helpful for the interpretation of biological interactions and system-level responses. Here we introduce a modified magnified analysis of proteome (MAP) method for cell super-resolution imaging (Cell-MAP) which preserves c

BiophysicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
11
Article|9 citations·2021
Comparison of Surface Functionalization of PLGA Composite to Immobilize Extracellular Vesicles
Jiwon Woo, Kyoung‐Won Ko, Seung-Gyu Cha, Yun Heo, Dong Keun Han
SJR Q1PolymersOA

Endothelialization by materials provides a promising approach for the rapid re-endothelialization of a cardiovascular implantation. Although previous studies have focused on improving endothelialization through the immobilization of bioactive molecules onto the surface of biodegradable implants, comparative studies of effective surface modification have not yet been reported. Here, we conducted a comparative study on the surface modification of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-based composites

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
12
Article|7 citations·2018
Novel Passive Clearing Methods for the Rapid Production of Optical Transparency in Whole CNS Tissue
Jiwon Woo, Eunice Yoojin Lee, Hyeong Cheon Park, Jeong Yoon Park, Yong Eun Cho
SJR Q2Journal of Visualized ExperimentsOA

Since the development of CLARITY, a bioelectrochemical clearing technique that allows for three-dimensional phenotype mapping within transparent tissues, a multitude of novel clearing methodologies including CUBIC (clear, unobstructed brain imaging cocktails and computational analysis), SWITCH (system-wide control of interaction time and kinetics of chemicals), MAP (magnified analysis of the proteome), and PACT (passive clarity technique), have been established to further expand the existing too

Cellular and Molecular NeuroscienceNeuroscience
13
Article|6 citations·2023
MicroRNA super-resolution imaging in blood for Alzheimer’s disease
Mirae Lee, Jiwon Woo, Sang‐Tae Kim, Minho Moon, SangYun Kim, Hanna Cho, Sujin Kim, Han‐Kyeol Kim, Jeong Yoon Park
SJR Q1BMB ReportsOA

We propose a novel blood biomarker detection method that uses miRNA super-resolution imaging to enable the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we report a singlemolecule detection method for visualizing disease-specific miRNA in tissue from an AD mice model, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from AD patients. Using optimized Magnified Analysis of Proteome (MAPs), we confirmed that five miRNAs contribute to neurodegenerative disease in the brain hippocampi of 5XFAD and

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
14
Article|5 citations·2021
A novel paper MAP method for rapid high resolution histological analysis
Mirae Lee, Jiwon Woo, Doh‐Hee Kim, Yu‐Mi Yang, Eunice Yoojin Lee, Jung-Hee Kim, Seok‐Gu Kang, Jin-Kyung Shim, Jeong Yoon Park
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Three-dimensional visualization of cellular and subcellular-structures in histological-tissues is essential for understanding the complexities of biological-phenomena, especially with regards structural and spatial relationships and pathologlical-diagnosis. Recent advancements in tissue-clearing technology, such as Magnified Analysis of Proteome (MAP), have significantly improved our ability to study biological-structures in three-dimensional space; however, their wide applicability to a variety

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
15
Article|5 citations·2021
Investigation of PRDM10 and PRDM13 Expression in Developing Mouse Embryos by an Optimized PACT-Based Embryo Clearing Method
Jiwon Woo, Byung-Ho Jin, Mirae Lee, Eunice Yoojin Lee, Hyungseok C. Moon, Jeong Yoon Park, Yong Eun Cho
SJR Q1International Journal of Molecular SciencesOA

Recent developments in tissue clearing methods have significantly advanced the three-dimensional analysis of biological structures in whole, intact tissue, providing a greater understanding of spatial relationships and biological circuits. Nonetheless, studies have reported issues with maintaining structural integrity and preventing tissue disintegration, limiting the wide application of these techniques to fragile tissues such as developing embryos. Here, we present an optimized passive tissue

BiophysicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Areas

BiophysicsMolecular BiologySurgeryCellular and Molecular NeuroscienceInfectious DiseasesBiomedical Engineering

Dive deeper into Ji-Won Woo's research on Nubint

Open this lab's papers in the app to read with AI, summarize, and cite in your writing.