Skip to main content

Myung-Hwan Kim

Seoul National University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

About the Lab

Professor Myung-Hwan Kim's research lab specializes in the development of small-molecule fluorescent probes for advanced bioimaging, with a focus on two-photon microscopy and live-cell imaging applications. The lab pioneers the design of stimuli-responsive probes for biologically relevant species such as hypochlorite (OCl⁻), enabling real-time visualization of immune responses and oxidative stress in living systems. Their work also extends to membrane domain imaging using polarity-sensitive probes, contributing to the understanding of lipid rafts in cellular signaling. The lab integrates synthetic chemistry, photophysics, and cell biology to create innovative tools for biomedical research.

two-photon imagingfluorescent probeshypochlorite detectionlive-cell imagingmembrane microdomains

Research Overview

Papers
193
Total Citations
10,888
Papers (5y)
26
Primary Field
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
26total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
314total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Review|1,044 citations·2015
Small-Molecule Two-Photon Probes for Bioimaging Applications
Hwan Myung Kim, Bong Rae Cho
SJR Q1Chemical Reviews

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVReviewNEXTSmall-Molecule Two-Photon Probes for Bioimaging ApplicationsHwan Myung Kim*† and Bong Rae Cho*‡View Author Information† Department of Chemistry & Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon 443-749, Korea‡ Department of Chemistry, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seoul 136-713, Korea*H.M.K. e-mail: [email protected]*B.R.C. e-mail: [email protected]Cite this: Chem. Rev. 2015, 115, 11, 5014–5055Publication Date (Web):May 4, 2015Publication History Rece

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Article|540 citations·2009
Two-Photon Probes for Intracellular Free Metal Ions, Acidic Vesicles, And Lipid Rafts in Live Tissues
Hwan Myung Kim, Bong Rae Cho
SJR Q1Accounts of Chemical Research

Optical imaging with fluorescence microscopy is a vital tool in the study of living systems. The most common method for cell imaging, one-photon microscopy (OPM), uses a single photon of higher energy to excite the fluorophore. However, two-photon microscopy (TPM), which uses two photons of lower energy as the excitation source, is growing in popularity among biologists because of several distinct advantages. Using TPM, researchers can image intact tissue for a long period of time with minimum i

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
3
Article|410 citations·2013
A Ratiometric Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe Reveals Reduction in Mitochondrial H2S Production in Parkinson’s Disease Gene Knockout Astrocytes
Sung Keun Bae, Cheol Ho Heo, Dong‐Joo Choi, Debabrata Sen, Eun-Hye Joe, Bong Rae Cho, Hwan Myung Kim
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical Society

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a multifunctional signaling molecule that exerts neuroprotective effects in oxidative stress. In this article, we report a mitochondria-localized two-photon probe, SHS-M2, that can be excited by 750 nm femtosecond pulses and employed for ratiometric detection of H2S in live astrocytes and living brain slices using two-photon microscopy (TPM). SHS-M2 shows bright two-photon-excited fluorescence and a marked change in emission color from blue to yellow in response to H2S,

BiochemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
4
Article|332 citations·2013
Benzimidazole-Based Ratiometric Two-Photon Fluorescent Probes for Acidic pH in Live Cells and Tissues
Hyung Joong Kim, Cheol Ho Heo, Hwan Myung Kim, Hwan Myung Kim, Hwan Myung Kim
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical Society

Many aspects of cell metabolism are controlled by acidic pH. We report a new family of small molecule and ratiometric two photon (TP) probes derived from benzimidazole (BH1-3 and BH1L) for monitoring acidic pH values. These probes are characterized by a strong two-photon excited fluorescence, a marked blue-to-green emission color change in response to pH, pKa values ranging from 4.9 to 6.1, a distinctive isoemissive point, negligible cytotoxicity, and high photostability, thereby allowing quanti

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science
5
Article|248 citations·2007
A Two‐Photon Fluorescent Probe for Lipid Raft Imaging: C‐Laurdan
Hwan Myung Kim, Hyo‐Jung Choo, Soonyoung Jung, Young‐Gyu Ko, Won‐Hwa Park, Seung‐Joon Jeon, Chul Hoon Kim, Taiha Joo, Bong Rae Cho
SJR Q1ChemBioChem

The lipid-rafts hypothesis proposes that naturally occurring lipid aggregates exist in the plane of membrane that are involved in signal transduction, protein sorting, and membrane transport. To understand their roles in cell biology, a direct visualization of such domains in living cells is essential. For this purpose, 6-dodecanoyl-2-(dimethylamino)naphthalene (laurdan), a membrane probe that is sensitive to the polarity of the membrane, has often been used. We have synthesized and characterize

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
6
Article|245 citations·2015
Development of Imidazoline‐2‐Thiones Based Two‐Photon Fluorescence Probes for Imaging Hypochlorite Generation in a Co‐Culture System
Qingling Xu, Cheol Ho Heo, Gyoungmi Kim, Hyo Won Lee, Hwan Myung Kim, Juyoung Yoon
SJR Q1Angewandte Chemie International Edition

We designed and prepared the imidazoline-2-thione containing OCl(-) probes, PIS and NIS, which operate through specific reactions with OCl(-) that yield corresponding fluorescent imidazolium ions. Importantly, we demonstrated that PIS can be employed to image OCl(-) generation in macrophages in a co-culture system. We have also employed two-photon microscopy and PIS to image OCl(-) in live cells and tissues, indicating that this probe could have wide biological applications.

SpectroscopyChemistry
7
Article|241 citations·2011
A Mitochondrial-Targeted Two-Photon Probe for Zinc Ion
Goutam Masanta, Chang Su Lim, Hyung Joong Kim, Ji Hee Han, Hwan Myung Kim, Bong Rae Cho, Hwan Myung Kim, Bong Rae Cho
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical Society

We report a two-photon probe (SZn-Mito) for mitochondrial zinc ions ([Zn2+]m). This probe shows a 7-fold enhancement of two-photon-excited fluorescence in response to Zn2+ with a dissociation constant (Kd(TP)) of 3.1 ± 0.1 nM and pH insensitivity in the biologically relevant range, allowing the detection of [Zn2+]m in a rat hippocampal slice at a depth of 100−200 μm without interference from other metal ions through the use of two-photon microscopy.

SpectroscopyChemistry
8
Article|175 citations·2016
A Selective Imidazoline-2-thione-Bearing Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe for Hypochlorous Acid in Mitochondria
Qingling Xu, Cheol Ho Heo, Jin A. Kim, Hye Sue Lee, Ying Hu, Dayoung Kim, K.M.K. Swamy, Gyoungmi Kim, Sang‐Jip Nam, Hwan Myung Kim, Juyoung Yoon
SJR Q1Analytical Chemistry

Hypochlorite (OCl(-)) plays a key role in the immune system and is involved in various diseases. Accordingly, direct detection of endogenous OCl(-) at the subcellular level is important for understanding inflammation and cellular apoptosis. In the current study, a two-photon fluorescent off/on probe (PNIS) bearing imidazoline-2-thione as an OCl(-) recognition unit and triphenylphosphine (TPP) as a mitochondrial-targeting group was synthesized and examined for its ability to image mitochondrial O

SpectroscopyChemistry
9
Article|164 citations·2019
Azulene-Derived Fluorescent Probe for Bioimaging: Detection of Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species by Two-Photon Microscopy
Lloyd C. Murfin, Maria Weber, Sang Jun Park, Won Tae Kim, Carlos M. López-Alled, Claire L. McMullin, Fabienne Pradaux, Catherine L. Lyall, Gabriele Kociok‐Köhn, Jannis Wenk, Steven D. Bull, Juyoung Yoon
SJR Q1Journal of the American Chemical SocietyOA

Two-photon fluorescence microscopy has become an indispensable technique for cellular imaging. Whereas most two-photon fluorescent probes rely on well-known fluorophores, here we report a new fluorophore for bioimaging, namely azulene. A chemodosimeter, comprising a boronate ester receptor motif conjugated to an appropriately substituted azulene, is shown to be an effective two-photon fluorescent probe for reactive oxygen species, showing good cell penetration, high selectivity for peroxynitrite

SpectroscopyChemistry
10
Article|161 citations·2007
Environment‐Sensitive Two‐Photon Probe for Intracellular Free Magnesium Ions in Live Tissue
Hwan Myung Kim, Cheol Woong Jung, Bo Ra Kim, Soonyoung Jung, Jin Hee Hong, Young‐Gyu Ko, Kyoung J. Lee, Bong Rae Cho
SJR Q1Angewandte Chemie International Edition

“Green” emission: A novel two-photon fluorescent probe that can detect intracellular free Mg2+ ions at a depth of a few hundred micrometers in live tissue was developed. The emission from the Mg2+–probe complex (green) shows little interference from association of the probe with other intracellular metal ions or with the cell membrane (blue).

SpectroscopyChemistry
11
Article|157 citations·2017
N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Boranes as Reactive Oxygen Species‐Responsive Materials: Application to the Two‐Photon Imaging of Hypochlorous Acid in Living Cells and Tissues
Yen Leng Pak, Sang Jun Park, Di Wu, BoHyun Cheon, Hwan Myung Kim, Jean Bouffard, Juyoung Yoon
SJR Q1Angewandte Chemie International Edition

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) boranes undergo oxidative hydrolysis to give imidazolium salts with excellent kinetic selectivity for HOCl over other reactive oxygen species (ROS), including peroxides and peroxynitrite. Selectivity for HOCl results from the electrophilic oxidation mechanism of NHC boranes, which stands in contrast to the nucleophilic oxidation mechanism of arylboronic acids with ROS. The change in polarity that accompanies the conversion of NHC boranes to imidazolium salts can cont

SpectroscopyChemistry
12
Article|156 citations·2012
A mitochondria-localized two-photon fluorescent probe for ratiometric imaging of hydrogen peroxide in live tissue
Goutam Masanta, Cheol Ho Heo, Chang Su Lim, Sung Keun Bae, Bong Rae Cho, Hwan Myung Kim
SJR Q1Chemical Communications

We report a two-photon fluorescent probe (SHP-Mito) which can ratiometrically detect mitochondrial H(2)O(2) in live cells and intact tissues at >100 μm depth through the use of two-photon microscopy.

SpectroscopyChemistry
13
Article|152 citations·2008
Two-photon materials with large two-photon cross sections. Structure–property relationship
Hwan Myung Kim, Bong Rae Cho
SJR Q1Chemical Communications

The development of two-photon materials has been growing very fast during the last decade due to the potential applications in optical limiting, 3D microfabrication, and multiphoton microscopy. In this article, the structure-two-photon absorption property relationships of dipolar, quadrupolar, and octupolar molecules as well as the derivatives of triphenylamine, [2.2]paracyclophanes, multi-annulenes, and porphyrins are briefly reviewed to provide a guideline for the design of efficient two-photo

Biomedical EngineeringEngineering
14
Article|147 citations·2014
Ratiometric Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe for Quantitative Detection of β-Galactosidase Activity in Senescent Cells
Hyo Won Lee, Cheol Ho Heo, Debabrata Sen, Hae‐Ok Byun, In Hae Kwak, Gyesoon Yoon, Hwan Myung Kim
SJR Q1Analytical ChemistryOA

We reported a ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe (SG1) for β-galactosidase (β-gal) and its application to quantitative detection of β-gal activity during cellular senescence in live cells and in aged tissues. This probe is characterized by a significant two-photon excited fluorescence, a marked blue-to-yellow emission color change in response to β-gal, easy loading, insensitivity to pH and reactive oxygen species (ROS), high photostability, and low cytotoxicity. In addition, we show that S

Biomedical EngineeringEngineering
15
Article|144 citations·2007
Magnesium Ion Selective Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe Based on a Benzo[h]chromene Derivative for in Vivo Imaging
Hwan Myung Kim, Pil Rye Yang, Mun Sik Seo, Jae-Sung Yi, Jin Hee Hong, Seung‐Joon Jeon, Young‐Gyu Ko, Kyoung J. Lee, Bong Rae Cho
SJR Q2The Journal of Organic Chemistry

A novel, two-photon probe for the detection of free Mg2+ ions in living cells and live tissues has been developed. The probe can be excited by 880 nm laser photons, emits strong two-photon excited fluorescence in response to Mg2+ ions, can be easily loaded into the cell and tissue, shows high photostability, and can measure the Mg2+ ion concentration without interference by Ca2+ ions in living cells. The intracellular dissociation constant (Kdi) for Mg2+ determined by the two-photon process is 2

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science

Research Areas

SpectroscopyBiomedical EngineeringMolecular BiologyBiochemistryMaterials ChemistryBiophysics

Dive deeper into Myung-Hwan Kim's research on Nubint

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