Mikyung Shin
Sungkyunkwan University · Engineering
About the Lab
Professor Mikyung Shin's research lab specializes in developing bioinspired materials with multifunctional properties, particularly focusing on pyrogallol- and catechol-based adhesives for biomedical and energy applications. The lab explores the design of injectable, conductive, and mucoadhesive hydrogels using natural functional groups like gallol and catechol to enable applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and 3D bioprinting. A central theme is leveraging strong, reversible, and substrate-independent adhesion for hemostasis, wound healing, and medical device integration. The lab also investigates the interplay between molecular structure and macroscopic material behavior, such as shear-thinning and self-healing, to create smart biomaterials.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15Abstract Pyrogallol‐containing molecules are ubiquitous in the plant kingdom. The chemical synthesis of these molecules remains challenging. Thus, they are obtained via purification from heterogeneous mixtures of plant extracts. Previous studies have focused on their biological roles, such as antioxidants. Additionally, the molecules are used as ink colorants and in tanning processes for leather. Recently, many disciplines have paid attention to adhesiveness of pyrogallol‐containing molecules, i
Conductive hydrogels are attractive to mimic electrophysiological environments of biological tissues and toward therapeutic applications. Injectable and conductive hydrogels are of particular interest for applications in 3D printing or for direct injection into tissues; however, current approaches to add conductivity to hydrogels are insufficient, leading to poor gelation, brittle properties, or insufficient conductivity. Here, an approach is developed using the jamming of microgels to form inje
To achieve site-specific delivery of pharmaceuticals, the development of effective mucoadhesive polymers is essential. Thus far, only a few polymers, such as thiolated ones and related variants, have been studied. However, their mucoadhesiveness varies depending on the type of polymer and the degree of chemical functionalization. Furthermore, the chemistry of tethering often requires harsh reaction conditions. Recently, pyrogallol-containing molecules have emerged as good tissue and hemostatic a
We report the multifunctionality of a small adhesive functional group called gallol (three hydroxyls attached to benzene), which is the ubiquitous moiety found in many vegetables and fruits. First, the chemical tethering of gallols to a polysaccharide backbone and the addition of another gallol-rich compound, oligo-epigallocatechin gallate, result in the spontaneous gelation of the hyaluronic acid-gallol, and the cross-linking is due to the extensive level of hydrogen bond formations from both g
Mussel-inspired adhesive coatings on biomedical devices have attracted significant interest due to their unique properties such as substrate independency and high efficiency. The key molecules for mussel-inspired adhesive coatings are catechol and amine groups. Along with the understanding of catechol chemistry, chitosan-catechol has also been developed as a representative mussel-inpired adhesive polymer that contains catechol and amine groups for adhesiveness. Herein, we demonstrated the direct
All animal experiments for evaluating drug efficacy or developing medical devices are unavoidably accompanied by bleeding that result in unreliable outcomes with large variations between individuals. Herein, we developed hemostatic swabs prepared by a mussel-inspired catecholamine polymer called chitosan-catechol, which was inspired by the chemical composition of the well-known material-independent coating material of polydopamine. The hemostatic ability of the swabs resulted from the formation
Implantable electronics have recently been attracting attention because of the promising advances in personalized healthcare. They can be used to diagnose and treat chronic diseases by monitoring and applying bioelectrical signals to various organs. However, there are challenges regarding the rigidity and hardness of typical electronic devices that can trigger inflammatory reactions in tissues. In an effort to improve the physicochemical properties of conventional implantable electronics, soft h
The need for the development of soft materials capable of stably adhering to nerve tissues without any suturing followed by additional damages is at the fore at a time when success in postoperative recovery depends largely on the surgical experience and/or specialized microsuturing skills of the surgeon. Despite fully recognizing such prerequisite conditions, designing the materials with robust adhesion to wet nerves as well as acute/chronic anti-inflammation remains to be resolved. Herein, a st
Research Areas
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