Professor
Hyung Joon Cha
Medical Science and Engineering, School of Convergence Science and Technology Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Korea
Title: Development of biomedical materials based on photo-crosslinkable alginate
Hyung Joon Cha*
Alginate, a polysaccharide biomaterial extracted from marine brown seaweed, can rapidly gel after interacting with divalent cations, such as calcium ions. Because alginate exhibits excellent biocompatibility, it is among the most widely used natural biomaterials. However, because ionic crosslinking is an unstable and reversible interaction, calcium ion-crosslinked alginate hydrogel readily decomposes and swells under physiological conditions, thereby limiting its long-term mechanical stability for biomedical use. Furthermore, excessive ion concentration damages surrounding tissues by altering osmotic pressure. In this talk, I will present our research team’s efforts to develop and evaluate photo-crosslinkable alginate, which can be covalently crosslinked by visible-light irradiation and ionic crosslinked with calcium ions, as an innovative biomaterial for biomedical applications such as embolization of aneurysms and 3D printing of bioinks.
Biography of the presenting author
Hyung Joon Cha received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Seoul National University in 1995. From 1996 to 1998, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute in the USA, and an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, from 1998 to 1999. He joined POSTECH in 1999.
His areas of interest include biomolecule-based synthetic biomaterials, biomedical engineering, drug delivery systems, and biosensors. He has published ~300 peer-reviewed research papers and holds more than 100 registered patents.
Currently, he serves as SeAH Chair Professor at POSTECH as well as the Director of the Marine BioMaterials Research Center (currently, the Biomaterials Research Institute), which is funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea, in recognition of his prominent work on mussel-derived synthetic adhesive biomaterials for biomedical and healthcare applications. \
His work has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Order of Service Merit (Red Stripes), the Korea Engineering Award presented by the Korean President, the Inventor of the Year Award, the 2020 Future 100 Best Technologies and Researchers Award, and the 2012 National R&D 100 Best Researcher Award.
He is currently an Academician of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, an Academician of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, the President of the Korea Marine Biotechnology Industry Organization, and the Deputy Secretary General of the Financial Committee, Asian Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB).
Presenting author details
Full name: Hyung Joon Cha
Contact number: +82-10-9690-3280
Email: hjcha@postech.ac.kr