%52%65%73%65%61%72%63%68
-
KAIST Launches Korea's First Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Research Institute
Moving beyond today’s AI, which excels at solving problems similar to those encountered during training, KAIST has launched a dedicated research institute to develop foundational technologies for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) that can make decisions and adapt independently when faced with unfamiliar problems and environments.
KAIST announced that it officially launched the AGI Research Institute under the KAIST AI Research Institute (AIRI) on September 18, following the completion of internal approval procedures.
The research team initially comprises 11 professors: Kim Tae-Kyun (T-K), Kim Hyunwoo, and Oh Tae-Hyun (School of Computing); Sung Minhyuk (Department of AI Computing); Shin Jinwoo and Ye Jong Chul (Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI); Kim Junmo and Chung Joon Son (Department of Electrical Engineering); Ahn Sungjin (Department of AI Computing); and Park Noseong and Yoon Sung-Eui (School of Computing). Professor Kim Tae-Kyun (T-K) of the School of Computing was appointed as the institute’s inaugural director, with plans to gradually expand the team.
The AGI Research Institute has been established with the mission of advancing the science and engineering of AGI through fundamental research and returning the benefits to society. Its core research focus is “generalization”—the ability of AI to apply learned knowledge to previously unseen tasks, environments, and data domains.
While current AI systems have achieved remarkable results through the scaling of data and computational power, they still struggle to learn and reason beyond their learnt domains. They perform well on problems similar to their training data, but their performance can decline when conditions or environments change.
The institute plans to move beyond simply scaling data and computing resources by developing foundational technologies that enable AI to reason about previously unseen problems and adapt to new environments, even with limited resources.
To this end, the institute will investigate the fundamental principles of AI through research into novel and efficient neural network architectures, learning principles, understanding the physical world, and the implementation of intelligence. It will also cultivate the next generation of research leaders.
The institute’s key research areas include:
• Efficient Foundation Models: Achieving high performance with less computation.
• Novel Knowledge Discovery (AI Meta-Scientist): Enabling AI to generate its own hypotheses and discover new knowledge.
• World Understanding: Developing world models that understand the structure and dynamics of the physical world and predict the future.
• Physical AI: Enabling embodied systems, such as robots, to perceive and act within real-world environments.
• AI Safety: Ensuring that AI remains aligned with human intent.
In Efficient Foundation Models, the institute will develop neural network architectures and learning methods that go beyond Transformers, with the aim of enabling AGI even in resource-constrained environments. In AI Meta-Scientist research, it will develop AI systems that go beyond exploring existing knowledge to generate their own hypotheses, conduct scientific research, and discover new knowledge.
By integrating these interconnected research areas into a single research institute, KAIST aims to establish itself as a global hub for AGI research.
Director Kim Tae-Kyun said, “There are limits to how far AI can advance simply by continuing to expand AI data centers.” He added, “Sustained efforts to develop foundational AI technologies that can adapt to new problems even in resource-constrained environments will be critical to staying competitive in the next generation of AI.”
The institute will pursue its research through national R&D projects supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Funding includes a total of KRW 10 billion over five years for the development of lightweight, low-power next-generation neural network architectures and KRW 18.75 billion over five years for AI Meta-Scientist research. The institute is also participating in a project led by LG Electronics to develop world models and robotics-based Physical AI technologies. That project has a total budget of KRW 34 billion over two years. In addition, the institute is conducting research on physically grounded intelligence.
Choi Sung-Yool, Vice President of Research at KAIST, remarked, “I expect KAIST’s outstanding AI research teams to make significant contributions to developing core next-generation AGI technologies that lead the way toward sustainable human development.”
Hong Jin-bae, President of IITP, stated, “As creative ideas and challenging research drive AI technological innovation, I look forward to the new AGI research institute becoming a hub of innovation that unlocks new possibilities for the future of artificial intelligence.”
2026.09.22 View 1719 -
KAIST Researchers Uncover How Neurons Deliver RNA to Where It Is Needed
Much like a courier reading an address on a package, neurons must deliver RNA to the precise locations where it is needed. A KAIST research team has discovered how a small chemical modification on RNA acts as a “delivery tag,” helping selected RNAs travel to distant regions of neurons.
The findings provide a basis for investigating RNA “delivery errors” in brain disorders—cases in which RNA is produced normally but fails to reach its intended destination—and may ultimately inform the development of new therapeutic strategies.
KAIST (President Choongsik Bae) announced on September 14 that a research team led by Professor Ki-Jun Yoon of the Department of Biological Sciences has identified a mechanism through which N6-methyladenosine, or m6A, facilitates the transport of specific RNAs to distal axons, the long, cable-like projections of neurons.
Unlike most other cells, neurons have long, highly branched extensions. Axons transmit signals to other neurons, while dendrites receive incoming signals. For the brain to develop and function normally, these structures must grow properly and form appropriate connections.
Because neurons can extend over considerable distances, RNA produced in the cell body may be needed far away, including at the growing tip of an axon. Neurons must therefore identify particular RNAs among thousands of candidates and transport them to the correct subcellular locations.
Just as producing a package does not complete its delivery—the package must also reach the correct address—producing RNA is only part of the process. RNA must arrive at the right place at the right time. However, the mechanisms through which neurons select and transport RNAs over long distances have remained incompletely understood.
The research team found that m6A, a small chemical modification added to RNA, plays an important role in this process. m6A is a modification of adenosine, one of the building blocks of RNA, and is known to influence several aspects of RNA metabolism, including stability and translation. The new study shows that m6A can also function as a molecular “delivery tag” that promotes the transport of specific RNAs to distal regions of neurons.
The researchers first examined mice in which Mettl14, a component of the enzyme complex that installs m6A on RNA, was deleted from developing neurons. In the absence of normal m6A modification, the neurons exhibited impaired axon projection and neurite development. These findings confirmed that m6A plays an important role in the early development of neurons.
The team then used a high-resolution technique known as m6A-SAC-seq to map the precise locations of m6A modifications in RNA from the developing mouse brain at single-nucleotide resolution. The resulting map revealed that RNAs associated with axon development and synapse organization were among those marked by m6A.
The researchers also identified how this “delivery tag” is recognized and connected to the cellular transport machinery. They found that YTHDF2, a protein that recognizes m6A-modified RNA, works with the RNA-binding protein FMRP and the motor protein KIF5C to facilitate the transport of RNA along neuronal processes.
In the delivery analogy, m6A serves as the tag attached to the RNA, YTHDF2 reads the tag, and FMRP and KIF5C help connect the RNA to the cellular machinery that carries it toward its destination.
YTHDF2 has previously been studied primarily for its role in promoting the degradation of RNA that is no longer needed. This study reveals an additional function: in developing neurons, YTHDF2 also helps transport specific RNAs to distal locations rather than simply directing them toward degradation.
The findings offer a new perspective on the study of brain disorders. Research has traditionally focused on whether RNA is produced and maintained correctly. The new results suggest that researchers should also consider whether normally produced RNA is delivered to the correct location within a neuron.
In other words, neurological dysfunction may potentially arise not only from defects in RNA itself, but also from problems with the molecular tags or transport machinery that determine where the RNA travels.
Future studies could investigate whether such RNA delivery errors occur in neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative disorders and whether they contribute to neuronal dysfunction or disease onset. If such links are established, the findings could eventually support the development of therapeutic approaches that regulate RNA transport and restore the delivery of specific RNAs to their intended locations.
The high-resolution m6A map of the developing nervous system generated in this study may also serve as a valuable resource for examining how RNA modification and intracellular transport change during brain aging and neurodegenerative disease.
“Our study shows that a small chemical modification on RNA does more than regulate RNA stability—it also plays an important role in delivering specific RNAs to the locations where they are needed within neurons,” said Professor Yoon. “We hope these findings will provide a foundation for understanding why RNA may fail to reach its intended destination in brain disorders and for exploring new therapeutic possibilities.”
Bonsang Koo, Dr. Ajeet Kumar, and Huiseon Hwang of the KAIST Department of Biological Sciences contributed equally to the study as co-first authors. The paper was published in Nature Communications on July 30.
Paper title: The m⁶A reader YTHDF2 regulates mRNA transport and axon outgrowth in developing neurons
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76161-8
Author information: Co-first authors (Bonsang Koo, Ajeet Kumar, Huiseon Hwang); Contributing authors (Minyeong Park, Sung-Min Lee, Ki-Heon Lee, Ji-Hoon Moon, Jaewon Yang, Chan-Woo Park, Saebom Lee, Hee-Jung Jo, Woo-il Kim, Eunji Cho, Hagyeong Lee, Chang-Won Lee, Jae-Sung Woo, Jong Hyuk Yoon, Yoon Ki Kim); Corresponding author (Ki-Jun Yoon)
This work was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grants (2020M3A9E403967022, RS-2024-00332454, RS-2024-00440778, and RS-2026-25488918 to K.-J.Y.) funded by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT, and Future Planning (MSIP), the POSCOScience Fellowship from the POSCO TJ Park Foundation (to K.-J.Y.), the Young Investigator Grant from the Suh Kyungbae Foundation (to K.-J.Y.), the Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI) Basic Research Program through the Korea Brain Research Institute, funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) (24-BR-02-03 to J.H.Y).
2026.09.14 View 3991 -
Neural Implant in Korea Remotely Controlled from the United States, Bringing Brain Research into the IoT Era
A researcher in Chicago remotely controls a miniaturized brain implant in Daejeon, Korea — over the internet. Korean researchers have developed a wireless device that can deliver drugs and light to precisely modulate targeted neurons from anywhere in the world. The technology is expected to overcome the constraints of distance and location, supporting long-term studies of brain disorders and the future development of therapeutic devices.
KAIST (President Choongsik Bae) announced on August 27 that a research team led by Professor Jae-Woong Jeong from the School of Electrical Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Wha Young Kim's team at Yonsei University College of Medicine, has developed an IoT-enabled wireless neural implant that integrates drug delivery, optical stimulation, wireless communication, and internet-based remote control into a single miniaturized device.
Conventional studies involving optical stimulation or drug delivery to the brain often required bulky equipment connected by wires, restricting the natural movement of experimental animals. Even wireless devices had their own limitations, often requiring researchers to operate them at close range, thereby restricting experimental flexibility and introducing the so-called “observer effect”.
To overcome these limitations, the research team developed the brain implant with IoT connectivity. Even without being physically present in the laboratory, researchers can remotely administer drugs or stimulate specific brain neurons with light in real time via the internet. The device can also be programmed to operate automatically at a preset time.
The device is about the size of a sugar cube and is designed not to interfere with the animal's natural behavior. Researchers no longer need to repeatedly approach or handle equipment near the animal, reducing the stress caused by a researcher's presence, which can otherwise affect the animal's behavior and bias experimental results.
The implant contains a microfluidic system that precisely delivers drugs to a targeted region of the brain, as well as a micro-LED that enables optical control of specific neurons. Drug delivery and optical stimulation can be controlled independently, or the two functions can be combined.
The drug reservoir is designed to be magnetically detachable. Even after the drug is depleted, researchers can replace or refill the reservoir without the need for additional implantation surgery, enabling long-term, repeated experiments.
The research team implanted the device in rats and verified its performance over a four-week period. In particular, a researcher in Chicago successfully operated the brain implant in Daejeon, Korea, in real time via the internet, demonstrating that the device can operate reliably over intercontinental distances.
The team also conducted an experiment in which cocaine was wirelessly administered to a rat's brain while specific neurons were simultaneously stimulated with light. The results showed that addiction-related behavioral responses could be suppressed, demonstrating the potential of combining drug delivery and optical stimulation for neural circuit research.
By eliminating the need for researchers to operate equipment directly beside experimental animals, this technology enables long-term studies of the relationship between brain circuits and behavior under naturalistic conditions. It is expected to be useful for studying conditions that involve long-term changes in neural circuit function and behavior, such as addiction, depression, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The technology could ultimately pave the way for intelligent implantable medical devices that combine brain-state sensing with AI to deliver drugs or neural stimulation precisely when needed.
Professor Jae-Woong Jeong from KAIST said, “This technology transforms wireless brain implants that use light and drugs from short-range control tools into IoT-based brain engineering platforms capable of long-term, automated, and remote experimentation.” He added, “In the long term, it could contribute to the development of intelligent implantable medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders.”
Professor Wha Young Kim from Yonsei University said, “This platform allows researchers to remotely and precisely control specific brain circuits over extended periods while animals move freely under naturalistic conditions.” She added, “It is expected to become an important tool for identifying causal relationships between neural circuits and behavior in disease models such as addiction, depression, and neurodegenerative disorders.”
Eun Young Jeong, a doctoral student in KAIST's School of Electrical Engineering, and Jong Woo Park, a doctoral student at Yonsei University College of Medicine, served as co-first authors. The study was published on July 29 in the international journal Science Advances.
Paper title: IoT-enabled wireless neural implant for chronic, programmable neuropharmacology and optogenetics,
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aee8648
This research was supported by the Mid-Career Researcher Program and Basic Research Laboratory Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, as well as the Industrial Technology Alchemist Project of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
2026.08.27 View 5623 -
Twelve Years Later, KAIST’s Undergraduate Research Program Continues to Shape World-Class Talent
KAIST’s undergraduate research programs have helped launch the careers of professors at world-leading universities and experts in global industry in just over a decade. Three students featured as undergraduate researchers in 2014 have since built distinguished careers: two are now professors at leading universities in the United States, while the third works as an open innovation expert at a global pharmaceutical company. Their career paths demonstrate the lasting impact of KAIST’s Undergraduate Research Participation Program (URP) on talent development.
KAIST (President Choongsik Bae) announced on Aug 9 that its Undergraduate Research Participation Program (URP), which enables undergraduate students to formulate their own research questions and experience the entire research process in faculty laboratories, has become a cornerstone of the Institute’s efforts to develop world-class researchers and science and technology professionals.
URP is one of KAIST’s flagship research education programs. It allows undergraduate students to conduct actual research projects in faculty laboratories and directly experience the entire research process, from developing research ideas to conducting experiments, analyzing data, and writing papers. Operated with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the program has conducted a total of 679 research projects over the past five years. Through these projects, students have generated a wide range of research outcomes, including publications in international academic journals, patent applications, and awards at international conferences.
“KAIST has steadily expanded research-centered education so that undergraduate students can formulate their own questions and create new knowledge in a world-class research environment,” said President Choongsik Bae. “We will continue to provide strong support through URP and other research programs enabling students to take on challenges without fear of failure and grow into science and technology leaders who drive innovation at universities and in industry around the world.”
A notable example can be found in the laboratory of Professor YongKeun Park in the Department of Physics. In 2014, KAIST highlighted the achievements of undergraduate researchers in Professor Park’s laboratory in an article titled “Professor YongKeun Park Produces Undergraduate Students with International Achievements.” The three students featured at the time have since grown into world-class researchers and professionals, each pursuing a different career in academia or industry.
Sangyeon Cho began working in a laboratory during his first year at KAIST and completed more than 30 credits of research courses by the time he graduated. One of the two first-author papers he published as an undergraduate, his review article on optical imaging techniques for malaria was featured on the cover of Trends in Biotechnology in 2012. He later earned his Ph.D. through the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program and served as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School before joining Rice University as an assistant professor in July 2026. He currently studies technologies that use the world’s smallest nanolasers to track individual cancer cells and therapeutic cells over extended periods.
YoungJu Jo began conducting research combining microscopy and artificial intelligence as an undergraduate, building an interdisciplinary foundation early in his career. His research at the time on virtual staining and diagnosis was published in journals including Nature Cell Biology and Science Advances. He later conducted neuroscience research at Stanford University and published a first-author paper that was featured on the cover of Cell in 2022. In July 2026, Jo joined UC Berkeley as an assistant professor, where he is developing next-generation brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies capable of delivering complex information to the brain.
Seoeun Lee carried the research mindset she developed as an undergraduate into a career in industry. After earning her Ph.D. from Columbia University and working at Boston Consulting Group, she joined global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. She currently leads External Innovation activities in the company’s neuroscience division, identifying and pursuing collaborations with promising biotechnology companies through mergers and acquisitions, licensing, partnerships, and other arrangements. Her career demonstrates that undergraduate research experience can lead not only to traditional research careers but also to roles in strategy and collaboration within science- and technology-based industries.
Although the three alumni ultimately pursued careers in different settings—universities and industry—their journeys began in much the same way. During their first or second year as undergraduates, they independently sought out opportunities in laboratories and experienced research that began with questions they were personally curious about rather than merely executing assigned experiments. As an undergraduate, Sangyeon Cho conceived an idea for a super-resolution microscope after seeing a streetlight turn on while walking back to his dormitory late at night. Together with Professor Park, he developed this initial curiosity into a scientific question and ultimately into a research paper.
This undergraduate research culture continues at KAIST today. In 2023, research on GOBI, a methodology for estimating causal relationships in time-series data, involving undergraduate Seho Park as first author, was published in Nature Communications.
In 2024, undergraduate Taesik Youn, serving as first author, conducted the world’s first total synthesis of the natural product securinine G, which has potential applications in cancer treatment and drug development. In 2025, two studies involving undergraduate Minjae Kim were published. His co-first-authored research on a wearable carbon dioxide sensor for real-time breath monitoring appeared in Device, a Cell Press journal, while his lead-author study on OLED displays was published in Nature Communications. Undergraduate Jaehong Cho received both the Best Paper Award and the Distinguished Artifact Award at an IEEE international conference based on his URP research. Through URP, undergraduate-led, world-class research achievements continue to emerge across diverse fields, including drug development, wearable devices, displays, and artificial intelligence. These students are not only publishing in internationally recognized journals and receiving awards at international conferences but also developing advanced research capabilities early in their academic careers.
“These students did not become outstanding researchers through mentorship alone,” said Professor YongKeun Park. “I am grateful that KAIST has created an environment in which faculty members can conduct research alongside such exceptional students. A professor’s role, I believe, is to help students further develop the tremendous potential they already possess.”
“Research is about discovering something new, which means that undergraduate and graduate students begin from the same starting point,” he added. “What ultimately shapes a researcher is the depth of their engagement, their persistence in the face of setbacks, and their ability to formulate questions independently and seek out answers.”Questions first explored in undergraduate laboratories 12 years ago are now driving new research and innovation at universities and companies around the world. KAIST will continue to expand research opportunities through URP so that students can pursue their own questions and create new knowledge.
2026.08.10 View 3143 -
KAIST-NVIDIA Establish Asia's First AI Joint Research Lab, Accelerating Korea's AI Innovation
KAIST and NVIDIA establish Asia's first AI joint research lab between NVIDIA and a university to advance next-generation agentic AI tailored to the Korean language and domestic industries.
KAIST (President Choongsik Bae) announced on July 24 that it will establish the NVIDIA-KAIST Joint AI Research Lab at the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI with the global AI computing giant NVIDIA. The two organizations will conduct joint research on next-generation core AI technologies.
"This collaboration marks the starting point of a strategic partnership between KAIST and NVIDIA that combines world-class AI research talent with cutting-edge AI infrastructure," said President Choongsik Bae. “We will build Korea's leading global AI research hub and lead the way in developing next-generation foundational AI technologies and cultivating world-class AI talent."
Through this partnership, KAIST and NVIDIA will build a joint research framework covering agentic AI models and systems specialized for the Korean language and Korean industries. The two organizations will build a long-term research collaboration framework to develop foundational AI technologies for Korea, cultivate global talent, and strengthen industrial competitiveness.
The NVIDIA-KAIST AI Joint Research Lab, to be established at the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI, will operate as a global research hub developing agentic AI models and AI agent systems tailored to Korea's language and industrial needs.
The two organizations plan to combine NVIDIA’s full-stack AI technologies and Nemotron open models, and the computing infrastructure of local NVIDIA Cloud Partners with the world-class scientific talent at KAIST.
The $300 million collaboration will proceed over an initial five-year period, including $50 million per year in compute contributions. Researchers participating in the joint lab will gain access to the latest NVIDIA AI computing infrastructure through local NVIDIA Cloud Partners.
The joint lab will fund at least 10 KAIST researchers annually and provide each with internship opportunities at NVIDIA. In addition, NVIDIA plans to hire exceptional Korean researchers for full-time positions. Together, these efforts will create stronger pathways for Korea's top AI talent to pursue ambitious research, build long-term careers, and deepen global collaboration between academia and industry.
The joint lab will be led by Dr. Hyunwoo Kim, currently at NVIDIA, who will join the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI as a professor next month. Dr. Kim will set the lab's research direction and oversee collaboration between local and international researchers.
"Korea is home to leading AI researchers and has one of the world's most advanced technology ecosystems," said Bill Dally, chief scientist and senior vice president of research at NVIDIA. "The NVIDIA-KAIST AI Joint Research Lab will provide a foundation for pioneering the next frontier of AI research and accelerating the development of AI models and agent systems for Korea’s industries, language, and future"
Dr. Hyunwoo Kim, incoming faculty member at the KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI, who will serve as head of the joint NVIDIA-KAIST lab upon joining KAIST, said,
“AI research is entering a new era — one that requires frontier talent, large-scale infrastructure and deep collaboration across academia and industry.” He added, “Together, NVIDIA and KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI will pursue ambitious work that helps Korea attract and retain top AI scientists while building lasting ties with NVIDIA's global research organization.”
Song Chong, Head of the KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI, said, "This joint lab is a new industry-academia collaboration model that combines world-class research talent, AI infrastructure, and the research capabilities of a global company." He added, "We will develop core agentic AI technologies specialized for the Korean language and Korean industries and build an ecosystem where outstanding researchers can carry out world-class research from within Korea."
Check out NVIDIA's official blog post on this historic partnership here.
2026.07.24 View 6397 -
KAIST: Dementia-Causing Substance Turns On a Therapeutic “Switch”
A substance that worsens dementia has become a “switch” that initiates treatment. KAIST researchers have developed a new therapeutic approach that uses hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), a reactive oxygen species that damages cells and increases in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, to activate a drug selectively in diseased brain tissue. The team also confirmed improvements in cognitive function through animal experiments, presenting a new possibility for next-generation dementia treatment.
KAIST announced on the 2nd that a research team led by Professor Mi Hee Lim of the Department of Chemistry, in collaboration with Professor Mingeun Kim of Chonnam National University, Dr. Chul-Ho Lee and Dr. Kyoung-Shim Kim of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, and Dr. Young-Ho Lee of the Korea Basic Science Institute, has developed a prodrug that is activated selectively in the diseased brain in Alzheimer’s disease and confirmed its therapeutic effects through animal experiments.
A prodrug is a drug that initially has minimal therapeutic effect but is converted into an active therapeutic agent only under specific conditions inside the body. In this study, the prodrug was designed to be activated only when it encounters hydrogen peroxide, which increases in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, allowing it to function as a “smart therapeutic agent” that selectively acts in diseased brain tissue.
In the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients, hydrogen peroxide, which damages cells, is elevated above normal levels. Until now, it has generally been regarded only as a harmful substance that should be removed. However, the research team devised a method to use it instead as a signal that activates a drug.
The prodrugs developed by the research team, BE-1 and BE-2, are designed to remain minimally reactive in a healthy brain. However, when they encounter hydrogen peroxide in a brain affected by dementia, they are converted into active therapeutic compounds, AP-1 and AP-2. Through this process, they reduce reactive oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide, while also preventing amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides — peptides known as a major cause of dementia that accumulate in the brain and damage nerve cells — from aggregating into highly toxic clumps.
Using advanced analytical techniques, the research team confirmed that the activated drug alters the morphology of amyloid beta aggregates and suppresses their growth into large aggregates.
These effects were also confirmed in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models. The drug crossed the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a protective barrier that controls whether substances in the blood can enter the brain, and was converted into the therapeutic compound inside the diseased brain. In mice that received long-term drug administration, oxidative stress in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory, was reduced, and amyloid beta accumulation in the brain also decreased. In behavioral experiments assessing the ability to recognize new objects and navigate mazes, cognitive function was also found to improve.
This study is significant in that the drug was designed to operate only where needed by using the environment of the diseased brain itself. This approach presents a new strategy for dementia treatment that can enhance therapeutic efficacy while reducing side effects, and it is expected to be applicable to the treatment of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease.
Professor Mi Hee Lim of KAIST’s Department of Chemistry said, “This study is meaningful in that hydrogen peroxide, which had previously been regarded only as something to be eliminated, was used as a signal to activate a drug. We expect this strategy, which activates drugs in diseased tissue, to become a new platform for treating complex diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease more safely and effectively.”
This study was co-first-authored by Jimin Lee and Eunseo Hong, Ph.D. candidates in KAIST’s Department of Chemistry, and was published online on May 31, 2026, in the international journal Small (Impact Factor: 12.1, top 10% in the field of chemistry).
※ Paper title: A Prodrug Approach for Activity-Based Chemical Modulation toward Multiple Pathological Targets in Alzheimer’s Disease
DOI: 10.1002/smll.74013
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Leader Researcher Program, Global Leading Research Center Program, Sejong Science Fellowship, Graduate Student Research Encouragement Program, and institutional programs of KRIBB and KBSI.
2026.07.03 View 6525 -
KAIST Study Provides First Large-Scale Empirical Analysis of Dual-Use Research and Security Oversight
<Professor Seokbeom Kwon>
A new analysis of approximately 600,000 research papers reveals structural limits to single-country security oversight of dual-use research and identifies trade-offs that policymakers face when strengthening such oversight.
KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced today that Professor Seokbeom Kwon of the School of Business and Technology Management has published a large-scale empirical analysis examining the structural limitations of tightening security oversight on dual-use research and its potential cost to scientific progress. The study appears in Science on June 5, 2026.
Dual-use research (DUR) refers to scientific research that has both legitimate civilian applications—such as vaccine and treatment development—and potential security-sensitive applications, such as biological weapons or bioterrorism. Examples include research on viral transmission mechanisms or pathogen behavior.
< Research Image (AI-Generated) >
The United States has been strengthening security oversight of dual-use research. Most recently, Executive Order 14292, signed in May 2025, intensified federal oversight of biological research with potential security implications, including dangerous gain-of-function research. The U.S. government also has extended the policy definition of the dual-use research to include broader categories in addition to the gain-of-function research. However, existing policy dialogues have relied primarily on anecdotal evidence and historical case studies.
U.S. ex-ante security oversight institutions are based on National Security Decision Directive 189 (NSDD-189) and apply when the federal government is involved in research. Therefore, research conducted without federal government involvement effectively falls outside the jurisdiction of this oversight.
Professor Seokbeom Kwon developed a new analytical methodology combining the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s multi-stage security review process with patent-paper citation data, and analyzed approximately 600,000 research papers. The work has been recognized in academia for shifting discussions of dual-use research, which had previously relied largely on case-based analysis, toward large-scale empirical analysis.
The analysis showed that dual-use research consistently has greater scientific impact than comparable research. This means that research subject to the security oversight tends to play an important role in scientific progress and technological innovation.
In addition, the share of dual-use research directly involving the U.S. federal government decreased from about 41% in 1981 to about 22% in 2005, while the share involving foreign institutions increased from 35% to 54% over the same period. This shows that while U.S. security oversight mechanisms based on NSDD-189 have been applied to domestic research, the share of overseas dual-use research has continued to expand.
< Comparison of the Scientific Significance of Dual-Use Research >
Professor Seokbeom Kwon explained, “Strengthening security oversight on dual-use research by a single country alone may impose disproportionate costs on domestic science, while having structural limits in preventing the development of equally important research conducted overseas,” adding, “To achieve both scientific progress and national security, international cooperation and balanced policy design could contribute to mitigating these structural tensions.”
This study provides data-based evidence for international policy discussions surrounding dual-use research. In particular, it is expected to serve as an important reference for future discussions on research security regulation and global cooperation systems not only in biotechnology, but also in advanced technology fields that may be connected to security concerns, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technology.
This study was published as a sole-author paper by Professor Seokbeom Kwon in Science on June 5, 2026.
※ Paper title: “Dual-use research under scrutiny,” DOI: 10.1126/science.aee2479
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Humanities and Social Sciences Young Researcher Support Program (2025S1A5A8009362).
2026.06.05 View 2641 -
Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee Receives the AIBN Translational Research Award from the University of Queensland, Australia
<Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee immediately after receiving the AIBN Medal (AIBN Translational Research Award)>
KAIST announced on February 9th that Sang Yup Lee, Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (and Vice President for Research), was presented with the AIBN Medal (AIBN Translational Research Award) on February 3rd (local time) at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), located at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia.
The AIBN Medal is awarded to recognize translational research achievements that extend biotechnological research into industrial and social value. It is often described as an award for "achievements that do not let research end in the laboratory." Rather than focusing solely on the number of papers or citations, the award prioritizes industrial applicability, technology dissemination, international cooperation, and social impact. It is a symbolic global award in the field of translational research presented by AIBN, a world-class research hub for synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and biomanufacturing. The medal was personally presented by Professor Sue Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Queensland.
<Professor Sue Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UQ, personally presenting the medal>
During his commemorative lecture, Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee spoke on the topic of "Systems Metabolic Engineering for Chemical Production," presenting a future vision for sustainable biomanufacturing and synthetic biology technologies.
<Vice President for Research giving the award lecture on Systems Metabolic Engineering for Chemical Production>
For approximately 32 years at KAIST, Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee has pioneered research in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and systems biotechnology. To date, he has accumulated world-class research achievements, including 798 papers in international journals, 868 patents (registered and filed), over 3,000 presentations at domestic and international conferences, and approximately 690 keynote and invited lectures.
Furthermore, he has contributed to establishing the academic framework of the field through numerous publications, such as Metabolic Engineering, Systems Biology and Biotechnology of Escherichia coli, and Systems Metabolic Engineering.
In its official announcement, AIBN stated the background for the award: "Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee is a world-renowned scholar in the field of systems metabolic engineering who has made continuous and meaningful contributions not only to academic influence but also to the University of Queensland and the Australian research ecosystem." Notably, Professor Lee played a key role in establishing research strategies during the early days of AIBN (2006–2007). His collaboration has since expanded from sugar-based biomanufacturing to synthetic aviation fuels and waste-gas fermentation-based bioprocessing.
This collaboration led to global joint research with entities such as Amyris (a US-based bio-chemical and fuel company), UC Berkeley, LanzaTech (a global leader in waste-gas fermentation), and SkyNRG (a Dutch company leading the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, SAF). These efforts served as a vital foundation for the University of Queensland to become Australia’s representative research hub in synthetic biology and systems metabolic engineering.
Professor Lee is an International Member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in the US, a Foreign Member of The Royal Society in the UK, and a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He also serves as the Co-Chair of the Global Future Council on Biotechnology for the World Economic Forum (WEF), continuing his international activities across academia, policy, and industry.
In his acceptance speech, Vice President Sang Yup Lee remarked, "I believe this AIBN Medal is not just an individual achievement, but the fruit of long-standing cooperation between researchers from KAIST, UQ, and Korea and Australia. It is a meaningful award that demonstrates how research in systems metabolic engineering and synthetic biology can lead to solutions for sustainable industry and social issues." He added, "Moving forward, I will continue to strengthen global research cooperation and translational research to ensure that biotechnology provides tangible value to human life."
KAIST President Kwang Hyung Lee commented, "This award goes beyond the personal excellence of Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee; it is a case where KAIST’s research capabilities and international cooperation strategies have been recognized globally. KAIST will continue to lead translational research where results spread to industry and society, contributing to the sustainable bio-industry and the resolution of global challenges through cooperation with global partners."
Meanwhile, Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee was originally named the inaugural recipient of the 1st AIBN Medal in 2016. However, the official ceremony was delayed due to scheduling conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to his attendance and formal receipt of the award nearly 10 years later.
2026.02.09 View 4773 -
KAIST Proposes a Multinational AI Cooperation Strategy Beyond U.S.–China Dominance
2026.01.19 View 5790 -
Chairman Jae-Chul Kim of Dongwon Group Donates a Total of 60.3 Billion Won to KAIST
<Jae-Chul Kim, Honorary Chairman of Dongwon Group>
"In the era of AI, a new future lies within the sea of data. I ask that KAIST leaps forward to become the world's No. 1 AI research group." — Jae-Chul Kim, Honorary Chairman of Dongwon Group
KAIST announced on January 16th that Honorary Chairman Jae-Chul Kim of Dongwon Group has pledged an additional 5.9 billion KRW in development funds to foster Artificial Intelligence (AI) talent and strengthen research infrastructure, bringing his total contribution to 60.3 billion KRW. This marks his second additional donation since 2020, continuing his steadfast support for strengthening South Korea's national competitiveness in the field of AI.
Through his initial donation in 2020, Chairman Kim established the 'Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI' at KAIST, urging the university to secure world-class capabilities. Upon hearing that KAIST’s AI research level ranked 5th among global universities over the past five years (2020–2024), Chairman Kim requested that the university strive to reach the No. 1 spot in the world.
In response, President Kwang Hyung Lee explained, "To surpass Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), which is currently evaluated as the world’s best with an AI faculty of about 45, the KAIST Graduate School of AI needs to expand its faculty to over 50 and construct a dedicated research building." Chairman Kim responded by saying, "I will build the building," and this latest donation is a fulfillment of that promise.
This third pledge of 5.9 billion KRW was decided to cover the projected budget shortfall as the design of the AI Education and Research Building enters full-scale development.
The AI Education and Research Building will be a facility with 8 floors above ground and 1 basement level, covering a total floor area of 18,182 m² (approx. 5,500 pyeong). It is scheduled for completion in February 2028. Once finished, it will serve as a global AI research hub housing 50 faculty members and 1,000 students.
Since the 2021 academic year, KAIST has been selecting 60 Master’s and 10 Doctoral students annually as 'Dongwon Scholars' outside of the regular quota for a period of 10 years. While the tuition and research incentives for the first three years were supported by the donation, KAIST has been utilizing its own budget since the 2024 academic year to ensure students can focus entirely on their research.
Moving forward, the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI plans to build a world-class faculty and operate systematic Master's and Doctoral programs to cultivate global AI leaders. In addition to technical expertise, the school will offer educational programs focused on character and holistic development, leading the charge in strengthening Korea's AI competitiveness.
Honorary Chairman Jae-Chul Kim stated, "I hope this donation serves as a small 'priming water' for South Korea to leap forward as an AI powerhouse. I look forward to seeing global core talents grow here and contribute to our national strength."
President Kwang Hyung Lee expressed his gratitude, saying, "Chairman Kim’s unwavering support is the greatest driving force for KAIST to secure global AI sovereignty. We will ensure the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI becomes a mecca where the world's best AI minds gather to innovate, honoring the Chairman’s vision."
2026.01.16 View 5106 -
KAIST Proposes AI-Driven Strategy to Solve Long-Standing Mystery of Gene Function
<(From Left) Distinguisehd Professor Sang Yup Lee, Dr. Gi Bae Kim, Professor Bernhard O. Palsson>
“We know the genes, but not their functions.” To resolve this long-standing bottleneck in microbial research, a joint research team has proposed a cutting-edge research strategy that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drastically accelerate the discovery of microbial gene functions.
KAIST announced on January 12th that a research team led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Bernhard Palsson from the Department of Bioengineering at UCSD, has published a comprehensive review paper. The study systematically analyzes and organizes the latest AI-based research approaches aimed at revolutionizing the speed of gene function discovery.
Since the early 2000s, when whole-genome sequencing became a reality, there were high expectations that the genetic blueprint of life would be fully decoded. However, even twenty years later, the roles of a significant portion of genes within microbial genomes remain unknown.
While various experimental methods—such as gene deletion, analysis of gene expression profiles, and in vitro activity assays—have been employed, discovering gene functions remains a time-consuming and costly endeavor. This is primarily due to the limitations of large-scale experimentation, complex biological interactions, and the discrepancy between laboratory results and actual in vivo responses.
To overcome these hurdles, the research team emphasized that an AI-driven approach combining computational biology with experimental biology is essential.
In this paper, the team provides a comprehensive overview of computational biology approaches that have facilitated gene function discovery, ranging from traditional sequence similarity analysis to the latest deep-learning-based AI models.
Notably, 3D protein structure prediction technologies such as AlphaFold (developed by Google DeepMind) and RoseTTAFold (developed by the University of Washington) have opened new doors. These tools go beyond simple functional estimation, offering the potential to understand the underlying mechanisms of how gene functions operate. Furthermore, generative AI is now extending research boundaries toward designing proteins with specifically desired functions.
Focusing on transcription factors (proteins that act as genetic switches) and enzymes (proteins that catalyze chemical reactions), the team presented various application cases and future research directions that integrate gene sequence analysis, protein structure prediction, and diverse metagenomic analyses.
<Schematic illustration of computational biology methods for enzyme function prediction>
2026.01.12 View 5466 -
KAIST–Daekyo, Opening of the Cognitive Enhancement Research Center Lounge
< Group photo of officials at the opening ceremony of the KAIST–Daekyo Cognitive Enhancement Research Center Lounge >
KAIST held the opening ceremony for the ‘KAIST–Daekyo Cognitive Enhancement Research Center Lounge,’ jointly established with Daekyo, at the Meta-Convergence Hall on the Daejeon main campus last Saturday, the 10th.
This lounge was established through an in-kind donation by Daekyo for space creation as part of research cooperation. It was designed as a base space to more systematically operate brain development and cognitive function enhancement research that KAIST and Daekyo have been jointly promoting, and to share research results with society. Through this event, KAIST introduced the achievements of its research cooperation to date and provided a forum to explore the future directions of education and brain science.
Key KAIST officials, including Kyun Min Lee, Vice President for Provost and Academic Affairs, and Dae-Soo Kim, Dean of the College of Life Science and Bioengineering, as well as officials from both organizations, including Ho-joon Kang, CEO of Daekyo, attended the event to celebrate the opening of the lounge.
Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for industry-academic research cooperation with Daekyo in 2023, our university has been jointly conducting research on cognitive function enhancement and mental health across the entire life cycle—from infants to adults and seniors—based on brain and cognitive science. The cooperation continues to expand these research results into educational content and solutions.
An official from Daekyo stated, "The Cognitive Enhancement Research Center Lounge is a symbolic space for the research cooperation accumulated by both organizations, and it is highly meaningful to be able to communicate directly with customers and share research results here. Moving forward, Daekyo will continue to expand its cooperation with KAIST to prove the value of scientific and systematic education."
Kyun Min Lee, Vice President for Provost and Academic Affairs, said, "The opening of this lounge is significant in that a space for industry-academic cooperation research was created through Daekyo’s donation. Based on this space, KAIST will strive to share the achievements of brain and cognitive science research with society and contribute to the field of education."
2026.01.12 View 3013