Dokyoung Kim

• Kyung Hee University

Melanoma is the most malignant skin tumor caused by the malignancy of melanocytes that produce the melanin pigment. Various methods have been developed to combat melanoma, with photodynamic therapy (PDT)...

The development and practical applications of multifunctional organic fluorophores have garnered significant attention in translational research in recent years. Among the fluorophores, nitrobenzodioxazole (NBD) has been widely used in various fields due to its small size and neutral character, both of which are advantageous for biorelated applicat...

Porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) have gained a significant spotlight in the biomedical field, yet large-scale preparation remains challenging for practical applications. In this work, we introduce a borax-based one-pot process for the large-scale preparation of pSiNPs. We found that the 4 h static bath (SB) sonication (35 kHz) of pSi film with...

Porous silicon (pSi) has gained substantial attention as a versatile material for various biomedical applications due to its unique structural and functional properties. Initially used as a semiconductor material, pSi has transitioned into a bioactive platform, enabling its use in drug delivery systems, biosensing, tissue engineering scaffolds, and...

Peripheral neurodegenerative diseases induced by irreversible peripheral nerve degeneration (PND), such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy, have a high prevalence worldwide and reduce the quality of life. However, there is no agent effective against the irreversible PND. After peripheral nerve injury, Schwann cells play an important role in regulati...

Virtual Reality (VR) technology enables users to immerse themselves in computer-generated environments, providing experiences that are otherwise difficult to attain in real life. VR has expanded from gaming into diverse fields, even the medical sector. In medical education, VR is mainly employed for anatomy and surgical practice, enhancing the lear...

Cellulosic materials are attractive hybrid combinations that avail an array of hitherto unachievable properties by conjugating with organic, inorganic,and nano- and polymeric compounds. Cellulose-based materials have established great potential in several fields, such as air purification, water remediation, adsorbents, gas storage, biomedicine and...

Donepezil (DNZ) has been used to treat dementia associated with mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). DNZ uptake can alleviate cognitive symptoms in AD patients via acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition....

Objectives Although many studies have assessed the clinical features and the factors affecting treatment outcomes of Bell's palsy, few have analysed differences between men and women. This study therefore evaluated whether the clinical features and treatment results, and the factors affecting them, differ between men and women with Bell's palsy. M...

Introducing two electron-donating groups and two electron-withdrawing groups together in symmetrical positions on the benzene ring is a fundamental way to synthesize and prepare single benzene-based fluorophores (SBBFs). Their photophysical properties have been adjusted through the electronic and structural factors of functional groups. Herein, the...

Background: While numerous studies have been conducted on sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), research on how treatment outcomes and prognosis vary by age remains insufficient. This study aims to investigate the differences in recovery rates among SSNHL patients divided by age groups. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 177 patie...

Management of diseases through medication accounts for the largest portion of treatment, with people worldwide relying on a variety of medicines to treat and prevent minor to severe diseases in...

Background Kidney transplantation is a widely used treatment for end-stage kidney disease. Nevertheless, the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in deceased donors poses a potential hazard because it significantly increases the risk of delayed graft function and potentially exerts an influence on the kidney allograft outcome. It is crucial to de...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are often difficult to treat because of their biofilm-forming ability and antimicrobial resistance. We investigated the effects of sub-minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antibiotics on MRSA biofilm formation. Clinical MRSA isolates were grown with sub-MICs (1/256–1/2 × MICs) of...

Amino‐single benzene‐based fluorophores (SBBFs) are representative small‐size fluorescent dyes that have an electron push‐pull structure within the benzene core. In this work, a new library of amino‐SBBFs, which have trifluoroacetyl moiety at the electron‐pushing amine group (named SBBF‐TFA), featuring a variety of methylamines, dimethylamines, as...

Background: Tinnitus, the perception of sound without external stimuli, varies across hearing loss types. The present study compared the acoustic characteristics of tinnitus in patients with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and in those with hearing loss unrelated to noise exposure. Objective: This study compared the acoustic characteristics of...

Current fire blight diagnosis techniques are DNA based and require specialized equipment and expertise, or they are less sensitive. Here, we present a protocol for diagnosing fire blight using the fluorescent probe, B-1. We describe steps for Erwinia amylovora culture, implementing a fire blight-infected model, and E. amylovora visualization. This...

There has been a lot of basic and clinical research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) over the last 100 years, but its mechanisms and treatments have not been fully clarified. Despite some controversies, the amyloid-beta hypothesis is one of the most widely accepted causes of AD. In this study, we disclose a new amyloid-beta plaque disaggregating agent a...

Fire blight is a representative plant infection that contaminates edible plants and causes socio-economic problems in agricultural and livestock industries globally. It is caused by the pathogen Erwinia amylovora (E. amylovora) creates lethal plant necrosis and spreads rapidly across plant organs. We newly disclose the fluorogenic probe B-1 for rea...

Fluorescence-guided surgery (FSG) is a surgical method to selectively visualize the tumor site using fluorescent materials with instrumental setups in the operation rooms. It has been widely used in the surgery of brain tumors, such as glioblastoma (GBM), which is difficult to distinguish from normal tissue. Although FSG is crucial for GBM surgery,...

Porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) have gained attention from drug delivery systems (DDS) due to their biocompatibility, high drug-loading efficiency, and facile surface modification. To date, many surface chemistries of pSiNPs have been developed to maximize the merits and overcome the drawbacks of pSiNPs. In this work, we newly disclosed a for...

Engineering excitation wavelength of photosensitizers (PSs) for enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation has inspired new windows for opportunities, enabling investigation of previously impracticable biomedical and photocatalytic applications. However, controlling the wavelength corresponding to operating conditions remains challenging whi...

Porous silicon (pSi) materials have gained a great deal of attention from various research fields, and their surface-functionalization is one of the critical points for their applications. In this study, a new surface modification method of Si-H-terminated pSi materials via microwave-induced Si-S bond formation is disclosed. The silicon hydride (Si...

Porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNP) have gained much attention in the biomedical field due to their high biocompatibility, high drug loading efficiency, and easy surface modification. However, pSiNP are easily degraded in biological media, which is the limitation to applying to the sustained drug release system. In this study, we prepared a new pS...

EduTech (Education and Technology) has drawn great attention in improving education efficiency for non-face-to-face learning and practice. This paper introduced a blended gross anatomy class using both virtual reality (VR) devices and traditional programs alongside a practice-based cadaver dissection and in-class observation. The class allowed the...

A new bioconjugate based on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)-homing SIWV tetrapeptide and an ROS-responsive prodrug is disclosed.

Background The activation of the telomere maintenance mechanism (TMM) is one of the critical drivers of cancer cell immortality. In gliomas, TERT expression and TERT promoter mutation are considered to reliably indicate telomerase activation, while ATRX mutation and/or loss indicates an alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). However, these rel...

One of the recent advances in medical nanotechnology has been the development of nanoformulations to overcome drug-resistant bacterial infections. Herein, we disclose a new nano-antibiotic formulation based on sceptrin-Au nano-aggregates (SANA), which are drug-metal ion multiple complexes. Sceptrin is a natural compound from a marine organism (spon...

Transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) has drawn attention in clinical and translational medicine for its advantages such as painless and facile drug administration and the first-pass metabolism avoidance. We disclosed a new siloxane-based polymer series (named PDDS) prepared using the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic silane (2,2,5,5-tetramet...

The development of new cell-/organ-targeting peptides has been highlighted across various basic research fields and industries. In this work, a new synovium-homing tri-peptide, DRL, was developed through peptide screening and was functionalized to visualize the synovium via 5-carboxytetramethylrhodamine (TAMRA; TAM) conjugation. The TAMRA-conjugate...

Lipid droplets (LDs) are crucial biological organelles connected with metabolic pathways in biological systems and diseases. To monitor the locations and accumulation of LDs in lipid-related diseases, the development of a visualization tool for LDs has gained importance. In particular, LD visualization using fluorescent probes has gained attention....

A nano-formulation based on gadolinium silicate-coated porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) is newly disclosed as an MRI contrast agent and drug delivery carrier. In this study, a new surface coating method of pSiNPs using gadolinium ions (Gd³⁺) was introduced, and the resulting nanoparticle (named pSiNPs-Gd) showed T1-type MR responses and high d...

Here, we disclose a new turn‐on type fluorescent probe (named BCB‐1) for the detection of Aβ plaques, which is an essential biomarker in Alzheimer's disease (AD). BCB‐1 has a hybrid structure of benzo[g]coumarin and benzothiazole, and it showed significant emission enhancement at the near‐infrared (NIR) region when sensing Aβ plaques. BCB‐1 also sh...

The precise in vitro diagnosis requires a high selectivity and sensitivity for a diagnostic agent. In this respect, fluorescent diagnostic probes have attracted attention in various clinical fields. Herein, we disclosed a tailor-made fluorescent homocysteine probe (NPO-Pyr) based on pyridine-thiol coordination and amine-addition. To date, Hcy has b...

(1) Background: The effectiveness of decompression surgery for Bell’s palsy is controversial. This study investigated the effects of facial nerve decompression in patients with severe Bell’s palsy who were expected to have a poor prognosis. (2) Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1721 patients with Bell’s palsy who visited the Kyung Hee University...

In vitro diagnosis is key in diagnosing diseases and has recently become easily available. In vitro diagnostic techniques have been applied to various areas including the patient-tailored treatment development, disease progress tracking, and the cohort management. In this study, we developed the world's first in vitro cervical cancer diagnosis tech...

Various aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen) derivatives based on TPE (tetraphenylethylene) containing the electron-donating moiety (–NMe2, –OMe) and bromine (–Br) moiety were prepared, which are key intermediates for tuning the emission wavelength of TPE; Type 1: dimethylamine (NMe2)-substituted derivatives, Type 2: methoxy (OMe)-substi...

We disclosed a fluorescent nanoprobe for detecting gold ions (Au(III)). TPE (tetraphenylethylene)-based AIEgen (aggregation-induced emission luminogen) derivatives containing the variant electron-rich/-deficient moieties were designed and their photophysical properties were systematically analyzed. Among the derivatives, we found that the pentafluo...

We have developed a fluorescent nanoprobe (AgP-1) that can detect silver ions (Ag⁺) in biological media. For the first time, a hybridized structure based on AIEgen (tetraphenylethylene; TPE) and 2-(methylthio)aniline (MTA) moiety has been designed, and its unique sensing properties toward silver ions were systematically analyzed. The nanoprobe AgP-...

Here, we report the results of experiments regarding the chemical repositioning of 4‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐1‐piperazine ethane sulfonic acid (HEPES), a representative buffering agent. In this work, we confirmed that HEPES could disaggregate amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and we verified its sustained‐release system (release for up t...

Organic solvents with high purity are essential in various fields such as optical, electronic, pharmaceutical, and chemical areas to prevent low-quality products or undesired side-products. Constructing methods to remove impurities such as water residue in organic solvents has been a significant challenge. Within this article, we report for the fir...

Here we report an ultra-long-acting drug release nano-formulation based on porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) that are prepared by thermally induced silane dehydrocoupling and lipid-coating. This robust formulation offers the ability...

We report, for the first time, a new red-emitting hybrid material based on a single-benzene-based fluorophore (SBBF) and silica. This robust formulation shows several features, including bright emissions at a red wavelength (>600 nm), high scalability (>gram-scale), facile synthesis (one-pot reaction; SBBF formation, hydrolytic condensation, propag...

Otitis media is mainly caused by upper respiratory tract infection and eustachian tube dysfunction. If external upper respiratory tract infection is not detected early in the middle ear, or an appropriate immune response does not occur, otitis media can become a chronic state or complications may occur. Therefore, given the important role of Toll-l...

Various medications are currently used in the treatment of tinnitus, including anesthetics, antiarrhythmics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antihistamines, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, calcium channel blockers, cholinergic antagonists, NMDA antagonists, muscle relaxants, vasodilators, and vitamins. To date, however, no medications have been spec...

Hybrid systems of nanoparticles and polymers have emerged as a new material in the biomedical field. To date, various kinds of hybrid systems have been introduced and applied to drug delivery, regenerative medicine, therapeutics, disease diagnosis, and medical implantation. Among them, the hybridization of nanostructured porous silicon nanoparticle...

Nanozymes are nanostructure-based materials which mimic the enzymatic characteristics of natural enzymes. Biological applications of nanozymes have been highlighted in basic research, industry, and translational medicine as a new cutting-edge tool. In this work, and for the first time, we disclose a tumor alleviation property of a nanozyme that is...

The causes of otitis media (OM) involve bacterial and viral infection, anatomo-physiological abnormalities of the Eustachian canal and nasopharynx, allergic rhinitis, group childcare centers, second-hand smoking, obesity, immaturity and defects of the immune system, formula feeding, sex, race, and age. OM is accompanied by complex and diverse inter...

We propose a bacteria-dye combination screening strategy for the fluorescence staining of a specific bacteria strain. The threat of bacteria and its drug-resistance is getting ever more severe, and they are constantly harming human beings. Under these circumstances, precise identification of a specific bacteria is essential for diagnosing and findi...

A turn-on fluorescent nanoprobe (named AAP-1), based on an aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen), is disclosed for the detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is an essential element in the biological system. Organic fluorophore (named TPE-TA) consists of tetraphenylethylene (TPE, sensing and signaling moiety) and mono-triamine (...

Surface engineering of the nanomaterials opens a new era of their biomedical applications. To date, various kinds of nanoparticles and their surface engineering techniques have been developed and applied to drug-delivery systems, bio-imaging, sensors, disease diagnosis, and therapy. Among them, nanostructured porous silicon (pSi) materials have bee...

A new near‐infrared emitting liposomal nano‐formulation was developed, which has a dipolar dye in the core and demonstrated for human cancer cells' fluorescence imaging.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria have become a severe problem for public health. Developing new antibiotics for MDR bacteria is difficult, from inception to the clinically approved stage. Here, we have used a new approach, modification of an antibiotic, ciprofloxacin (CFX), with triphenylphosphonium (TPP, PPh3) moiety via ester- (CFX-ester-PPh3)...

Multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria have become a severe problem for public health. Developing new antibiotics for MDR bacteria is difficult, from inception to the clinically approved stage. Here, we have used a new approach; we have modified the antibiotic, ciprofloxacin (CFX), with triphenylphosphonium (TPP, PPh3) moiety via ester- (CFX-ester-PPh3...

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an extremely critical hydrolase tightly associated with neurological diseases. Currently, developing specific substrates for imaging AChE activity still remains a great challenge due to the interference from butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and carboxylesterase (CE). Herein, we propose an approach to designing specific su...

Irreversible peripheral neurodegenerative diseases such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy are becoming increasingly common due to rising rates of diabetes mellitus; however, no effective therapeutic treatments have been developed. One of main causes of irreversible peripheral neurodegenerative diseases is dysfunction in Schwann cells, which are neu...

We have explored a new research field of fluorophores through the manipulation of fluorophore-binding proteins. The development of a new imaging agent for tracing a specific organelle or a particular site within a living organism has been of great interest in the field of basic science as well as translational medicine. In this work and for the fir...

Anthrax is an infection caused by bacterium Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis), and is an old disease that poses a new threat to humans as a biological weapon. Gram-staining and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays of specimens are standard diagnostic tools for anthrax, but it is time-consuming and limited for the on-site application. In thi...

A hybrid composite of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and porous silicon microparticles (pSiMPs) was developed and applied for the computed tomography (CT) scanning of the lungs as an image-guided localization agent. We confirmed the grafting of AgNPs on oxidized pSiMPs template using various analytical equipment, including a scanning electron microsc...

Organ-specific cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are a class of molecules that can be highly effective at delivering therapeutic cargoes, and they are currently of great interest in cancer treatment strategies. Herein, we describe a new CPP (amino acid sequence serine-isoleucine-tyrosine-valine, or SIWV) that homes to glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) b...

The CRISPR systems provide powerful genome-editing tools for wide applications in biological and medical research fields. However, the safety issue due to off-target effects of CRISPR has been one of the major hindrances of its application to regenerative medicine. The conventional CRISPR system has the intrinsic danger of inducing unpredictable mu...

One of the most critical factors for the survival of glioblastoma (GBM) patients is the precision diagnosis and the tracking of the treatment progress. At the moment, there are various sophisticated and specific diagnostic procedures being used, but there are relatively few simple diagnosis methods. This work introduces a sensing probe based on a t...

Articulated structures of naphthalene-based donor (D)-acceptor (A) type dipolar dye and aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen) based on tetraphenylethylene (TPE) were synthesized, and their photophysical properties were analyzed for the first time. There are many fluorophore backbones, which have dipolar structure and AIEgen. However, ther...

A latent turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of malononitrile (NCCH2CN), a precursor of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the mammalian tissue metabolism, is developed based on reaction-based fluorophore generation for the first time. Malononitrile is utilized within a wide spectrum of academic and industrial applications, and it is a key reagent t...

Diethylcyanophosphonate (DCNP) is a simulant of Tabun (GA) which is an extremely toxic chemical substance and is used as a chemical warfare (CW) nerve agent. Due to its toxic properties, monitoring methods have been constantly come under the spotlight. What we are proposing within this report is a next-generation fluorescent probe, DMHN1, which all...

Chemical structures and properties of non‐viral fluorescent retrograde tracers are highlighted.

A turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of cysteine (Cys), an essential amino acid in biological systems, is developed based on Cys-mediated O-phenyl benzothioate native chemical ligation (NCL) for the first time. Cys plays important roles in many physiological processes, thus the development of Cys monitoring methods has been highlighted in...

Silencing of aberrantly expressed microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) has emerged as one of the strategies for molecular targeted cancer therapeutics. In particular, miR-21 is an oncogenic miRNA overexpressed in many tumors, including ovarian cancer. To achieve efficient administration of anti-miR therapeutics, delivery systems are needed that can ensure lo...

We report a new Schiff base fluorescent probe which senses ferric ion, Fe(III), with a significant fluorescence enhancement response. The probe showed high sensitivity (0.8 ppb), and fast response time (<10 s) of Fe(III) in aqueous media. In addition, the probe showed the ability to sense Fe(III) in a HeLa cancer cell line, with very low cytotoxici...

Background The CRISPR-Cas systems have emerged as a robust genome editing tool useful in various fields of research. With the discovery and development of the orthologous CRISPR-Cas systems, their genome editing efficiency have improved. Objective In this review, we aim to present the recent developments and applications of the CRISPR-Cas systems....

During Wallerian degeneration, Schwann cells lose their characteristic of myelinating axons and shift into the state of developmental promyelinating cells. This recharacterized Schwann cell guides newly regrowing axons to their destination and remyelinates reinnervated axons. This Schwann cell dynamics during Wallerian degeneration is associated wi...

Mitophagy is activated by a number of stimuli, including hypoxia, energy stress, and increased oxidative phosphorylation activity. Mitophagy is associated with oxidative stress conditions and central neurodegenerative diseases. Proper regulation of mitophagy is crucial for maintaining homeostasis; conversely, inadequate removal of mitochondria thro...

Fluorescence-based in vivo imaging is one of the most important tools for monitoring of biological processes in cells and tissues of live animal models. Fluorescence imaging agents have also been used to monitor the microcirculation. Tracking microcirculation of the blood is vital to gain further insight into various vascular disease-related anomal...

A new donor (D)-acceptor (A) type naphthalene-based oxazepine-containing fluorophore, OXN-1, is reported, which shows unusually high stability in various environments. Its photophysical properties and structural stabilities under harsh conditions are thoroughly examined. The high stability of OXN-1 is explained by quantum chemical calculations. Its...

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-interacting multifunctional proteins (AIMPs) are auxiliary factors involved in protein synthesis related to aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs). AIMPs, which are well known as nonenzymatic factors, include AIMP1/p43, AIMP2/p38, and AIMP3/p18. The canonical functions of AIMPs include not only protein synthesis via multisynthe...

The aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) proteins in senile plaques is a critical event during the development of Alzheimer's disease, and the postmortem detection of Aβ‐rich proteinaceous deposits through fluorescent staining remains one of the most robust diagnostic tools. In animal models, fluorescence imaging can be employed to follow the progressi...