Professor Cho Yoon-gyeong of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has taken office as president of the international scholarly society Chemical and Biological Microsystems Society (CBMS).
UNIST said on the 9th that Cho became the first Korean to serve as CBMS president. The term is two years. The inauguration is evaluated as a symbolic achievement that proves the global standing of Korea's micro and nanobio research.
CBMS is a nonprofit international scholarly society that promotes research on micro- and nanoscale chemical and life-science systems and expands it into medicine and engineering. It holds the MicroTAS international conference every year to share the latest research achievements in advanced convergence technologies such as microfluidics, Biosensor, and microphysiological systems (MPS).
Cho is a world-class researcher who developed a device that can diagnose cancer with just a drop of blood using "lab-on-a-chip" technology, known as a laboratory on a small chip. In particular, Cho is drawing attention for research that separates and analyzes exosomes in blood to enhance the possibilities of early cancer diagnosis and personalized treatment. Exosomes are regarded as key substances in precision personalized medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer and dementia.
Cho's research achievements have been recognized for excellence, being selected three times for the "Top 100 Excellent National R&D Achievements." In particular, through the "ExoDisc" technology, Cho led technological advances in liquid biopsy by developing a high-efficiency exosome extraction platform based on lab-on-a-disc.
Cho has served as a CBMS vice president and board member for the past six years, contributing to the society's growth and the expansion of its global network. With the inauguration as president, Cho is set to lead CBMS's academic direction and international cooperation strategy for the next two years.
In March this year, Cho was featured in the international journal Nature to mark International Women's Day. As a key figure who laid the foundation for a research-centered university since UNIST's early days, Cho is also participating in the development of innovative medical devices through LabSpinner, a Start - Up co-founded by Cho.
"CBMS is a venue where the world's top researchers discuss and lead the direction of future science together," Cho said. "Based on the collaborative and innovative research ecosystem built at UNIST, I will contribute to strengthening the global research network."