Research

• Nucleic Acids Synthesis

The demand for DNA, RNA, and gene synthesis is rapidly increasing as fields such as biotechnology, biomedical engineering, synthetic biology, and DNA-based nanotechnology continue to grow. Our lab is developing next-generation nucleic acid synthesis technology by creating new synthesis mechanisms and introducing various functional chemical groups. This technology achieves cost-efficient and high-quality synthesis, enabling advancements in programmable one-pot DNA synthesis, error-free DNA, RNA and gene synthesis, and gene variant synthesis.

• Molecular Sampling of Nucleic acids

In modern biotechnology, molecular sampling is essential to ensure the reliability of genomic data and the efficiency of analysis. Our lab is building a next-generation platform that integrates functional chemical groups with novel DNA synthesis logic to achieve high-fidelity extraction of nucleic acids (Choi, H. et al., Nat Biotechnol 40, 47–53 (2022); Kim, W. et al., Nat Commun 16, 1586 (2025)) and target regions, while implementing efficient molecular alignment with minimal computational power. This technology will serve as a key platform for high-efficiency drug screening, precise DNA assembly, and reliable SNV-based disease diagnostics.

• Functional DNA Networks

Functional hydrogels can actively change their structure and function in response to external stimuli and serve as complex soft robotic platforms in a microenvironment. Our lab expands the programmability of hydrogels by integrating DNA-based reaction mechanisms and functional chemical groups into the hydrogel network. This technology enables precise control of complex robotic structures and supports diverse applications such as smart actuation (Roh, J. et al., Adv Mater, 37, 2414648 (2025)), micro-scale structure restoration, while further extending to biomedical uses including controlled drug delivery, molecular biomarker detection, and disease diagnosis.

• Emerging Technology Using Nucleic Acids

DNA is emerging as a powerful engineering platform, enabling massive data density (the entire digital data of humanity in just 1 kg of powder for thousands of years) and capacity for millions of parallel chemical reactions. Our lab is developing DNA logic circuits, neural network systems, and data storage technologies that can perform massive-parallel computation and long-term high-density data storage without external energy. This technology has the potential to lead to the construction of next-generation information storage systems and AI computing that can overcome the limitations of current digital computing.