Nov 27, 2024
Revolutionizing Drug Discovery: Scientists Develop World’s First Single-Atom Editing Technology
Posted by Jose Ruben Rodriguez Fuentes in categories: biotech/medical, innovation
KAIST researchers have developed a groundbreaking single-atom editing technology using light-powered “molecular scissors” to convert oxygen atoms into nitrogen in drug compounds, simplifying drug development and boosting efficacy.
In the field of pioneering drug development, a groundbreaking new technology that enables the precise and rapid editing of key atoms critical to drug efficacy has been hailed as a transformative and “dream” innovation, revolutionizing the process of discovering potential drug candidates. Researchers at KAIST have achieved a world-first by successfully developing single-atom editing technology designed to maximize drug efficacy.
On October 8th, KAIST (represented by President Kwang-Hyung Lee) announced that Professor Yoonsu Park’s research team from the Department of Chemistry successfully developed technology that enables the easy editing and correction of oxygen atoms in furan compounds into nitrogen atoms, directly converting them into pyrrole frameworks, which are widely used in pharmaceuticals.