Pukyong National University

Pukyong National University Research Published in Top 0.12% Global Journal

- Light-Activated Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy Featured in <Coordination Chemistry Reviews>

A research team from Pukyong National University (President Bae Sang-Hoon) has published a review article on biomimetic nanomaterial platforms for laser-based cancer diagnosis and therapy in <Coordination Chemistry Reviews>, a globally renowned journal in the field of chemistry published by Elsevier (Impact Factor: 23.5, JCR top 0.12%).

The article, titled ‘Functional Nanostructured Biomaterials in Cancer Phototherapy and Biomedicine’ explores how innovative nanoplatforms that mimic biological structures and functions enhance the precision and safety of laser-driven photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for real-world clinical applications.

The research was jointly conducted by Professor Junghwan Oh (Department of Biomedical Engineering), Professor Sudip Mondal (Digital Healthcare Research Center), Professor An Jae-Seong (RLRC Center), and graduate student Nguyen Thi Xuan (Department of Bionics Engineering for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Convergence).

In this study, the team focused on the design principles, functionalization strategies, and biomedical applications of nanoplatforms, presenting the development trends of organic, inorganic, and polymer-based nanomaterials. Furthermore, they outlined how these platforms enhance biocompatibility, target efficiency, and degradation control―key to overcoming the major limitations of traditional nanomedicine, such as cytotoxicity and low target specificity, when applied in real patient clinical settings.

The paper has been recognized for offering critical insights into the future of precision medicine and smart healthcare by proposing next-generation design strategies for nano photosensitizers applied in laser-based diagnosis and treatment.

This research was supported by the Regional Leading Research Center (RLRC) program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). By demonstrating the academic value and development potential of nanomaterial-based photomedicine, the study is expected to make significant contributions to the future development of photosensitizers for cancer treatment and diagnostic nanomaterials.