Pukyong National University

Research on cancer treatment using photothermal therapy by a team led by Lee Song-Yi at PKNU gets attention

- paper published in <Coordination chemistry reviews>, a global review journal

△ The research team. Prof. Lee Song-Yi, Kim Ga-Hyeon, Lee Seong-Man, Min Soo-Hong from the left. ⓒPhoto Lee Sung-Jae (PR team)   

A research team led by professor Lee Song-Yi at Pukyong National University announced that research on the development and use of photothermal therapy for cancer treatment was published in <Coordination chemistry reviews> (coord. chem. rev. / IF=20.6) of Elsevier, a world-renowned review journal in chemistry.

The paper 'recent advances in organic photothermal agents for cancer treatment' by a research team consisting of professor Lee Song-Yi, lead author, doctoral student Lee Seong-Man (department of chemistry), and master's student Min Soo-Hong and Kim Ga-Hyeon (department of industry 4.0 convergence bionics engineering) at Pukyong National University was published in an international academic journal on the 3rd.

In this review research, the research team focused on improving the targeting ability of photothermal agents, designing activatable molecular structures, and utilizing near-infrared-II light (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) to find solutions for using photothermal therapy for cancer treatment.

Photothermal therapy for cancer treatment has developed rapidly in recent years with non-invasive treatment methods and effective treatment efficiency, but has several limitations that limit clinical application.

Unlike previous studies on photothermal therapy that focused on nanomaterials and traditional photothermal contrast agents based on nanotechnology, the research team focused on the rational design of organic photothermal agents from 2018 to 2023, it is expected that they will be more widely used in clinical practice.

A review journal is an academic journal that selects and re-explains topics of great academic value among existing research contents, and among these, 'coord. chem. rev.' is a world-class journal with a citation index of 20.6. It is a renowned academic journal that boasts the highest level of public trust and authority in the field of basic science, and presents guidelines for the research of numerous scientists in the same field.

As for the research, the research team of Lee Song-Yi conducted with support from BK21 Four, young researcher program with the National research foundation, regional leading research center (RLRC), and the LAMP project. <Pukyong Today>