Research Centers

Pohang Accelerator Laboratory

One of major researchinfrastructure of POSTECH that plays a critical role in structural biology among others is the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL), which is located within walking distance from the Life Sciences building. PAL, a third generation of 2.5 GeC synchrotron radiation source, completed its first beamline for protein crystallographyin 2001 providing extremely bright X-ray and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light, which was followed by several beamlines dedicated to protein crystallography. These advanced research facilities put the professors of POSTECH Life Sciences, those in structural biology and molecular medicine in particular, in a leading position in the nation. To name a few, Professors Byung-Ha Oh, Yunje Cho are engaged in conducting intensive research using PAL facility.
homepage : pal.postech.ac.kr 

POSTECH Biotech Center

The POSTECH Biotech Center (PBC) was established in November 2000 in collaboration with POSCO, a world leader in steel industry and the founder of POSTECH, under the mission to grow into a world class biotech center that carries out cutting edge research and trains future leaders in biotechnology. The rationale behind this grandeur project of the nation’s finest life-science research complex between academia and industry is to leverage the academic excellence achieved by POSTECH Department of Life Sciences and Division of Molecular & Life Sciences over the last decade, and to diversity the business portfolio of POSCO into the promising field of biotechnology.
The Center’s four-story building (14,000 m2), whose construction work started from December 2002 and was completed in July 2003, is characterized of the concept of Open Laboratories (no walls in between laboratories) to facilitate easy communication and exchange of ideas for collaborations beyond the boundaries of discipline. It also provides a wide range of state-of-the-art core technology facilities and a large number of specialty facilities including clean rooms for nanobiotech, green house, and germ-free animal rooms.
A total of 42 professors with outstanding scientific achievements in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical, and new materials engineering are participating in PBC.
Fully recognizing the need for the creation of new scientific knowledge, PBC pursues fundamental scientific advances through interdisciplinary programs and industry collaborations. Major programs include biomolecular diversity, vaccine development, specialty rice, new peptide hormones, and biochip and micro-devices programs. The Center not only emphasizes researchthat will have high impact on scientific community, but it also focuses on those that can yield high returns on the investment made by business partners including POSCO.
homepage : www.biotechcenter.org   

National Core Research Center for Systems Bio-Dynamics

The National Core Research Center for Systems Bio-Dynamics (NCRC-SBD) at POSTECH supported by the Korean Foundation for Science and Engineering is a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental center whose mission is to advance training and research at the interfaces among dynamical systems, biology and engineering. The NCRC-SBD develops and implements techniques from dynamical systems theory to gain insight into the functioning of physiological systems, as well as to improve clinical devices and techniques.
As one of important objectives of NCRD-SBD is to educate graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in leading techniques from dynamical systems theory and its applications to biology and engineering, it operates an interdisciplinary graduate program for bioscience and bioengineering, called I-Bio Program, emphasizing the integration of research and education, as well as the vertical integration of students and mentors at all levels within POSTECH.
homepage : sbd.postech.ac.kr  

Creative Research Initiatives (CRI)

The Department has enjoyed two awards of National Creative Research Initiative projects supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology. CRI centers are intended to stimulate leading-edge research in basic and applied sciences, and are provided with five-year grant amounting $500,000 every year.
 

-  Center for BIomolecular Recognition (Director : Byung-Ho Oh)
-  Center for Structural Biology of Cancer (Director : Yunje Cho)

National Research Laboratory (NRL)

The Department/Division has also attracted five National Research Laboratories supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Each laboratory is provided with three-year research grant amounting $200,000 every year.
 

-  Plant Functional Genomics Lab (Director : Gynheung An)
-  Signal Transduction Lab (Director : Pann-Ghill Suh)

Biological Research Information Center

The Biological Research Information Center (BRIC) Korea (Director, Professor Sanguk Kim) was established in January 1996, supported by the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation. BRIC, serving as the operation agent for biologicalknowledge-based infrastructure in Korea, is a leader in bioinformatics portal services providing comprehensive biology-related news and informationto researchers in life sciences. It accumulates advanced knowledge and technology both at home and abroad, constructs databases, filters and processes data into refined information. It also provides accesses to numerous biological information sources in Korea.
homepage : www.bric.postech.ac.kr

POSTECH-CATHOLIC Biomedical Engineering Institute

POSTECH-CATHOLIC Biomedical Engineering Institute (PCBMI), the first joint-institute between universities in Korea, was established in 2005 under the mission to create world class research outcomes and thus to contribute to the nation’s science and technology in biomedical field by capitalizing on the excellent research capabilities of POSTECH’s biotechnology and the strong clinical power of Catholic University of Korea.
PCBMI, aiming to develop next generation technology and opening a new area of fusion study through the convergence of basic-biology, engineering, and medical science, is striving to activate collaborative works and exchanges between the staff of the two leading universities in Korea.Some of the on-going collaborations between the two universities include the developments of immune regulatory & immuno-therapeutics,regulators for biological function, high-tech medical devices, and diagnostic & imaging technology.The Institute expects to achieve handsome outcomesfrom these collaborations in the near future, which will then be commercialized for the treatment of diseases and for creating financial benefits to both universities as well.
homepage : www.pcbmi.org