MOU Signed for Research Exchange and Cooperation between Dongguk...

MOU Signed for Research Exchange and Cooperation between Dongguk University and Korea Road Traffic Authority Promoting Joint Venture in Response to Environmental Changes in Future Road Traffic Dongguk University (President Yoon Sung-yi) and Korea Road Traffic Authority (Chairman Yoon Jong-ki) signed an MOU for research exchange and cooperation at the Lotus Hall of Dongguk University on Wednesday, July 8th, 2020.Under this agreement, Dongguk University and Korea Road Traffic Authority plan to enhance their research capabilities and competitiveness by actively exchanging research data, and pursue multidisciplinary efforts, such as developing new technologies and improving systems in the transportation sector in this era of the fourth industrial revolution.In particular, the two agencies will actively promote joint research and development, academic events, and the exchange of research personnel to respond to changes in the future transportation environment, such as the development of new technologies, and the development and improvement of legislation in the autonomous vehicle and transportation “big data” sectors.Dongguk University is expected to cultivate excellence and talent needed for the society of the future, and Korea Road Traffic Authority is expected to accelerate infrastructure development and system improvement to prepare for the advent of autonomous driving environment through industrial and academic cooperation.At the ceremony, President Yoon of Dongguk University said, “This joint venture will be a good opportunity to secure new technology in the transportation sector in the era of the fourth industrial revolution through research and exchange cooperation with Korea Road Traffic Authority. It is expected to be of great help in the development of D.N.A (Big Data, Network, AI), which is a strategic specialization field at Dongguk University related to future technology developed for the fourth industrial revolution.”

Convergence Software Institute of Dongguk University Selected fo...

Convergence Software Institute of Dongguk University Selected for University ICT Research Center Support ProjectInterview with Professor Kim Ji-hui, Department of Artificial IntelligenceDongguk University has been selected for the project supported by the University ICT Research Center (ITRC). The ITRC support project, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and implemented by the Institute for Information & communication Technology Planning & evaluation, is one of the representative projects in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). The aim of the project is to cultivate capable, creative, and convergent-thinking experts in the ICT field. These individuals are competent in problem-solving and R&D through their performance of demand-based industry–academic cooperation tasks. There are various branches like artificial intelligence (AI), digital content, quantum chain, and blockchain; accordingly, Dongguk University was selected for the branch of AI through the project Developing “High Performance Knowledge System” and Training Human Resources. By being selected for this project, the university will obtain a total of 6 billion won for the next eight years; subsequently, the amount will be dispersed at 400 million won for the first year and then 800 million won for every year afterward.Professor Kim Ji-hui of the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the Convergence Software Institute, Dongguk University will be in charge of the ITRC support project. Professor Kim received her doctoral degree in the field of AI from the University of Southern California in the United States. She has held various posts including Senior Vice President at the KT Institute of Future Technology and Vice President of the AI Lab at Samsung Electronics.Q. What is a “High Performance Knowledge System?”Simply put, it is a learning intelligence system with enhanced performance. Among the various areas of artificial intelligence, this system is relevant to the field of learning intelligence. In addition to deep learning and machine learning, there is also learning from inference.* There are many challenges to knowledge inference. While there have been numerous studies on solving static and simple problems, there is a lack of research on techniques for analyzing or modeling dynamic and complex situations. Furthermore, various researches are needed to apply AI in everyday life. In this regard, the study to implement the two aforementioned matters is the High Performance Knowledge System.* AI inference: This refers to AI that has the intellectual capacity to comprehensively assess diverse circumstances to predict upcoming situations. Rather than computing simple programmatic results, it is capable of logical analysis and reasoning by using raw materials.Q. What do you hope to achieve through this support project?Since I am also heading our university’s AI graduate program, the theme of the project is set on the field of “care.” The aim is to build an AI in the care field that can facilitate people’s lives and enhance their quality of life. For example, an AI that can detect anomalies in the daily patterns of an elder who has fallen or one that can provide health care like reminding people to workout at specific times. The direction that the project pursues is to ensure that these technologies can be applied appropriately in real life.Q. What are some of the difficulties you have faced during your research?Since the field of AI in itself is a difficult problem and is receiving much attention from society, we need the support of many others. We require the cooperation of numerous people because it is more than about technological issues, and comprehensively includes aspects of health, psychology, and culture. Various fields will be further involved as the research proceeds, making cooperation the most important yet the most difficult task.Q. What are your plans for training new talent?One of the focuses of the ITRC support project is to train new graduate school talents, and therefore, we are planning to cultivate new talent at our AI graduate program alongside it. The goal is to foster experts who not only have outstanding AI technology and research abilities, but also who are able to accurately perceive problems necessary in real life and solve problems demanded by either corporations or the government. In addition, since this project stresses creative activities, we aim to train individuals who can think about given problems, as well as their surrounding environment and various social issues in order to creatively come up with their own problems.Q. Do you have any last words for our readers?In addition to the students of Dongguk University, all employees and faculty members already grasp the importance of AI, which can only take its complete form when not only technology but also diverse fields of study like social, cultural, Buddhism, and art come together. As previously mentioned, the field of care also needs the cooperation of others in various fields. Therefore, I kindly ask for cooperation from others in order to create a win–win situation that can further enrich the education and research of Dongguk University.The current selection for the ITRC support project is meaningful in that it serves as a steppingstone to vitalize Dongguk University’s specialized area named DNA (Big Data Network AI). With the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the university looks forward to fostering specialized and talented individuals who will lead during this era by harmonizing AI and Buddhism.

Multiple Large-Scale Government Grants Awarded

Multiple Large-Scale Government Grants Awarded Five Projects and 20.5 Billion Won (Approximately 17 Million USD) Awarded in the Past Month Multiple projects at Dongguk University (led by President Yoon Sung-Yee) have recently been selected for large-scale government grants.The Academy of Cultural Studies, led by Professor Seo In-Bum, has recently been selected for the Humanities Korea Plus project by the National Research Foundation of Korea and awarded a grant worth 8 billion won (approximately 6.5 million USD) over a seven-year period. Good news regarding grants for other projects includes ▲the second phase of the Beyond Research Innovation & Development for Good Enterprises Plus (BRIDGE+) project (the Ministry of Education), ▲ICT Grants Program for University Research Centers (the Ministry of Science and ICT/Institute for Information & Communication Technology Planning & Evaluation), ▲Business Development Funding for Sport Services (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), and ▲2020 Research Development Funding by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.The BRIDGE+ project aims to achieve the commercialization of intellectual assets, technology transfer, and capacity reinforcement of specialized organizations. Funding includes 3.9 billion won (roughly, 3.2 million USD) over a three-year period. The project is expected to strengthen the university’s capacity to collaborate with industries and businesses.Professor Kim Ji-Hee at the Institute of Future Confluence Education received an award from the ICT Grants Program for University Research Centers, which is designed to promote the development of high-performance knowledge systems and human capital. Accordingly, the university is receiving 4.4 billion won (approximately 3.6 million USD) in government funding over a six-year period, which will surely invigorate the university’s specialized fields (D.N.A).Professor Jung Jin-Wook in the Department of Sports and Cultures initiated the grant application for the Business Development Funding for Sport Services project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Korea Sports Promotion Foundation). Funding of 2 billion won (1.6 million USD) over three years will be used to develop technology for therapeutic exercise that brings health benefits to children with developmental disorders.Finally, acquired by Professor Shin Han-Seung, the president of the Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical Converged Science, 2020 Research Development Funding by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is a three-year grant of 1.8 billion won (approximately 1.5 million USD). The aim of the project is to secure testing methods that guide preemptive responses to hazardous pollutants in food (e.g., heavy metals, novel fungal toxins, natural toxins, highly hazardous chemicals, etc.), investigate pollutants using the Survey of Hazardous Pollutants, and implement risk assessments.Dongguk University has secured research funding of approximately 20.5 billion won (roughly, 17 million USD) in a short timeframe through multiple large-scale government grants. Such resources will significantly enhance the university’s capacity for both research and talent development. 사진설명: Professor Seo In-Bum Professor Kim Ji-Hee Professor Jung Jin-Wook Professor Shin Han-Seung

A Nepalese Graduate Student’s Research on Bacteria

A Nepalese Graduate Student’s Research on BacteriaOur student, Chhetri Geeta (enrolled in the Combined Master’s and Ph.D. program, Department of Life Science), won a Graduate Academic Award (First-Ranked Outstanding Research Award) at the 114th anniversary ceremony of the university on May 8, 2019. She surprised her colleagues with the news that five of her research papers on bacteria had been published in Science Citation Index (SCI) journals. We met and talked about her research activities and life as a graduate student. ▲ Meeting with Chhetri Geeta in her LabQ. You studied and wrote about bacteria extracted from gardens, rice paddies, and oceans. What motivates you to study bacteria?I think that we, as human beings, do not know enough about bacteria yet. It may well be that bacteria, not dinosaurs or humans, have dominated the earth. We continue to find new, mysterious bacteria around us and study their ecology. Bacteria, such as penicillin and other antibiotics, can bring significant benefits to human life. I want my research to be part of achieving this goal. I find new bacteria in the ground and plants in the surrounding area, name them, study their ecology, and let the world know about them. Each of the new strains is unique, so I conduct my research with a sense of pride, as it provides information necessary for future studies and lays the foundation for microbiological research. Q. What is the most memorable paper you have written so far?That would be “Pontibacter oryzae sp. nov., a carotenoid-producing species isolated from a rice paddy field.” When experimenting with bacteria, some of them give expected results, whereas others do not. I do feel pressure when dealing with such bacteria that are challenging to study. Any graduate student waiting in the lab, hoping to get expected results, should relate. Thus, I am grateful that I repeatedly got the same, expected outcomes with the bacterium named Pontibacter oryzae in over 10 experiments. I found quite a few unique characteristics of this bacterium and received the Best Post Award and Best Presentation Award at the General Meeting of the Microbiological Society of Korea. As the bacterium made these awards possible, this research is the most memorable one.Q. You published five papers in academic journals in 2019. Do you have any tips?My graduate life passed quickly. I was a teaching assistant and taking classes each semester, so my to-dos always piled up like a mountain. Thus, I made a detailed timetable with a certain amount of time regularly dedicated to my research; I was committed to this schedule. I think this was the key to publishing multiple papers. In fact, it took me a while to write my first paper, but I picked up speed with my second and subsequent papers because of my past experience. It was also beneficial to read lots of existing papers. Q. In what way was Dongguk University most helpful in your research? When students publish a paper in an SCI journal, the university gives them a grant for each one as an acknowledgment. The school grants 1 million won per article, which is more than what my friends’ schools give. This made my friends envy me. I think this certainly encouraged me to publish many papers.Q. What would be your advice for students who want to go to graduate school?First, when you enter graduate school, it is more important to know “what fits you,’” rather than “what you want to do.” In fact, you never know what to expect in the lab, so it will take time to get used to the environment until you enjoy conducting research and gain some confidence. What you want to do will change more than a dozen times as you acquire more laboratory experiences. Second, it is critical to know whether your advisor is a good match for you. With a mentor you can trust and respect, you are more likely to stay focused during your research. Similarly, maintaining a good relationship with your lab colleagues typically leads to better research outcomes and papers. It is absolutely true that two heads are better than one. I would like to take this time to thank Professor Seo Tae-Keun, senior student Kim Ji-Yeon, and my colleagues, Kim In-Hyup, Kim Hyung-Dong, and Kang Min-Jeong. Finally, a piece of advice to international students: it is a lot easier to adjust if you know the Korean language well. I hope you put great effort into practicing your Korean.▲ The Graduate Academic Award Ceremony It is our hope to see more researchers like her. At the end of the interview, she said she wants to continue her research in the US or Australia after completing the Combined Master’s and Ph.D. program. After I wished her success in achieving her goals and going out into the world as a proud Dongguk alumnus, we ended our short but memorable interview. Web Reporter : Hwang Hae-Soo

Nurturing Future Leaders in Cutting-edge Intelligent Information...

Nurturing Future Leaders in Cutting-edge Intelligent Information Technology Dongguk University to open AI graduate school by Fall semesterConvergent education and research on medicine, arts, social sciences, and engineering in the works“The similarity between Buddhism and AI is that both improve the quality of life”“The Fourth Industrial Revolution will be an era led by cutting-edge intelligent information technology, and technology-based intelligent information is the core competency needed to guide it. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Department will carry out education and research on health and medicine, cultural contents, security and administration, and engineering with the goal of nurturing talent grounded in intelligent information competency to lead and achieve innovation across society.”Dongguk University (President: Yoon Sung-yee) has chosen to specialize in data, networks, and AI, and will open a department of AI studies in its Graduate School. The department aims to offer master’s and doctoral programs from the Fall semester of the 2020 academic year. “The AI department’s objective is to nurture AI experts who can meet the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and future industries in the field,” said Prof. Kim Jee-hee, explaining that the department will “evolve into a professional educational institution that fosters highly-qualified talents and builds a leading model of industry-academia cooperation through convergence with various academic fields like health and medicine, arts and culture, social sciences, and engineering.”The AI department will offer specialties in intelligent health and medicine, intelligent arts and culture, intelligent security and administration, and intelligent engineering. Recently, the health and medical sector has witnessed improvements in the precision and effectiveness of prediction, diagnosis, and prognosis analysis through the application of information technology. The intelligent health and medicine specialty involves conducting research on the convergence of AI with health, senior care, and medical services and engineering, focusing on intelligent information-based life care that helps maintain health in daily life.There are also active efforts under way in the field of humanities and social sciences to solve various problems through the application of AI. The intelligent arts and culture specialty entails the study of the convergence of AI with languages, Buddhism, film, theater, arts, and other subjects in the humanities and social sciences, and also involves conducting research that can help strengthen the cultural contents industry. Diverse research is also being conducted by applying AI to digital governance, intelligent administration, and other fields of administration and law. The intelligent security and administration specialty involves conducting AI convergence research, as required in the fields of administration, law, and security.Prof. Kim Jee-heeThe intelligent engineering specialty focuses on studying the basic fields of technology such as deep learning, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), security, extended reality, robots, drones, and data science, and converging these with various fields like architecture, civil engineering, electronic engineering, electrical engineering, machinery, energy, bio-engineering, and chemical engineering. It pursues the convergence of AI with IoT-based smart industries.“The convergence of traditional academic disciplines with AI can stimulate strengths and compensate for weaknesses, thereby boosting the capacities of the students and the university,” Prof. Kim Jee-hee said, explaining that “the practice of Buddhist Zen is effective in calming the mind and reducing stress. There are ongoing discussions on convergence in various academic fields, including the combination of Buddhist practice with the medical sector through AI to create new disciplines.”Prof. Kim also said, “The similarity between Buddhism and AI is that both improve the quality of life,” adding that she “vow[s] to contribute to improving our society, relying on the convergence of Buddhism’s rich and varied content with various fields through AI.”Prof. Kim earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Seoul National University, and a doctoral degree at the University of Southern California in the United States. She has served as President of the Korean Computer Scientists and Engineers Association in America, head of KT’s Future Technology Research Lab, director of Samsung Electronics’ AI Lab, and a committee member of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning’s convergence technology development business division.

Publication of East Asian Buddhist Literature, Korea’s First Eng...

Publication of East Asian Buddhist Literature, Korea’s First English Journal Specializing in East Asian Buddhist Literature by the Institute for Buddhist Culture at Dongguk University Dongguk University’s (President Yoon Sung-yee) Department of East Asian Buddhist Literature Translation at the Institute for Buddhist Culture (Director Kim Jong-wook) recently published the first volume of East Asian Buddhist Literature (EABL). EABL is the only English journal in Korea that specializes in East Asian Buddhist Literature. Professor Kim Jong-wook at Dongguk University and Professor Ochiai Toshinori at the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies in Japan are the joint chief editors of EABL, and specialists of Korean, American, Chinese, and Japanese Buddhist literatures form the editorial committee.The EABL discovers and critically interprets manuscripts and printed copies of Buddhist literature in East Asia, including those from Korea. Based on research findings, the journal connects with the original literature and explains it in English.EABL is the sister journal to Korea’s only English Buddhist Journal, International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture, issued by the Institute for Buddhist Culture. The publication of EABL is said to have accelerated the Institute’s pace for the internationalization of Korean Buddhism study.

Fostering “Harmonization-Type Talent” to Lead the 4th Industrial...

Fostering “Harmonization-Type Talent” to Lead the 4th Industrial Revolution Founded in 1906 by Buddhist pioneers with the purpose of “Protecting the Nation by means of Education” when the future of the nation seemed bleak under the Japanese colonial rule, Dongguk University began with the name Myeongjin School, and later continued its development under the names of the Advanced Buddhism School, Jungang Haklim, Central Buddhism College, and Hyehwa College. Despite being forced to close under Japanese imperialism, the University has enlightened the spirit of the times at every critical moment of Korean society. After national liberation, the University changed its name to Dongguk University in 1946 and was promoted from a college to university in 1953. Today, Dongguk University has more than 300,000 alumni in various fields, including religion, politics, economy, society, education, and culture. Currently, it has established sisterhood relationships with more than 300 universities in 51 countries worldwide, and is leading the Korean society as the nation's top prestigious private university with over 28,000 students across four campuses in Seoul, Goyang, Gyeongju, and Los Angeles.Accelerating the advent of the future campusSince 2019, Dongguk University has been preparing to introduce a full-duplex remote class system laying the groundwork for the 4th industrial revolution. In the wake of the spread of COVID-19, remote lectures were put into practice as of March. Remote lectures, run via advanced ICT technology, are drawing attention, as full-duplex classes enable data sharing, writing, video playback, interactive communication, and quizzes in real time. All teachers are fully prepared for the real-time remote lectures by shooting sample lectures and performing advance monitoring. Furthermore, stable operation of non-contact online lectures was possible without causing server overload due to an increase in the number of users. Exemplary preparedness has been displayed throughout the university community.Education innovation leading the 4th industrial revolutionAs a representative concept for the development plan of the Energize Dongguk Project, which was announced by the university president, Yoon Sung-yee, upon his inauguration, “Fostering Harmonization-Type Talent to Lead the 4th Industrial Revolution” has been selected. A new department dedicated to the project was also established under the name “Education and Innovation Division.” First, the major-convergence system was introduced from the first semester of this year to remove barriers between departments and majors. Under the convergence of majors, a department (major) and another department (major) form a new major program. This newly developed major convergence can be taken by students of any department (major). This year, public talent and machine intelligence convergence majors were established, and new major-convergence programs are expected to be created in the future.The university’s preparation for software education capabilities is also noteworthy. Dongguk University developed a basic curriculum of software education and strengthened software education for non-majors, such as humanities, social sciences, arts, physical education, and natural sciences. The university aims to provide software convergence education that goes beyond the conventional level of convergence between engineering disciplines and encompasses science and technology, engineering, manufacturing, and software from a humanities perspective. A curriculum that realizes student-centered convergence-based education through the integration of engineering, humanities, social science, and arts via software is currently in operation. The number of students completing the convergence software major increased significantly from 212 in 2018 to 313 in 2019. Regular semesters are also operated flexibly. Dongguk University introduced the Intensive Course Program to enable instructors to select and operate various lengths of curriculum, such as 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 10 weeks, without the constraint of the existing standard number of class days.Analysis based on data facilitates more accurate and reasonable decision making in the University. Last year, Dongguk University established an Institutional Research (IR) team to systematically collect, collate, and analyze all university data, provide them to members of the University, and support university policy decisions.“Turning Aspirations into Reality,” creating a university culture centered on youth startupsTo date, Dongguk University strived to create an entrepreneurship-oriented university culture. More systematic support of entrepreneurship was made possible by combining various aspects of entrepreneurship, such as startup support, incubation, and education functions, which had been managed under multiple organizations, into Startup-One, an integrated management organization for entrepreneurship on campus. A number of student startups are being fostered by introducing an entrepreneurship-friendly undergraduate administrative system, such as allowing leaves of absence for startup ventures and a credit-substitution system for entrepreneurship. The University is building a strong foundation as a regional hub university by supporting up to 100 million won in marketing and commercialization costs for young entrepreneurs in the preliminary and early-stage startups. Last year, the University received the 2019 Presidential Award for Venture Startup Promotions.300,000-strong alumni networkBefitting a university with a 114-year history, alumni serve as the University’s strongest supporters. Dongguk University alumni actively participate in the donation of development funds for the University and juniors every year. In particular, at the Sponsored Night to Energize Dongguk event held in November of last year, the University presented a vision of developing and fostering departments to reach the top 10 in Korea and top 100 in the world, and the donation support amounted to 28 billion. Based on these donations, Dongguk University plans to add fresh fuels to cultivating global talent and reinforcing research competitiveness by inviting outstanding instructors and fostering world-class scholars, and to building a future campus by establishing a world-class education and research infrastructure.

Shin Han-seung, Professor at Dongguk University, Inaugurated as ...

Shin Han-seung, Professor at Dongguk University, Inaugurated as Chairman of International Life Science Institute KoreaProfessor Shin Han-seung of Dongguk University (Professor in the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, president of the Bio-Medical Convergence Research Institute) was inaugurated as the chairman of the International Life Science Institute Korea (ILSI Korea) on the 15th. His term continues until December 2022.ILSI Korea is an international non-profit scientific organization that identifies key issues and research trends in life-science technology, food safety, health, nutrition, and new biotechnology from a global perspective and explores and develops solutions through scientific collaboration. Currently, it consists of 16 branches and research foundations worldwide and is pursuing continuous cooperation to close the gap in scientific knowledge among countries and regions by hosting and attending international conferences.Professor Shin Han-seung has produced outstanding research accomplishments, publishing approximately 150 papers in SCI international journals in food safety and toxicology. He received the Hwangpa FSB Academic Award in 2013 and the 2016 Korean Toxicological Society Grand Award. In 2017, he was awarded the Service of Merit Medal, a government award from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in recognition of his contributions in the field of food safety and toxicology.

Crime-fighting the AI Way—New Policing Model That Combines Leadi...

Crime-fighting the AI Way—New Policing Model That Combines Leading Forensic TechnologiesScientists at Dongguk University useleading technology of the 4th industrial revolution to construct aninnovative policing system, called Googi,that can improve community safety. Technologies across 3 key groups, based on virtualreality, robotics, and big data are combined in a policing system that enhancesprediction of crime and responses to it. Asa society develops, unfortunately, so does the sophistication of crime.Delinquency is constantly evolving, and delinquents use modern technology toescape the law. In such a scenario, a smart community policing system isessential to reduce crime and bring a sense of safety in residential areas. Ateam of scientists at Dongguk University led by Prof Joong-YeonLim decided to tackle this problem, and by integrating three main areas of theirresearch, have developed an innovative policing system that they have named “Googi.”Ofthe research areas, the first focuses on virtual reality used for policetraining and crime education and involves reconstruction of crime scenes throughsimulations.Thesecond investigates how robotic devices can detect and respond to crimes whenthey happen, boosting surveillance. This technology uses forensic dentistry toidentify victims and suspects. The form and pathology of teeth of Korean people,as well as bite marks, all contribute to personal identification.Thethird pertains to big data, where offline and online information is analyzed forcrime prediction and prevention. Virtual reality data, information provided bycitizens, and forensic data gathered by robots are analyzed for crimeprediction, with results handed over to local authorities. Combiningthese three modes together, the team has built a crime prediction algorithm usinginformation extracted from crime scenes, local communities, and forensics. Theresearchers are hopeful that this can help the police identify crimehotspots in real time and thus help them prepare for andrespond to crimes in vulnerable areas. Prof Lim states: “This technology can greatlycontribute to the prevention of gender violence, domestic violence, and childabuse.” Theproposed Googi system encourages citizen participation by gather their feedbackand providing results to the community, while boosting crime preventioneducation. The ability to detect individuals at crime scenes is also enhancedby using robotic technology to analyze Korean teeth. “As a result,” Prof Lim hopes, “crimes can be better predicted and responded to, resulting in a safercommunity environment.”After having successfully built a prototype on the local scale, the researchteam now looks to bring the technology to a global level in 2022.ReferenceSmartCommunity Policing System: Googi Development Research CenterMinistry of Science and ICTConvergence and Research Center*Email for correspondence: jsleearmy@dongguk.eduAbout DonggukUniversityDonggukUniversity, founded in 1906, is located in Seoul, South Korea. It comprises 13colleges that cover a variety of disciplines and has local campuses inGyeongju, Goyang, and Los Angeles. The university has 1300 professors whoconduct independent research and 18000 students undertaking studies in avariety of disciplines. Interaction between disciplines is one of the strengthson which Dongguk prides itself; the university encourages researchers to workacross disciplines in Information Technology, Bio Technology, CT, and Buddhism. Website: http://www.dongguk.edu/mbs/en/index.jsp About the researcherJoong-Yeon Lim (PhD, University ofCalifornia Berkeley, USA) is a Professor at the Department of Mechanical,Robotics and Energy Engineering at Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea. Hisresearch interests include mechanical design, nanomaterials and intellectualproperty studies.

DNA “Scissors” Could Cut Out the Alzheimer’s Causing Gene in Mic...

DNA “Scissors” Could Cut Out the Alzheimer’s Causing Gene in MiceScientistsat Dongguk University successfully treated Alzheimer’s disease in mice using thegene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9. They used the tool to edit out the Alzheimer’scausing gene in the mice, thereby improving their memory and other cognitivefunctions. While this is only a first step and much research remains to bedone, these promising results put gene therapy on the map of possibletreatments for Alzheimer’s.As Alzheimer’s diseasecontinues to elude the efforts of modern medicine, scientists turn to geneediting technology to treat, or ‘manage’ it. Alzheimer’s is commonly associatedwith the BACE 1 gene, which drives the production of amyloid-β proteins in the brain. Inthe brains of Alzheimer’s patients, this protein accumulates on the outsides ofneurons or nerve cells as “plaque,” and is thought to be one of the main causesof the disease. Using “DNA scissors” called CRISPR-Cas9, which can cut out aspecified part of a DNA sequence, Dr. Jongpil Kim and his colleagues from Korea(Dongguk University) and the USA attempted to edit out the BACE 1 genein the neurons of the adult mouse brain. Theirs is the first invivo attempt (using cells inside living mice) to test the effectiveness ofCRISPR-Cas9 in stopping Alzheimer’s progression. Their ultimate ambition—like that of many others in thefield—is to develop treatments fordifferent forms of dementia, which would dramatically improve patients’ qualityof life. “We aimed to see whetherCRISPR-Cas9, one of the latest developments in biotechnology, can open up a newdirection for treating dementia, which is, at present, considered an incurabledisease,” Dr. Kim says.Their results indeed lookpromising. Within 8 to 12weeks of treatment with the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, the plaque surroundingaffected neurons in the mice dramatically decreased and their cognitivefunctions improved substantially. The mice also showed betterassociative learning and spatial working memory. Further, there was noevidence of increasing mutations in other, non-targeted parts of the genome,suggesting minimal side-effects. All this indicates the hugepotential of gene editing technologies to treat neurodegenerative diseases: by removingfaulty genes at their source, disease progression can be halted, or evenreversed, in just a few weeks. The authors advise caution, however,as gene editing cannot be undone. In Dr. Kim’s words, one must ensure that “no detrimental, and potentially very rare,genomic alterations are caused”. Thus, this technique requires much moreresearch before it can be applied to human subjects. Nonetheless, as another remark byDr. Kim goes, “this study shows howCRISPR-Cas9 can be applied to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases as well.”ReferenceAuthor:Jongpil KimTitle of original paper:In vivo neuronal gene editing via CRISPR–Cas9 amphiphilic nanocomplexes alleviates deficits in mouse models of Alzheimer’s diseaseJournal:Nature NeuroscienceDOI:10.1038/s41593-019-0352-0Affiliations:Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering, Dongguk University*Corresponding author’s email: jpkim153@dongguk.eduAbout DonggukUniversityDongguk University, founded in 1906, is located in Seoul, SouthKorea. It comprises 13 colleges that cover a variety of disciplines and haslocal campuses in Gyeongju, Goyang, and Los Angeles. The university has 1300professors who conduct independent research and 18000 students undertakingstudies in a variety of disciplines. Interaction between disciplines is one ofthe strengths on which Dongguk prides itself; the university encouragesresearchers to work across disciplines in Information Technology, BioTechnology, CT, and Buddhism. Website:http://www.dongguk.edu/mbs/en/index.jsp About the authorJongpil Kim is an AssociateProfessor of Chemistry and Director of Center for Regenerative medicine atDongguk University, Seoul, Korea. His group is developing approaches to controllingcell fate through nanotechnology for regenerative medicine. They are alsodeveloping CRISPR-Cas9 nanocomplexes for invivo gene editing technologies to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Kimpreviously completed postdoctoral training at Dr.RudolfJaenisch’slab at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (Whitehead Institute). In2008, Dr. Kim received a PhD in Neurobiology from Columbia University.