Jin-Won Park received his B.S. degree from Korea University in 1998 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University, USA in 2003 and 2005, respectively. From 2007 to 2010, he was an assistant professor at the Gachon University, Korea. Since 2010, he has been a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology. His research interests are in biomimetic membranes and their applications.

Research Interests

Biophysics of Interfaces

The cell membrane, the interface between the cell and its environment, is the functional element in cellular metabolism and signaling. A great deal is found about the lipid, protein and saccharide constituents of membranes and their organization, and the physical properties are related with structures and functions.

A model has been utilized to study the physical properties of the cell membranes in which (glyco) proteins such as integrins, selectins, and lectins are involved in cellular interactions. On the other hand, direct measurements of the surface forces between lipid bilayers of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholoine, and galactolipids, the most common lipids in animal and plant membranes, suggest strong repulsive forces between highly hydrated head groups, which prevent membranes from coming into contact and reacting, adhering or fusing. Much could be known about the function and organization of the membrane's constituents if the physical properties of membranes could be measured with nano-meter scale lateral resolution.

Biosensing Platforms

Early detection of infectious diseases is important to enhance the quality of medical care and limit the spread of emerging infectious diseases. Thus, there is a need for rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive point-of-care sensors that have capability to identify multiple pathogens in complex samples such as blood.

Novel techniques have been developed for sensing pathogens, based on microfluidics. Eventually, the techniques will be platform for high throughput with low sample volume reagents and highly selective analyte sensing. These assays are designed to abstract molecular level details and mechanistic insights from biophysical and bioanalytical problems that would otherwise be difficult to approach.