The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Society announced that Director KOH Gou-Young of the Center for Vascular Research has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Republic of Korea's Top Scientist and Technologist Award.

Director Koh has been recognized for his research on elucidating the elimination pathway of waste substances in the brain, as well as the survival strategy of cancer cells reaching the lymph nodes. His work has been published in prestigious journals such as Nature and Science, which is a testament to his authority in the field of lymphatics and elevating the level of research in Korea.

Director Koh has revealed for the first time that the meningeal lymphatic vessels located in the lower part of the brain are responsible for the elimination of waste substances that cause degenerative brain diseases. In the same study, he also confirmed that age-related impairment of meningeal lymphatic vessel function leads to a decrease in waste disposal capacity. These results are significant as they suggest new directions in the treatment of cognitive impairment and degenerative brain diseases such as dementia.

In addition, Director Koh discovered for the first time that cancer cells utilize fatty acids as a key fuel to metastasize to lymph nodes. While previous research mostly suggested that most cancer cells primarily use glucose as their main energy source, Director Koh applied a different approach from conventional cancer research. He focused on the survival strategy of cancer cells that grow by metastasizing to the lymph node, paving the way for new breakthroughs in cancer treatment.

He also made pioneering achievements in lymphatic vessel-related research, including the characteristics of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels during tumor growth and lymph node metastasis, the maintenance of Schlemm's canal (lymphatic vessels around the cornea), and the causes of glaucoma.

As a research-oriented medical scientist, Director Koh has been a professor at the Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering (GSMSE) at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), supervising master and doctoral students in the field of medical science. He also served as the president of the International Vascular Biology Meeting (IVBM). In July 2015, he was selected as the director of the Center for Vascular Research at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and has been actively engaging in research activities.

The Republic of Korea's Top Scientist and Technologist Award is the most prestigious science and technology award in Korea, which was awarded every year since 2003 to outstanding individuals across all fields of science.

For this year's Republic of Korea's Top Scientist and Technologist Award, a total of 23 candidates were selected through a process of solicitation, discovery, and recommendation since the end of last year. The final recipient was selected through a three-stage evaluation process (expert evaluation, field evaluation, and comprehensive evaluation).

The recipient was selected based not only on research and development achievements but also on their contributions to the economic development of Korea and the improvement of people's lives, among other factors. So far, a total of 46 individuals, including this year's recipients, have received the award.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to present the presidential certificate and a prize of 300 million won to the recipient at the opening ceremony of the 1st World Korean Scientists and Technologists Convention, which will be held at the Korea Science and Technology Convention Center on July 5th (Wednesday).

The convention is the largest gathering of Korean scientists and technologists worldwide. It is hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and organized by the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Society in addition to 19 different Korean expat scientists and technologists associations. The ceremony will take place from July 4th (Tuesday) to July 7th (Friday) at the Korea Science and Technology Convention Center.

IBS Public Relations Team
William I. Suh