Kim Sung-hoon (biologist)

Dr. Kim Sunghoon is a South Korean biologist.

Education

 * 1981  B.S. Seoul National University
 * 1983  M.S. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
 * 1991  Ph.D. Brown University, U.S.

Work
Dr. Sunghoon Kim has been studying novel functions of human aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) and searching for their pathophysiological connections to human diseases (PNAS 105:11043, 2008; Nat Rev Cancer 11:708, 2011 ). He has identified potent novel tumor suppressors such as AIMP2/p38 (Nat Genet 34:330, 2003 ), AIMP3/p18 (Cell, 120:209, 2005 ). Besides, he has also investigated novel extracellular activities of ARSs and associated factors such as lysyl-tRNA synthetase (KRS) (PNAS 102, 6356, 2005 ), tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase(WRS)(Nat Struct Mol Biol 11:149, 2004 ) and AIMP1/p43 (PNAS 103:14913, 2006 ). He also discovered the oncogenic variant of AIMP2, designated AIMP2-DX2, as one of the critical factors that determines the survival of lung cancer patients (Plos Genet 7:e1001351, 2011 ). More recently, he found that leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LRS) serves as an amino acid sensor for mTOR signal pathway (Cell 149:410, 2012 ).

In summary, his research is unveiling novel regulatory network mediated by human aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that have been regarded as housekeeping machinery for protein synthesis. The regulatory roles and implications of these proteins in human diseases have been largely overlooked for decades. His series of the discoveries on the new function, pathology and medicine of ARSs are rapidly opening a research area that throws new insights into the central dogma of life and human diseases.


 * 1991 - 1994   Post-doc, MIT
 * 1994 - 2001   Associate Professor, Sung Kyun Kwan University
 * 2001–Present Professor, Seoul National University
 * 1988 - 2007   Director, Center for ARS Network National Creative Research Initiatives
 * 2007 - 2010   Director, Center for Medicinal Protein Network and Systems Biology
 * 2010–Present Director, Medicinal Bioconvergence Research Center

Awards

 * 2000 Donghun Award, Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
 * 2003 Korea Science Award, Ministry of Science and Technology
 * 2003 Scientist of the Month, Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF)
 * 2006 Top Scientist and Technologist Award of Korea, Ministry of Science and Technology
 * 2012 Award of Korean National Academy of Science
 * 2015 Ho-am Prize in Medicine, Ho-Am Foundation