Membrane Engineering Lab

We investigate the physical properties and self-assembly behavior of lipids and soft materials to innovate next-generation drug delivery systems and diagnostic technologies.

Latest News

Research Areas

Super-swell Systems

We investigate the non-equilibrium physics of super-swelled lamellar phases, where topological defects—such as onion-type structures and scroll dislocations—arrest membrane swelling. By balancing Helfrich curvature elasticity and electrostatic pressures, we create highly viscous lipid hydrogels with precisely controlled nano-architectures.

Topological Defect Physics
Defect-mediated Swelling Arrest
Ginzburg-Landau-Wilson Modeling
High-Viscosity Lipid Hydrogels

Carrier Design

Engineering next-generation LNPs and cubosomes. We focus on curvature-controlled membrane fusion and "Duolock" strategies for efficient multi-drug loading.

LNP & Cubosome engineering
Curvature-mediated delivery
Multi-drug loading strategies

Membrane Fusion-mediated Biosensors

We present VEACON, a bio-inspired sensing platform that autonomously detects viruses by recapitulating the native viral entry mechanism. Unlike traditional molecular diagnostics, our FUSION assay generates signals only upon contact with fusion-competent viruses, providing an infectivity-relevant readout within 2 minutes.

One-step "Mix and See" Screening
Infectivity-Relevant Signal Transduction
Large-area Surveillance via Sprayable Formats

Biomaterials

We develop intelligent biomaterials by controlling the transport of biomolecules and ions across interfaces. Our research encompasses smart contact lenses for biomolecule sequestration, hydrogel-lipid composites for sustained-release drug delivery, and advanced scaffolds for functional cartilage tissue engineering.

Biomolecule Sequestration (Smart Lenses)
Sustained-Release Lipid Composites
Controlled Bio-interfacing & Ion Transport
Cartilage Tissue Engineering

People

Principal Investigator

Hojun Kim, Ph.D.

Senior Researcher, KIST

Education

Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), 2017
B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 2012

Professional Experience

2020 – Present : Senior Researcher, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)
2018 – 2020 : Technical Research Personnel (2018.05-2021.05), KIST

Professional Activities

Member of the Board, The Korean BioChip Society
Secretary (Nano-Bio Division), Korea Nanotechnology Research Society
Member, The Polymer Society of Korea
Member, Korean Society for Extracellular Vesicles
Member, Materials Research Society of Korea

Members

Jae Chul Park

Postdoctoral Researcher

CRISPR, Biosensor

Harin Jin

Ph.D. Candidate

Drug Loading, Gene Delivery

Seunghwan Bang

Ph.D. Candidate

Structure of Biomembrane

Jongeon Park

Ph.D. Student

Super-swelled Lamellar

Chaehyeon Park

Ph.D. Student

Nanostructures for Biomolecular Sequestration

Hyerin Kim

Ph.D. Student

Pulmonary-mimetic Lipid Interfaces

Alumni

Gamsong Son, M.S. (Current: Enparticle)

Yidam Song, M.S. (Current: Kolmar Korea)

Publications

In Press

[37] Viral Infection-Inspired Autonomous Detection of Fusion-Competent Viruses for Screening and Environmental Surveillance

J. C. Park^*, Y. Song, H.-W. Choi, J. Sung, H. Jin, W. Gwak, K. Yoo, S. Lee, J. Park, J. Kim, H.-J. Jo, J. Koo, Y. Jeong, K. H. Lee, S.-J. Kee^*, H. Kim^*

Advanced Materials, e21241 (2026)

2026

[36] Orally Administered Nanoparticle Coacervate for Therapeutic Coating of Full Gastrointestinal Tract

Y. Lee, Y. Kim, S. Kwon, O. K. Park, G. H. Min, J. Chu, Y. Kim, J. Yoon, H. Lee, H. Kim, et al.

Advanced Materials, e14708 (2026)

2025

[35] Two-Dimensional Nucleic Acid Brushes on Colloidal MXene Sheets

J. Lee, J. Yoon, K. H. Park, J. Lee, J. H. Hwang, J. Na, H. Kim, M. Kim, S. J. Kim, H. Yun, et al.

Nano Letters, 25(52), 18016–18025 (2025)

[34] Precision screening with sequential multi-algorithm reclassification technique (SMART): Saving bladders from unnecessary cystectomy

S. Park, H. Kang, Y. Choi, S. G. Yoon, H. J. Park, H. Jin, H. Kim, Y. Jeong, J. S. Shim, T. I. Noh, et al.

Computers in Biology and Medicine, 189, 109980 (2025)

[33] When bubble meets sludge

J. C. Park, J. H. Kim^*, H. Kim^*, B. H. Kim^*

Nature Water, 3(12), 1350-1351 (2025)

[32] Intrinsically Disordered Protein-Inspired Nanovector-Based Coacervates for the Direct Cytosolic Transport of Biomacromolecules

S. Jin, H. Park, S.-M. Ryu, D. Guk, J. Lee, S. Jin, C. Keum, J. Park, M.-H. Park, C. Kim, H. Kim, J. Noh, K. H. Lee^*, J.-H. Ryu^*, Y. Jeong^*

Advanced Materials, e07877 (2025)

[31] Nanoshield-Assisted Viral Gene Therapy with Induction of Non-Apoptotic Cell Death and Durable Antitumor Immunity

S.-H. Lee, Y. Cho, S. Bang, D. Sung, J. Koo, S. Kim, Y. Koh, H. Kim, H. Lee

Advanced Science, 12(41), e07550 (2025)

[30] Premixing enables loading of long RNA in cubic phase lipid nanoparticles

H. Jin, I. Seo, J. Park, Y. Seo, J. C. Park, S. Bang, J. Rhee, K. H. Lee, J. Koo, Y. Jeong, J.-H. Kim^*, H. Kim^*

Nature Communications, 16(1), 5054 (2025)

[29] Direct Surface Modification of the Epidermis Using Mussel-Inspired Polydopamine with Multiple Anti-Biofouling Functions

S. E. Lee, H. Lee, J. H. Kim, S. Park, Y. T. Oh, H. Choi, J.-M. Kim, H.-J. Jo, J. H. Park, H. J. Jin, K. H. Lee, S. H. Han, H. Kim^*, J. K. Oh^*, B. H. Kim^*

Advanced Healthcare Materials, 14(20), 2500597 (2025)

[28] Fusogenic lipid nanoparticles for rapid delivery of large therapeutic molecules to exosomes

G. Son, J. Song, J. C. Park, H. N. Kim^*, H. Kim^*

Nature Communications, 16(1), 4799 (2025)

[27] Exosome-inspired lipid nanoparticles for enhanced tissue penetration

S. Bang, B. Park, J. C. Park, H. Jin, J. S. Shim, J. Koo, K. H. Lee^*, M. K. Shim^*, H. Kim^*

ACS Nano, 19(9), 8882–8894 (2025)

[26] Catapult-like DNA actuator for highly stable and ultrasensitive detection of urinary miRNA

J. C. Park, S. Park, S. Bang, H. Kim, Y. Lee, M. G. Park, S. G. Yoon, Y. Jeong, H. Kim^*, S. H. Kang^*, K. H. Lee^*

Chemical Engineering Journal, 506, 159806 (2025)

[25] Diagnosis of early-stage bladder cancer via unprocessed urine samples at the point of care

C. Keum, H. Yeom, T. I. Noh, S. Y. Yi, S. Jin, C. Kim, J. S. Shim, S. G. Yoon, H. Kim, K. H. Lee^*, S. H. Kang^*, Y. Jeong^*

Nature Biomedical Engineering, 9(7), 1026–1038 (2025)

2024

[24] On-site SNP discrimination of Monkeypox viral DNA at room temperature using dCas9-enhanced extended-gate field-effect transistor

S.-M. Ryu, Y. Lee, S. Bang, S. Park, Y. M. Park, H. Kim, Y. Jeong, S. J. Lee, K. H. Lee^*

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 414, 135967 (2024)

[23] A lipid nanoparticle platform incorporating trehalose glycolipid for exceptional mRNA vaccine safety

S.-H. Bae, S. Yoo, J. Lee, H.-J. Park, S. P. Kwon, H. Jin, S.-I. Park, Y.-S. Lee, Y.-J. Bang, G. Roh, S. Lee, S. B. Youn, I. W. Kim, H. R. Oh, A. K. El-Damasy, G. Keum, H. Kim, H. Youn^*, J. Nam^*, E. Bang^*

Bioactive Materials, 38, 486–498 (2024)

[22] Active-type piezoelectric smart textiles with antifouling performance for pathogenic control

S. E. Lee, H. Lee, J. H. Kim, J. C. Park, S. Kyung, H. Choi, S. H. Baek, J. H. Park, S. Park, J.-M. Kim, H.-J. Jo, S. H. Cho, J. Kim, H. Kim, S. H. Han, J. K. Oh, B. H. Kim

npj Flexible Electronics, 8(1), 65 (2024)

[21] Explainable Artificial Intelligence-Driven Prostate Cancer Screening Using Exosomal Multi-Marker Based Dual-Gate FET Biosensor

J. Y. Choi, S. Park, J. S. Shim, H. J. Park, S. U. Kuh, Y. Jeong, M. G. Park, T. I. Noh, S. G. Yoon, Y. M. Park, S. J. Lee, H. Kim^*, S. H. Kang^*, K. H. Lee^*

Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 116773 (2024)

2021

[20] SARS-CoV-2 Variant Screening Using a Virus-Receptor-Based Electrical Biosensor

S. Park^†, H. Kim^†,*, K. Woo, J.-M. Kim, H.-J. Jo, Y. Jeong, K. H. Lee^*

Nano Letters (2021)

2020

[19] Noninvasive precision screening of prostate cancer by urinary multimarker sensor and artificial intelligence analysis

H. Kim^†, S. Park^†, I. G. Jeong, S. H. Song, Y. Jeong, C.-S. Kim, K. H. Lee

ACS Nano, 15(3), 4054–4065 (2020)

[18] Insight into the Electrical Double Layer of Ionic Liquids Revealed through Its Temporal Evolution

M. Han^†, H. Kim^†, C. Leal, M. Negrito, J. D. Batteas, R. M. Espinosa-Marzal

Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2001313 (2020)

[17] Wirelessly controlled, bioresorbable drug delivery device with active valves that exploit electrochemically triggered crevice corrosion

J. Koo, S. B. Kim, Y. S. Choi, Z. Xie, A. J. Bandodkar, J. Khalifeh, Y. Yan, H. Kim, M. K. Pezhouh, K. Doty, et al.

Science Advances, 6(35), eabb1093 (2020)

[16] Unimolecular polypeptide micelles via ultrafast polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides

S. Lv, H. Kim, Z. Song, L. Feng, Y. Yang, R. Baumgartner, K.-Y. Tseng, S. J. Dillon, C. Leal, L. Yin, et al.

Journal of the American Chemical Society, 142(19), 8570-8574 (2020)

[15] Interfacial Force-Focusing Effect in Mechanophore-Linked Nanocomposites

T. A. Kim, C. Lamuta, H. Kim, C. Leal, N. R. Sottos

Advanced Science, 7(7), 1903464 (2020)

[14] The structural fate of lipid nanoparticles in the extracellular matrix

S. R. Bandara, T. G. Molley, H. Kim, P. A. Bharath, K. A. Kilian, C. Leal

Materials Horizons, 7(1), 125-134 (2020)

2019

[13] Mixing Oil and Water with Ionic Liquids: Bicontinuous Microemulsions Under Confinement

H. Kim^†, M. Han^†, S. Bandara, R. M. Espinosa-Marzal, C. Leal

Soft Matter (2019)

2018

[12] Quantitative single-cell analysis of isolated cancer cells with a microwell array

H. Kim^†, S. Park^†, B. J. Kang, Y. Jeong, H. Lee, K. H. Lee

ACS Combinatorial Science, 21(2), 98-104 (2018)

[11] Microfluidics synthesis of gene silencing cubosomes

H. Kim, J. Sung, Y. Chang, A. Alfeche, C. Leal

ACS Nano, 12(9), 9196-9205 (2018)

[10] Fully Packaged Portable Thin Film Biosensor for the Direct Detection of Highly Pathogenic Viruses from On-Site Samples

J. Choi, M. Jeun, S.-S. Yuk, S. Park, J. Choi, D. Lee, H. Shin, H. Kim, I.-J. Cho, S. K. Kim, et al.

ACS Nano (2018)

2017

[9] Super-swelled lyotropic single crystals

H. Kim, Z. Song, C. Leal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(41), 10834-10839 (2017)

2016

[8] Self-organization of nucleic acids in lipid constructs

M. Kang, H. Kim, C. Leal

Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 26, 58-65 (2016)

[7] Effect of the environmental humidity on the bulk, interfacial and nanoconfined properties of an ionic liquid

L. A. Jurado, H. Kim, A. Rossi, A. Arcifa, J. K. Schuh, N. D. Spencer, C. Leal, R. H. Ewoldt, R. M. Espinosa-Marzal

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 18(32), 22719-22730 (2016)

[6] Ethanol-induced whey protein gels as carriers for lutein droplets

S. Uzun, H. Kim, C. Leal, G. W. Padua

Food Hydrocolloids, 61, 426-432 (2016)

2015

[5] Biological lipid membranes for on-demand, wireless drug delivery from thin, bioresorbable electronic implants

C. H. Lee^†, H. Kim^†, D. V. Harburg^*, G. Park, Y. Ma, T. Pan, J. S. Kim, N. Y. Lee, B. H. Kim, K.-I. Jang, et al.

NPG Asia Materials, 7, e227 (2015)

[4] Cuboplexes: Topologically active siRNA delivery

H. Kim, C. Leal

ACS Nano, 9(10), 10214-10226 (2015)

[3] Irreversible structural change of a dry ionic liquid under nanoconfinement

L. A. Jurado, H. Kim, A. Arcifa, A. Rossi, C. Leal, N. D. Spencer, R. M. Espinosa-Marzal

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 17(20), 13613-13624 (2015)

[2] Polypeptide vesicles with densely packed multilayer membranes

Z. Song^†, H. Kim^†, X. Ba, R. Baumgartner, J. S. Lee, H. Tang, C. Leal, J. Cheng

Soft Matter, 11(20), 4091-4098 (2015)

[1] High-resolution patterns of quantum dots formed by electrohydrodynamic jet printing for light-emitting diodes

B. H. Kim, M. S. Onses, J. B. Lim, S. Nam, N. Oh, H. Kim, K. J. Yu, J. W. Lee, J.-H. Kim, S.-K. Kang, et al.

Nano Letters, 15(2), 969-973 (2015)

Lab News

2026.05.18 Award

Seunghwan Bang received Excellent Poster Award @ KIST School conference!

2026.05.13 Conference

2026 Spring Biochip conference

2026.04.25 Conference

Heading to MRS Spring 2026 in Honolulu

2026.02.10 Award

Team of Research Excellence Awarded

2026.02.10 Award

Harin awarded Future Talent Grand Prize

2025.11.15 Selection

Seunghwan & Harin - UST Intl. Conference Support

2025.03.12 Selection

Seunghwan selected as Outstanding Research Assistant

2024.12.05 Selection

Harin selected for UST International Conference Support

2024.04.10 Scholarship

Seunghwan selected as a KT&G Scholar

2024.02.24 Award

Gamsong selected as UST Outstanding Graduate

2023.05.20 Award

Seunghwan received UST Best Presentation Award

2022.11.15 Selection

Seunghwan selected for Intl. Conference Support

2022.02.25 Selection

Seunghwan & Harin - UST Young Scientist & Outstanding Completion

2021.08.30 Award

Dr. Kim honored with UST Excellent Teaching Award

2021.05.15 Award

Gamsong won the Best Poster Award at Biochip Conference

2021.03.20 Award

Seunghwan received the Best Presentation Grand Prize

2020.11.20 Start

Dr. Kim's Membrane Engineerign Lab is on Live!

Contact Us

We are always looking for passionate researchers and collaborators.
Please feel free to reach out.

cuboplex@kist.re.kr

T. +82-2-958-5321

L3553
Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)
Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea