Assistant Professor Joonil Seog
About Dr. SeogPh.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003
Visit Dr. Seog's personal page » Current Research Dr. Seog's research focuses on studying the structure-function relationship of biological molecules using single molecule force spectroscopy. Previously, Dr. Seog studied the molecular origin of cartilage biomechanical properties, and by directly measuring intermolecular forces discovered that about 50% of the compressive resistance of cartilage originates from highly charged polysaccharides within it. This was the first study elucidating the structure and biomechanical function of polysaccharides in cartilage using tools that could measure very small forces such as individual molecular interactions. Dr. Seog is currently pursuing a study of the structural change of biological molecules in a disease state. Many diseases are caused by mutations in the genes that cause structural change, leading to degeneration or auto-immune response of the body. Dr. Seog believes that understanding how these changes affect the nanomechanical properties of proteins or responses of tissues will help us prevent or cure diseases. Another of his research interests is the study of the interaction between synthetic and biological materials. This is extremely important due to current efforts to incorporate biological molecules into small devices in order to utilize them as molecular sensing devices. Examples include DNA chips, protein chips, and silicon-based drug delivery devices. To design such devices, it is necessary to understand how biological molecules interact with inorganic substrate materials. By understanding these fundamental interactions, we are in a much better position to control the density and location of biological molecules on the substrate. Dr. Seog also will also be examining the single molecule mechanical properties of synthetic and biological macromolecules. This will enhance our understanding of basic biological and physical phenomena, as well as enable us to apply them directly when building of smart molecular devices or single molecule devices.
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Q&A with Dr. SeogWhat impact could your work have on society or consumers? Understanding the relationship between structure of biological material and its function at molecular level is critical for designing novel biomaterials. One of the hot research areas these days is regenerative medicine, where a smart biomaterial is used as a tissue engineering scaffold. It's well known that micromechanical environment of the cell is important for cell development, migration, and tissue regeneration. These microenvironments change during development or disease progression. My research focuses on studying the nanomechanical properties of biological materials that interact with cells and measuring the interaction forces between them at molecular scale. This will provide insight on how to design nanomechanically tailored smart biomaterials that can enhance tissue regeneration or slow down disease progression. What attracted you to the Clark School? When I visited the Clark School, I was very impressed by its pioneering research activities and collaborative environment. It's very exciting—the people here are pushing the boundaries of the field with innovative ideas, and in many cases moving toward examining phenomena at the molecular scale with practical application in mind. I felt that my research (single molecule mechanics and nanomechanics of biomaterials) and unique background in single molecule force spectroscopy would fit in very well, since my strength is in providing insightful information for the design of novel biomaterials. Since my research is closely related to that a lot of other faculty members, I felt I'd have numerous collaborative opportunities, which benefits everyone's research. Why should students (graduate or undergraduate) interested in a career in bioengineering or materials science and engineering study at the University of Maryland? Nowadays most of the fields are becoming more and more interdisciplinary and requiring collaboration as a team. In that sense, UMD provides perfect environment, since many government research labs and leading experts are close by. In addition, many key industries are located around D.C. area. We have the opportunity to learn about their needs, and work together to solve their problems. Why should young engineers consider bioengineering for their field of study? There are so many new challenges that lie ahead in this field. There has been continuous need for better materials and it's growing more and more these days. The tremendous success of the semiconductor industry would not have been possible without the breakthroughs in materials science and engineering, and now there is growing demand for soft materials for biomedical application. BioMEMs devices are creating another challenge: How we can incorporate biological materials into inorganic material systems?
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Before joining the faculty as a joint apointee to the Fischell Department of Bioengineering and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Dr. Seog was a research fellow at the CBR Institute for Biomedical Research, Inc., located at the Harvard Medical School. He will be developing and teaching graduate level and lab courses on single molecule mechanics in which students can be involved in cutting-edge research and get hands-on experience with experiments and related equipment.
