Jeonbuk National University professor establishes new global research consortium

Jeonbuk National University professor Park Dong-jun, fifth from left, poses with his research counterpart at the University of California, San Diego, Jan. 30. Courtesy of Jeonbuk National University

Jeonbuk National University professor Park Dong-jun has forged a new international research collaboration aimed at boosting global scientific partnerships, the school said Feb. 3. Park is part of the college’s department of chemical engineering.

Park and his research team were selected for the university’s BK21 JBNU-G International Research Collaboration Support Program in September. Officials said they now plan to intensify cooperation with leading research institutions abroad.

According to the school, Park and his team recently signed a memorandum of understanding with professor Brian Eliceiri and his laboratory at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

The agreement, intended to support joint scientific study and academic exchanges, lays the groundwork for sustained long-term collaboration between the two institutions.

Under the agreement, researchers from both sides will work together on advanced single vesicle analysis technologies and engineering extracellular vesicles for therapeutic applications, particularly for difficult-to-treat diseases.

Park and doctoral student Jeong Seung-woo traveled to UCSD to formally deliver the memorandum and to meet with Eliceiri’s team to discuss future research directions and strategies to broaden collaboration.

The consortium will help Park’s group introduce precision single vesicle analytical methods into Korea’s research environment and explore broader applications of related analysis and process technologies.

Over the next five years, the two institutions plan researcher and graduate student exchanges, collaborative research projects and ongoing technological information sharing.

The collaboration also aligns with Jeonbuk National University’s Glocal University 30 initiative, designed to expand international research networks and strengthen institutional research capabilities, the official added.

“Through this agreement, we hope to build a solid foundation for international research and education by sharing expertise and technologies with UCSD researchers,” Park said in a statement.

Professor Brian P. Eliceiri is a faculty member in the department of surgery at UCSD, where his research encompasses extracellular vesicle biology and related mechanisms of cell communication and repair.