Harvard Catalyst Profiles

Konkuk University, Korea of Republic	BA		Chemistry
Ajou University, Korea of Republic	Ph.D		Bioengineering

During his Ph.D. studies, Dr. Sang-Kee Choi focused on the synthesis of organic small molecules, particularly organic fluorescent materials based on Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) and tetrazine click chemistry tools. These organic molecules facilitate the understanding of biological processes, enabling the exploration of complex biological systems. Fluorescent probes aid in visualizing cells, proteins, and even DNA, making it easier to illuminate target molecules, monitor them, and analyze the effects of drugs or delivered molecules. Additionally, modifying specific moieties, substituents, or linkers on these molecules can lead to novel applications with significant biological effects.

Click chemistry, particularly in the realm of biorthogonal chemistry, has garnered considerable attention for its diverse applications. Among click chemistry tools, Dr. Choi focused on synthesizing various tetrazine derivatives, incorporating tetrazine as a moiety, and developing novel linker systems to deliver specific molecules for inducing click chemistry reactions. With these skills, he aims to uncover and understand biological systems and ultimately develop novel strategies for analyzing and treating various diseases.

• Organic Synthesis
• Bioengineering
• Fluorescent Probes
• Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probes
• Small Molecular Libraries
• Click Chemistry
• Systems Biology
• Aggregation Induced Emission (AIE)
• Antibody Drug Conjugation (ADC)
• Biochemistry