The BMM Research Team (Professor Hyun-Joo Lee’s Laboratory) from our department has been selected for the 2025 Korea-US Collaborative Research Project with the project titled “Development of a holistic multi-modal therapeutic platform for schizophrenia”.
This research stands out for proposing a novel therapeutic platform specifically targeting the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, which remain the most difficult to treat, in contrast to conventional therapies that primarily focus on positive symptoms.
The research team will apply a 3D transparent microelectrode array to schizophrenia organoid models to measure diverse neurophysiological indicators and identify drug candidates demonstrating superior therapeutic efficacy. In addition, a non-invasive, patient-tailored ultrasonic stimulation device will be developed and applied to animal models of schizophrenia, with the goal of establishing a hybrid drug–ultrasound-based treatment approach.
The Korea-US Collaborative Research (KUCRF) program is a large-scale international collaboration initiative launched in 2024, with a total budget of KRW 245 billion over seven years. The program aims to foster cutting-edge biotechnology through global joint research between Korean and U.S. institutions. In 2025, the BMM research team was selected as one of seven finalist teams out of a highly competitive pool (19.6:1), recognized for its expertise in ultrasonic brain stimulation systems. The selected project will receive KRW 4.2 billion in research funding over four years, supporting collaborative research between Korean and U.S. partners.
The Korean research consortium is led by Professor Hyunjoo Jenny Lee (Principal Investigator), joined by Professor WonJu Jeon (KAIST, Department of Mechanical Engineering), Professor Alan Jung Park (Seoul National University), and Professor Mikyung Shin (Sungkyunkwan University). On the U.S. side, Professor Joseph Gogos from Columbia University will participate as a co-investigator.
Before this international collaboration, the Professor Hyunjoo Jenny Lee’s Research Team had already been selected for the Brain Science Convergence Technology Development Program funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) since 2023. That project focuses on developing “non-invasive, layer-specific cortical stimulation technology based on individualized ultrasound patterns of brain structure and function.”
Building upon the customized ultrasonic stimulation devices and therapeutic protocols developed in that prior work, the team expects this new collaboration to open a promising path toward effective treatments and clinical breakthroughs for patients suffering from schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.
