Winners of the Best Poster Award at the 2026 Korean Spring Biochip Conference

Song Dong-hyun and Lee Seung-woo, students in the Department of Convergence Bioengineering, achieve an exceptional feat as undergraduates

Song Dong-hyun and Lee Seung-woo, students in the Department of Convergence Bioengineering at Kookmin University, won the Best Poster Award at the “2026 Korean Spring Biochip Conference” held in Yeosu from Wednesday, May 13, to Friday, May 15. This award is particularly significant as it marks the first time an undergraduate research team has been recognized for outstanding research achievements at a major domestic academic conference in the field of biochips.

The title of the award-winning paper is “Development of Hollow Core–Shell Hydrogel Microcapsules for High-Throughput Single-Cell Mitochondrial DNA Analysis.” The research focuses on the development of a hollow hydrogel microcapsule platform for high-throughput analysis of mitochondrial genetic mutations at the single-cell level. The study received high praise for its potential to expand into next-generation precision medicine and cell-based bioanalysis technologies.

This research was conducted under the guidance of Professor Park Juhwan of the Department of Convergence Bioengineering at Kookmin University and was carried out through the industry-academia-research collaboration education and research program of the “DEEP-BIO Project (Design, Explore, Evaluate, Problem-solve in BIOtech),” a talent development initiative for specialized biopharmaceutical production processes led by the Department of Convergence Bioengineering. The DEEP-BIO Project aims to cultivate practical research talent based on the needs of the biopharmaceutical industry and supports students in gaining problem-solving research experience by participating in actual R&D projects.

In particular, this achievement is drawing attention because it was obtained through the proactive participation of undergraduate students, who took the lead in research planning, experimental execution, data analysis, and conference presentations. It is considered an exceptional achievement for an undergraduate student to win the Best Poster Award at an academic conference in the biochip field, where presentations are typically dominated by graduate students and researchers.

Professor Park Juhwan stated, “This is the result of the students growing by actively participating in the entire R&D process, going beyond the level of simple laboratory assistance,” adding, “We will continue to strive to cultivate practical bio-convergence talent that bridges industry and research through the DEEP-BIO project.”

The award recipients, students Song Dong-hyun and Lee Seung-woo, shared their thoughts, saying, “It is very meaningful to conduct actual cutting-edge bioanalytical research during our undergraduate studies and receive such positive recognition at an academic conference.” They added, “We look forward to continuing to take on new challenges in research within the fields of biopharmaceuticals and precision medicine.”

△ Best Poster Award at the “2026 Korean Spring Biochip Conference”