Living systems have developed highly advanced ways of creating very small and precise materials over billions of years, mainly using proteins that can fold into different structures. By using this process, Dr. Won Min Park is creating useful materials by altering natural proteins for applications in biosensing, manufacturing, neuroscience, and agriculture. View Halo Profile >>
About Won Min Park
Dr. Won Min Park is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Kansas State University. Park is from Seoul, South Korea and completed his PhD at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is involved with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Tell us about your research.
My research focuses on the fundamentals and application of nanoscale protein materials to solve problems in biological systems. Using proteins as primary building blocks, we design nanomaterials with precisely controlled structural features, properties, and functionalities. To develop protein nanomaterials, we study the genetic sequence, structure, and interactions of protein building blocks, which are translated into the creation of protein nanomaterials with unprecedented properties. In particular, we work on protein assembly in complex systems, termed modular protein origami, which is to build protein nanomaterials with customizable structures and to genetically program novel functionalities for applications in biosensors, manufacturing, neuroscience, and agriculture.
Using proteins as primary building blocks, we design nanomaterials with precisely controlled structural features, properties, and functionalities.
Can you explain that to a non-scientist?
In living systems, sophisticated methods to build remarkably precise and tiny materials have evolved for billions of years. The key molecules that build small biomaterials are proteins, which fold and assemble into a variety of functional structures. We harness this nature’s approach to engineer biological materials to solve problems in different areas. Learning from biology, we put together interesting proteins present in nature, modify their genetic codes, and repurpose them to build small-scale materials for new technology. In particular, we design various protein materials to solve problems in biosensing, manufacturing, manufacturing, neuroscience, and agriculture.
Why did you choose this area of research?
I was fascinated by the technological potential of proteins, and the way we engineer new proteins greatly interested me in choosing this area of protein engineering. As seen in nature, proteins have exceptional controls over their size and shape at the nanometer scale as well as functions that can be programmed genetically. This feature of proteins offers great promise to design new materials that we can use for many applications. Tools in molecular biology enable the engineering and production of proteins using microorganisms such as bacteria, and computational tools significantly improve the success of new protein design.
I was fascinated by the technological potential of proteins, and the way we engineer new proteins greatly interested me in choosing this area of protein engineering.
What are some of the real-world applications of your work?
Using engineered proteins, we created thin coating materials that present useful properties for applications for health care or biomedicine. For example, we developed a coating that emits a fluorescence signal in response to specific ions so that we can measure their concentrations in biological fluids to detect diseases such as cancer. Another example includes a protein coating for biomedical devices. It presents antifouling properties that inhibit the adhesion and growth of bacteria while providing biocompatible interfaces.