Editor Interview: YU-SHIK HWANG

YU-SHIK HWANG is a professor from Department of Maxillofacial Biomedical Engineering, College of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University. He is also the CTO of KeraMedix (Bio-Venture Company).

RESEARCH AREA

• Study on biological mechanism in cellular interaction of natural biomaterials, especially keratin, during tissue regeneration

• Development of natural biomaterials-based medical device and biomedicine

• Stem cell-based micro tissue development

Here's the interview we did with him:

Q: Could you briefly introduce your current research field?

A: My current research is focusing on the elucidation of biological mechanisms, especially mechano transduction, of keratin protein influencing cellular behaviors via cell to cell interaction and cell to ECM interaction. Based on the finding of new functions of keratin in tissue regeneration, we are doing translational research to develop keratin-based therapeutics. I am very interested in tissue regeneration through cell apoptosis. Here is a Chinese proverb “A tiger leaves its leather after death and a man leaves his name.” From our research, we want to suggest one of scientific proverbs. “Epithelial cells leave Keratin after programmed cell death: Keratin is one of cues for tissue regeneration.”

Q: What obstacles or difficulties have you encountered in your research work? How did you overcome these difficulties?

A: Sometimes, we have encountered unexpected data and results, and we have to decide whether the research is going on or not at some stage of research. The only solution to overcome this difficulty is to find and study research papers more and more, which leads us to answer the question “why and where such results come from.  

Q: As an associate editor, what type of articles or which direction of research are you interested in?

A: With such a vast array of diverse papers being published in bioactive materials, it's not always easy to pinpoint the most intriguing ones, but I am also interested in the regenerative outcomes facilitated by bioactive materials, but I am particularly intrigued by papers that provide detailed elucidation of the mechanisms and processes involved in the interaction between bioactive molecules and cells.

Q: What are your expectations for the future development of Bioactive Materials and its promotion of related fields?

A: I am sure Bioactive Materials will be one of top journals in future, and I believe that to become a high-level journal, it is necessary to have a broader range of reviewers and papers from other fields. I think it would be beneficial to have papers published not only on medical devices based on the biological mechanisms of natural biomaterials but also in the pharmaceutical field.

Q: What is your greatest hobby outside of scientific work?

A: I enjoy traveling with my family during vacation periods.

Q: How do you balance scientific research work and personal life?

A: I'm making an effort to avoid working beyond business hours as much as possible.

Q: What do you think is the most important quality for researchers?

A: I always said to our lab members “most important ability in research is not to find a new thing or not to develop new materials”. Researchers should make diligent efforts to elucidate and explain their findings, regardless of whether the results are positive or negative from experiments. There are many qualities that researchers should possess, but if I were to pick one, I believe honesty about experimental results is paramount.

Q: What advice do you have for young scholars who are determined to engage in scientific research?

A: While I'm not in a position to give advice, I think it's better to persistently delve into research topics that one is always passionate and interested in, rather than solely focusing on publishing papers. Furthermore, I hope that the results derived from their research will be beneficial to people and society.