IBS Director KOO Bon-Kyung Awarded ERC Synergy Grant

- First Korean Researcher to be Selected... Initiating Korea-EU Global Collaboration to Unveil Origins of Cancer -

KOO Bon-Kyung, Director of the IBS Center for Genome Engineering, has been awarded the European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant for 2024, a prestigious ERC program supporting basic research. This is the first time a researcher affiliated with a Korean institution has received this grant. Koo is part of the ClonEScape team, comprising four research groups from Korea and Europe, which will receive a total of 10 million euros (approximately 14.9 billion KRW) over six years.

Director Koo has been a pioneer in studying adult stem cells in the gastrointestinal tract using genetically engineered mouse and organoid models developed through gene editing techniques. Notably, he successfully tracked the early stages of cancer development in mouse models through his innovative technique of mosaic genetics. He was also recognized as a “Highly Cited Researcher” by Clarivate, a global academic information service company, in both 2022 and 2023.

The ERC Synergy Grant is part of Horizon Europe, the European Union’s largest research and innovation framework program. It promotes interdisciplinary collaborative research by encouraging researchers from diverse backgrounds to achieve innovative outcomes that push the boundaries of existing research. With a total budget of around 16 billion euros, the program supports world-leading basic research across a range of fields.

In the 2024 ERC Synergy Grant selection, 57 teams from 24 countries, totaling 201 individuals, were awarded, including researchers from non-European countries like Korea, the U.S., and Australia. Director Koo, previously awarded the ERC Starting Grant in 2015 to support early-career researchers, has now received his second ERC grant, further demonstrating the originality and potential of his research.

Starting in 2025, Director Koo will collaborate with Professor Benjamin D. SIMONS of the University of Cambridge, Group Leader Maria P. ALCOLEA at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, and Professor Daniel E. STANGE of the Dresden University of Technology Medical School in Germany to investigate cancer mechanisms using mosaic genetics.

The research team aims to trace cancer-causing clones from their origin cells, studying how these "seed" cells penetrate the body's immune defenses to grow into cancer cell clones. They will also examine how these clones evolve, compete with other cells, and accumulate mutations that lead to cancer. Understanding the mechanisms of early cancer development could provide fundamental insights that contribute to cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment development.

ERC President Maria LEPTIN remarked, “Through the ERC Synergy Grant, outstanding researchers from multiple disciplines, countries, and even continents are uniting to tackle major challenges. I extend my congratulations to all those selected and look forward to seeing them expand the boundaries of knowledge.”

Director Koo stated, “This will mark a significant turning point in uncovering the fundamental causes of cancer. I am thrilled to collaborate with globally renowned researchers from various fields to gain insights into the origins of cancer and make groundbreaking strides in understanding the progression of this disease.”