Taegeun Yu just joined the Lee lab as a new postdoctoral associate. Before joining, he spent a year working at KAIST as a postdoc, and he was recognized for excellent work with an award. In 2022, he completed his PhD at the Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST under the guidance of Hak-sung Kim.
During his integrated 5-year Master’s and PhD program, he developed a database-driven algorithm that helps design complementary b-sheet sequences. He used this algorithm to design a new type of sensor protein that can bind to an endogenous intrinsically disordered protein and change the chromophore state. On top of that, he also designed a protein binder that can control the assembly of inflammasomes. Through this, he uncovered how oligomerization regulates inflammatory responses and even developed an inflammasome inhibitor that can be effectively delivered into macrophages and suppress inflammation. He enjoys pushing the boundaries and taking innovative approaches in the fields of protein engineering, bioinformatics, and immunology.
He graduated with honors (Summa cum laude) from Korea University, where he double majored in Environmental Science and Engineering as well as Economics. He graduated early from Daejeon Science High School. Outside of work, he loves watching movies, traveling, playing sports, and cooking.
