Welcome to the homepage of the Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology (MCCB) Laboratory led by Prof. Hak Joong Kim at Korea University!

Our research primarily focuses on developing novel targeted protein degradation (TPD) strategies and establishing an innovative DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening platform. By advancing these platform technologies, our ultimate goal is to discover effective TPD-based therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer and mycobacterial infections. 

We are a proud member of the National Research Laboratory for Convergence Degradation Biology (NRLDB) and in charge of developing new TPD platforms and identifying next generation TPD drug candidates. You can find more information about NRLDB by clicking the badge below.

We welcome inquiries from motivated and enthusiastic students. We are currently recruiting graduate students (Ph.D. and integrated M.S./Ph.D. programs) for Spring 2027. Undergraduate students interested in the Undergraduate Research Program (URP) or research internships are also encouraged to reach out.

Contact: hakkim@korea.ac.kr

MCCB Lab annual research grant status (as of 2026/10)

National Research Laboratory for Convergence Degradation Biology: KRW 150M
Mid-career Researcher Program (NRF, mycobacterial TPD): KRW 225M
Bio and Medical Technology Development Program (NRF, targeted antibiotic delivery): KRW 250M
Bio and Medical Technology Development Program (NRF, Alzheimer TPD): KRW 100M
Technology Development for Challenging Unresolved Therapeutics (KHIDI, NTM antibiotic): KRW 120M

News!

[2026.9.14] Sooah (수아) & Jehoon (제훈) joined in the lab as undergraduate internship students. Hope to have good learnings & many experiences.

[2026.9.1] Jeonggyu joined in the lab as a new MS-PhD graduate student. Big welcome!!

[2026.1.27] Our new paper in collaboration with Prof. Choi lab at Chung-Nam National University was published in Microbiology Spectrum. Thank all the co-authors for their hard works!

[2026.1.6] Joseph & Hong Woo joined in the lab as new graduate students. Welcome!