RESEARCH

MARTX toxin
(supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT;  Sep. 2023 ~ )
- How does Vibrio vulnificus utilize this large, single-polypeptide toxin to disrupt host defense systems?
- Can we leverage features of the MARTX toxin for biomedical applications?
- Which host signals regulate the expression of the MARTX toxin gene?

CsgD
- Is there a cognate ligand for CsgD that regulates curli production and biofilm formation in E. coli and Salmonella?
- What is the molecular mechanism of small molecule inhibitor for CsgD?

Bitter taste and oral microbiome
(supported by Basic Research Laboratory Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT;  Jun. 2023 ~ )
- Is there relationship between bitter taste sensitivity and oral microbiota composition?
- Does this relationship affect taste perception and oral health?
- What are the keystone microbes or molecules affecting bitter taste perception?
- How about other tastes?

Bacteriophage
- Isolation and characterization of novel bacteriophages to combat harmful (foodborne) pathogens
- What is the molecular basis for bacterial resistance against phage infection?
- How can we overcome such resistance problem? 

Endolysins
- Enhancing efficacy of endolysins via protein engineering
- Can we increase (thermo)stability of endolysins for industrial applications?