About Professor Yangmee Kim

  Yangmee Kim is a Professor in the Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology at Konkuk University, South Korea. She received her B.S. in Chemistry in 1984 and her M.S. in Physical Chemistry in 1986, both from Yonsei University. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University in 1990, working under the supervision of Professor James H. Prestegard. Following her doctoral studies, she conducted postdoctoral research on NMR spectroscopy at Yale University until 1991. In 1992, Dr. Kim joined Konkuk University as an Assistant Professor. 

Her research focuses on the structure and dynamics of proteins involved in fatty acid synthase and aryl polyene biosynthesis in multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. She utilizes NMR spectroscopy, x-ray crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations to design targeted antibiotics against fatty acid synthase in MDR bacteria, aiming to unravel their virulence mechanisms and combat the growing threat of multidrug resistance. Furthermore, leveraging structure-activity relationship insights, she is pioneering the design of highly potent antimicrobial peptides as innovative antibiotics to combat infectious diseases, with one candidate achieving successful completion of Phase I clinical trials in sepsis.

 Education :

1990 Ph.D. Department of Chemistry, Yale University, USA
1986 MS. Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
1984 B.Sc. Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

 Professional Experience :

 Awards:

2022 Anigen Academic Award, Korean Peptide and Protein Society
2019 Park Inwon Academic Award, Korean Chemical Society
2016 Lee Jowoong Academic Award, Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
2014 Women Chemist Award, Korean Chemical Society
2009 Award for the Advancement of Science, Korean Chemical Society
2005 Best Teacher Award, Konkuk University
2001 Academic Excellence Prize, KonkuK University

 Invited talk:

• Pleanary speaker, 2025 Asia-Pacific NMR Symposium, June. 25-09, 2025 in Pune, India

• 7th Asian Chemical Biology Conference, January 10 -12, 2025 in Hongkong

• 21th KIAS Conference on Protein Structure and Function, Oct12-14, 2023 in Seoul, Korea

• Pleanary speaker, 2023 Asia-Pacific NMR Symposium, Sep. 05-09, 2023 in Taipai

• 36th Euroean Peptide Symposium & 12th international Peptide Symposium, Aug.28-Sep2, 2022 in Sitges, Barcelona

• 20th KIAS Conference on Protein Structure and Function, Sep. 13-17, 2022 in Seoul, Korea

• Conference of the Federation of Korean Societies for Biomolecular Science, Nov.3-4. 2022 in Jeju

• Pacifichem Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics: Recent Advances in NMR Dec.16-21 2021 in Honolulu, Hawaii

• Pacifichem Antimicrobial peptides at the interaction of chemistry, biology & technology. Dec.16-21 2021 in Honolulu, Hawaii

• 8th Asia-Pacific NMR Symposium, July 3-6, 2019 in Singapore

• 10th International Peptide Symposium, Dec. 3-8, 2018 in Kyoto, Japan

• 5th Asia pacific Protein Association Conference July 11-14, 2017 in Bangsaen, Thailand

• 7th Asia-Pacific NMR Symposium, Feb. 15-18, 2017 in Bangalore, India

• 17th KIAS Conference on Protein Structure and Function, Sep. 22-25, 2017 in Seoul, Korea

• 27th ICMRBS, Aug. 21-26, 2016 in Kyoto, Japan

• 6th Asia-pacific NMR Symposium, Aug. 13-16, 2015 in Hong Kong

• 19th ISMAR, Aug. 16-21, 2015 in Shanghai, China

• 15th KIAS Conference on Protein Structure and Function, Sep. 17-19, 2015 in Seoul, Korea

• 26th ICMRBS, Aug. 24-29, 2014 in Dallas, USA

• Biophysical Society thematic meeting on membrane protein folding, May 19-22, 2013 in Seoul, Korea

• 23rd American Peptide Symposium, June 22-27, 2013 in Hawaii, USA

• Pleanary speaker, 5th Asia-pacific NMR Symposium, Oct. 27-30, 2013 in Brisbane, Austrailia

• 4th Asia-pacific NMR Symposium, Oct. 16-19, 2011 Beijing, China

• 11th KIAS Conference on Protein Structure and Function, Cct. 6-8, 2011 in Seoul, Korea

• 3rd Asia-pacific International Peptide Symposium, Nov. 8-11, 2009 in Jeju, Korea

• 43rd Japanese Peptide Symposium & 4th Peptide Engineering Meeting, Nov. 5-8, 2006 in Yokohama, Japan

 Representative papers:

1. Structural and dynamic roles of tandem acyl carrier proteins in aryl polyene biosynthesis in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, Protein Science 2025;34(12):e70382.  

2. A Novel Peptide Antibiotic Targeting Gram-Negative Infections Designed from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Adenylate Kinase, J Med Chem. 2025;68(18):19303-19330. 

3. Therapeutic Potential of Novel Antimicrobial Peptide Pap12-6-10: Mechanisms of Antibacterial and Anti-inflammatory Action Against Gram-negative Sepsis, J Med Chem. 2025;68(19):20283-20303. 

4. Molecular mechanism underlying the TLR4 antagonistic and antiseptic activities of papiliocin, an insect innate immune response molecule. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2022;119(10):e2115669119.

5. Structural basis of the complementary activity of two ketosynthases in aryl polyene biosynthesis. Scientific Reports 2021;11(1):16340.

6. Structure and substrate specificity of β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III from Acinetobacter baumannii. Mol Microbiol. 2018;108(5):567-577.

7. Novel Structural Components Contribute to the High Thermal Stability of Acyl Carrier Protein from Enterococcus faecalis. J. Biol. Chem. 2016;291(4):1692. 

8. Structure and Backbone Dynamics of vanadate-bound PRL-3: Comparison of 15N NMR Relaxation Profiles of free and vanadate-bound PRL-3. Biochemistry 2014;53: 4814.

9. Discovery of Novel Selective Inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus β-Ketoacyl Acyl Carrier Protein Synthase III. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2012;47(1): 261.

10. Structure and function of papiliocin with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities isolated from the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus. J. Biol. Chem 2011;286(48):41296.