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Research Themes

Our research integrates organic chemistry and synthetic biology to develop molecular technologies that benefit human health and society.

Through bioconjugation, sensors and bioactuators, chemically induced dimerization, and directed evolution, we create precise tools to study, control, and ultimately improve biological systems.

Recent Achievements

Jieun Bae et al.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

We created a genetically encoded chemical switch that uses fluoride to precisely control protein activity in living cells, offering a new tool for synthetic biology and cellular engineering.

Jiyeun Ahn et al.

Bioconjugate Chemistry

We developed a reversible protein labeling method that selectively targets proteins outside the cell. This low-toxicity strategy allows tags to be attached and removed on demand, enabling dynamic tracking of extracellular proteins in living systems.

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Jongdoo Choi et al.

ACS Synthetic Biology

We discovered that introducing engineered genetic code expansion components can unexpectedly affect cellular metabolism and gene expression. By harnessing this effect, we created a novel biological logic gate that responds to both temperature and a synthetic amino acid, revealing new opportunities for programmable control in living cells.

Selected Publications

1. Bae, J.+, Kim, S.+, Choi, J., Kim, G., Jang, Y. & Koh, M.*, “Fluoride-Triggered Protein Activation via a Genetically Encoded Tyrosine Analogue”

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 147 (49), 45015–45024 (2025).

2. Ahn, J.+, Kim, T.+, Bae, J.+, Jung, J.+, Lee, J., Lee, H., Mun, J., Kim, S., Park, J., Kim, J.*, & Koh, M.*, “Reversible Protein Labeling via Genetically Encoded Dithiolane-Containing Amino Acid and Organoarsenic Probes” Bioconjug. Chem., 36 (5), 1034–1039 (2025).

3. Choi, J., Ahn, J., Bae, J., Yoon, M., Yun, H. & Koh, M.*, “Designing a Novel Temperature- and Noncanonical Amino Acid-Controlled Biological Logic Gate in Escherichia coli” ACS Synth. Biol., 13 (8), 2587–2599 (2024).

4. Koh, M., Ahmad, I., Ko, Y., Zhang, Y., Martinez, T. F., Diedrich, J. K., Chu, Q., Moresco, J. J., Erb, M. A., Saghatelian, A., Schultz, P. G. & Bollong, M. J., “A short ORF-encoded transcriptional regulator” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 118 (4), e2021943118 (2021)

5. Koh, M.+, Yao, A.+, Gleason, P. R., Mills, J. H. & Schultz, P. G., "A general strategy for engineering noncanonical amino acid dependent bacterial growth" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 141 (41), 16213–16216 (2019).

6. Koh, M.+, Cho, H.-Y.+, Yu, C., Choi, S., Lee, K.-B. & Schultz, P. G., "Site-specific incorporation of a dithiolane containing amino acid into proteins", Bioconjug. Chem. 30 (8), 2102–2105 (2019).

7. Koh, M., Nasertorabi, F., Han, G. W., Stevens, R. C. & Schultz, P. G., "Generation of an orthogonal protein-protein interface with a noncanonical amino acid", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 139 (16), 5728–5731 (2017).

8. Koh, M., Park, J., Koo, J. Y., Lim, D., Cha, M. Y., Jo, A., Choi, J. H. & Park, S. B. "Phenotypic screening to identify small-molecule enhancers for glucose uptake: target identification and rational optimization of their efficacy", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 53 (20), 5102–5106 (2014).

9. Koh, M., Park, J., An, H. & Park, S. B. "Ratiometric analysis of zidovudine (ZDV) incorporation by reverse transcriptases or polymerases via bio-orthogonal click chemistry", Chem. Commun. (Camb.) 47, 7614–7616 (2011).