11:10-12:00, Rm 103

Achievement Award of Paper - EMMKyung-Mi LeeKorea University Medical SchoolAwardsDr. Kyung-Mi Lee is a professor of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology atKorea University Medical school. She graduated with B.S/M.S in Pharmacy from SeoulNational University and obtained a Ph.D. from University of Chicago. During her ph.D.she has been studying signal transduction mechanisms underlying G-protein coupledreceptors In the mid-1990s, she switched her gear into immunology field involving T cellsand natural killer (NK) cells. Belonging to adaptive immunity, B cells and T cells exhibitantigen specificity, thus provides antigen-specific long term memory. NK cells canrecognize foreign molecules such as virus or tumor cells, but via mechanisms distinct fromthat of T & B cells. In contrast to T and B cells, NK cells do not exhibit antigen-specificityand do not become memory cells. However, due to their ability to kill tumor cells,particular attention has been given to NK cells in the past decade. Thus, her researchfocuses on the role of various NK receptors regulating NK cytotoxicity and on theirintracellular signal transduction mechanisms upon tumor cell exposure. Recently, shestudied the role of 2B4, a member of CD2 family, expressed in NK cells and T cells, as2B4 has been found to play an important role in NK cell activation. To molecularly dissectthe role of 2B4 in T and NK cell function, she utilized genetic approaches employingretroviral transduction and gene knockout mice. Surprisingly, she found that 2B4 couldplay an opposing role in T cells versus NK cells. Based on these data, she is now studyingthe followings,1) Tumor ImmunotherapyTumor Immunotherapy is an anticancer approach in which the immune system isstimulated to effectively fight tumors. We are exploring the use of autologous NK and Tcells to develop less invasive therapeutic strategies for cancer.2) NanobiotechnologyResearch in the field of nanobiotechnology could provide important tools for thedevelopment of new diagnostics and immune cell-based therapeutics.3) Cell to cell cross talkWe are studying the complex interactions between immune cells, in particular, the effectsof NK-NK, NK-T, and NK-B cell interactions both in vivo and in vitro.4) Co-stimulatorsWe are trying to understand the functions of NK and T cell co-stimulators involved in antitumorresponses, such as, the roles of 2B4 in tumor clearance and memory T cellstimulation.2011년도 생화학분자생물학회 연례국제학술대회27