News

2026 MetaBioHealth Summer Workshop

We joined the 2026 Summer Workshop of the Department of MetaBioHealth together with SeoLab, BOIL, and MedVIL, along with Prof. Kyeong Kyu Kim, Chair of the Department. Each of us presented our own project and exchanged ideas across labs.

Many newly admitted students also took part, which made it a great chance to get to know one another and build connections between labs. We all had a wonderful time together!

Starting a New Semester

Soyoon Lee, Hye Min Kim, and Yujin Han, who joined our lab as interns in January 2026, started their graduate programs in the Fall 2026 semester: Soyoon and Hye Min in the integrated M.S.-Ph.D. program, and Yujin in the M.S. program (pictured from left).

Congratulations, and we look forward to the exciting research ahead!

Attending the KSSCR 2026 Annual Meeting

We attended the KSSCR 2026 Annual Meeting of the Korean Society for Stem Cell Research, held at the SWISS Grand Hotel in Seoul. Over the two days, our lab members presented posters on their ongoing projects, and together with our three undergraduate interns, we joined a variety of seminars on the latest advances in stem cell and organoid research.

It was a rewarding time to share our work, get valuable feedback, and learn together as a team!

Yujin Selected for the SKKU-Samsung Biologics M.S. Track

Yujin Han has been selected as a scholarship student of the SKKU-Samsung Biologics M.S. Track, a talent development program run jointly by Sungkyunkwan University and Samsung Biologics. Congratulations, Yujin!

Attending EASL Congress 2026

I attended the EASL Congress 2026 held in Barcelona, where I had the opportunity to learn about the latest advances in liver research.

It was also a great pleasure to reconnect with Meritxell Huch, my mentor from my postdoctoral training in Germany, and Takanori Takebe, one of my valued collaborators.
We enjoyed meaningful conversations and a wonderful meal together after such a long time apart.

2026 Teacher's Day

Although I may still have much to learn as a mentor, my students kindly prepared a cake and a bouquet to celebrate Teacher’s Day.
I am always deeply grateful for their thoughtfulness and support.

Let’s continue to grow together and strive to achieve even better science as a team!

Lab Lunch!

We had a lab lunch together with pizza, chicken, and tteokbokki. It was a nice break to enjoy good food and chat as a team!

Yewon receives her M.S. Degree!

We are proud to share that Yewon, who has been with the STAR Lab since its very beginning, has received her M.S. degree. From helping establish the lab to actively contributing to multiple ongoing projects, Yewon has played an essential role in our team!

She was also honored with an Outstanding Research Award among the graduates—an achievement we are truly proud of.

We wish her continued success and all the best in her future research career!

KSSCR 2026 Winter Conference

We participated in the Korean Society for Stem Cell Research (KSSCR) Winter Conference.

It was a great opportunity to explore a new setting beyond our campus, listen to diverse research presentations, and share an enjoyable time together.

We hope this experience provided our students with meaningful insights and helped them further broaden their knowledge!

STAR Lab Christmas Party

To celebrate Christmas, we held a STAR Lab Christmas Party!

We enjoyed delicious food along with wine and beer outside the lab, and also had a fun surprise random gift exchange.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas 🥳

Time with SKKU Stem Cell Researchers

We spent time with research teams at SKKU who are actively working with stem cell-based platforms.

It was a refreshing opportunity to enjoy good food and engage in meaningful scientific discussions!

Attending the KSSCR 2025 Annual Meeting

We recently attended the Korean Society for Stem Cell Research (KSSCR) meeting, where we had a wonderful time learning and engaging with the latest in stem cell science. It was a pleasure to meet with Dr. Anne Grapin-Botton from the Max Planck Institute—we truly enjoyed our conversations.

A meaningful and inspiring meeting overall!

MetaBioHealth Workshop

We participated in the MetaBioHealth Workshop, where we had the opportunity to present our research and share ideas with fellow colleagues. It was a valuable and enjoyable time for all of us!

Doyoon got the grant!

We are excited to share that Doyoon has been selected for the 2025 Science and Engineering Master’s Student Research Fellowship Program with the project titled:
“Development of a Liver–Gut Axis Organoid-on-a-Chip for Identifying Liver Disease Mechanisms Mediated by Bile Acid–Microbiome Interactions.”

Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!
We look forward to working together to ensure the project progresses successfully and leads to meaningful scientific outcomes.

Attending the ISSCR Annual Meeting

I had a truly inspiring time attending the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting—learning so much and reconnecting with old colleagues and international collaborators I had missed.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!

Teacher’s Day!

A heartfelt thank you to my students for preparing a cake and flowers for their not‑so‑perfect teacher!

Let’s continue to do our best together moving forward!

The Perks of Korean Delivery Food!
Lab lunch!

We had the pleasure of visiting the lab of Prof. Takanori Takebe at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a leading group consistently publishing amazing research in the field of liver organoids.

During our meeting, we agreed to initiate a collaborative research project—looking forward to what lies ahead in our partnership!

Guiyoung have joined the STAR Lab as bachelor intern student.

Welcome to the team!

We had a wonderful time welcoming Dr. Anna Dowbaj and Dr. Cedric Landerer, with whom we previously worked together at the Max Planck Institute, during their visit to Korea!

Congratulations to Anna on her new faculty appointment at the Technical University of Munich—looking forward to starting a new collaboration soon!

Lab dinner!

Doyoon has received his Bachelor's degree at SKKU.

Congratulations!

Merry Christmas!

STAR Lab spent time together enjoying a delicious dinner with Korean beef!

Hangyeol have joined the STAR Lab as bachelor intern student.

Welcome to the team!

We participated in the KSSCR 2024 Annual Meeting!

We hope everyone learned a lot and had a great experience.

Jaehyeok have joined the STAR Lab as bachelor intern student.

Welcome to the team!

SKKU held a festival.

A delicious lunch with festive food!

First Teacher's Day. 

Thank you for your congratulations and I will try to be a better teacher. Thank you!

Doyoon have joined the STAR Lab as bachelor intern student.

Welcome to the team!

We're ready to GO!

Our first dinner party

We're excited to see what the future holds.

Yewon and Hojin have joined the STAR Lab as master student.

We wish them all the best in their future!