Thanks to a Humboldt Research Fellowship, Seonki Hong, a Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology in Daegu, Republic of Korea, is enhancing the Dynamic Biomaterials Department at the INM. The chemist is researching new materials that adhere in water, drawing inspiration from the adhesive properties of mussels in seawater, which are based on special proteins.
What Professor Hong appreciates about the INM is the opportunity to receive input from a wide range of disciplines and to look beyond the boundaries of chemistry. With her research, she is exploring applications in medicine, specifically focusing on developing materials that could, for instance, coat prostheses in the oral cavity, enabling them to adhere in a moist environment.