My name is Jiyeon Seo, and I am a biologist majored in Animal Science, Applied Bioscience, and Food biomaterials. During my master course, I investigated biological functions of medicinal herbs and their active compounds on cancer prevention through phase 2 antioxidant enzymes mediated by Nrf2. Nrf2 is also a critical transcription factor in brain cells. Therefore, I was interested in the action of Nrf2 and ROS in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases. That is the reason why I investigated to neuroprotection and cognitive enhancement by phytochemicals in my doctorate course at Kyungpook National University. During working as a post-doc in College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University, I studied neuroinflammation and astrogliosis induced by Aβ which are the phenotypes of Alzheimer’s disease and tried to search for effective drug candidates from natural products for the devastating Alzheimer’s disease. Studying Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases are attractive and necessary research field to explore more in the future.

My research interests focus on biochemical and molecular biological studies regarding neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ROS-related disease. During my master course, I investigated biological functions of medicinal herbs in vitro and in vivo models. The central theme of my master thesis was to examine anti-carcinogenic activities of constituents of medicinal herbs that target Nrf2-mediated antioxidant enzymes in hepatocarcinoma cells. My colleagues and I found that the methanol soluble extracts of Inula helenium are induced phase 2 detoxifying enzymes mediated by Nrf2 activation. In addition, we identified alantolactone and isoalantolactone, belonging to sesquiterpenes, and examined their Nrf2-dependent anti-carcinogenic activities (Seo et al., Phyt other Res, 2009 and Seo et al., J Med Food, 2009). In my doctorate course, the primary project was to investigate neuroprotection and cognitive enhancement by phytochemicals. We proved that glyceollins, a family of phytoalexin, derived from soybean by aspergilussojae inoculation, protected from glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultured neurons and mouse hippocampal HT22 cells (In preparation). My colleagues and I found that sesquiterpenes prevented to neuronal cell death induced by amyloid β25-35, one of the major reasons to develop Alzheimer’s disease, through Nrf2-dependent reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the animal study, we targeted amnesia induced by scopolamine treatment, and evaluated learning and memory abilities using behavior tests such as a Y-maze, a passive avoidance, and a Morris water maze tests in ICR, C57BL/6J Nrf2+/-, and Nrf2-/-transgenic mice. As the secondary project, we studied biological functions of phytochemicals, medicinal herbs, and food byproducts to target specific diseases or disorders such as phytoanti-cancer, anti-inflammation, antilaxative, hepatoprotection, and anti-obesity activities. For example, we proved that dehydroglyasperin C, isolated from licorice, suppressed NFκ B-dependent inflammationfrom acute lung injury through Nrf2 activation in mice, by intratracheal injection and immunocytochemical analyses. Based on the phenotypic marker expression, we showed that dehydroglyasperin C has beneficial effects on specifically LPS-injected lung damage in mice. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Agricultural Science Research Center at Kyungpook National University, I aim to explore anti-tumorigenesis of phytochemicals through targeting a breast cancer stem-like cell. During working as a post-doc in Seoul National University, I studied neuro-inflammation induced by amyloid beta42using microglial and astrocyte cell lines. Plus, I am searching effective drug candidates derived from natural products for the devastating Alzheimer’s disease. Through my research career, I have become fascinated by disease-targeted studies in conjunction with their action mechanism. I am especially interested in targeted agents for disease therapeutic strategies for brain disease. To study more in your group regarding the chloride channel physiology and biochemistry will be the greatest opportunity for me to enlarge my research area and view point. In the future, I’d like to apply the chloride channel relationship to neurodegenerative disease therapy. Thus, I seek fundamental and applied biological insights in biology as well as to help develop therapeutic strategies based on biochemistry using molecular biology.