Yonsei Advanced Science Institute

The Wyss Institute, located in Harvard University, is specialized in connecting the achievements of basic science to real life. Wyss Institute runs a consulting program for scientists so that they could find ways to introduce their scientific discoveries to real life. In other words, it is essential for scientists to get support from the business and marketing sectors to make important scientific discoveries more approachable to people.

Prof. Joanna Aizenberg is a world-renowned scholar of nanoscience at Harvard University. She introduced her experience of start-up using her scientific technique. She also emphasized that support from the public sectors including government would very important to drive the scientific discoveries more applicable to society. Prof. Aizenberg visited Korea to attend a forum, co-hosted by the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Center for NanoMedicine and the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest chemistry organization.
Professor Aizenberg is an expert in biomimetic materials that develops nanostructures which mimic natural structures and applies their performance. One of her distinguished technology is SLIPS, which coats the surface of an object with nano material to prevent contaminants from adhering to it. It is a technology which prevents marine pollutants from getting on ships. When applied in medical tools, her technique could prevent pathogens from contamination and infection and also could prevent the formation of biofilm. Prof. Aizenberg said, ‘This technology was inspired by a carnivorous plant with a jar-shaped structure. When insects touch the plant, they slide in and get eaten by the plant. I have completed the technology by studying the surface of nanostructures and lubricants of the plants.
Prof. Aizenberg has established four start-ups by using her technologies, including SLIPS. Two of her start-ups run business related to the SLIPS and another two companies commercialize Aizenberg’s other scientific discoveries applied to energy industry. Prof. Aizenberg said, “business sectors have been quite successful in commercializing the technologies and one of the main reasons for this success is that the importance of the basic and original science has not been disregarded and because the Wyss Institute continue supporting scientists to get ways to commercialize their technology.
Prof. Aizenberg picked dynamic, smart materials as the main field of nanoscience to which Korea should pay more attention. She said, “it would be good to see that Korea pays more investment on research developing nanomaterials which could be self-controlled and self-moving as this area would be promising.