We are excited to announce a special seminar with Professor Michael (Seungju) Yu on April 17, 2024. Join us at Bispebjerg Hospital, Building 10, at 9:30-10:30. 

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Abstract
Collagen degradation is associated with many pathologic conditions (e.g. tumor, fibrosis, arthritis) and musculoskeletal injuries (e.g. tendonitis). Therefore, the ability to specifically target degraded and denatured collagens could lead to new diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as applications in regenerative medicine. Our research group has developed collagen hybridizing peptide (CHP), a rationally designed synthetic peptide that has a strong propensity to fold into triple helical structure of collagen and is able to bind to denatured collagen strands by strand hybridization. Here, I will present i) the unique hybridization mechanism, which is made possible by super-secondary protein folding, ii) use of CHPs to detect/image collagen remodeling activities in normal and pathologic conditions including mechanical injury, iii) using CHPs to capture collagen fragments from biological fluid for disease biomarker study, and finally iv) prospects for diagnostic imaging and drug-delivery.

Biography
Michael (Seungju) Yu is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the University of Utah. Previously, he was an Associate Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Yu is the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and NSF CAREER award. He is currently in Europe as a Fulbright US Scholar. Dr. Yu received undergraduate degree in chemistry from Korea University in South Korea, followed by doctoral degree in polymer science and engineering from University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was an NIH post-doctoral fellow at the Chemistry Department of University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining Johns Hopkins University. By applying principles of protein folding and assembly to bio- and nano-technology, Dr. Yu is developing innovative diagnostic/therapeutic molecules, biomaterials, and piezoelectric materials. In particular, the collagen hybridizing peptide he developed and commercialized (3Helix, Inc) is considered a breakthrough technology in detecting and studying damaged collagens associated with disease and injury.