The Center for Vascular Research at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), led by Director Gou Young Koh, has been selected for the "2025 National R&D Top 100 Performance" by the Ministry of Science and ICT. This prestigious honor recognizes the team’s groundbreaking discovery of the Nasopharyngeal Lymphatic Plexus (NPLP) as the primary hub for draining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and metabolic waste from the brain.

Published in the journal Nature, the study revealed that the NPLP, located behind the nose, acts as a central drainage path that is significantly more efficient than previously known routes. Most importantly, the team demonstrated a new paradigm: brain waste clearance can be regulated from outside the skull using pharmacological treatments. This discovery by Director Koh and researchers Jin-Hui Yun, Hokyung Jin, Hae Jin Kim, and Seon Pyo Hong provides a vital foundation for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia by improving the brain's "self-cleaning" ability in an aging society.

Senior researcher Hokyung Jin of the IBS center for vascular research wins the ‘Young Medical Scientist Award’ at the 35th WUNSCH medical award 

Senior Researcher Hokyung Jin has received the ‘Young Medical Scientist Award’ at the WUNSCH Medical Award, jointly established by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences and Boehringer Ingelheim Korea.

The WUNSCH Medical Award was established in 1990 to honor Richard Wunsch, a German physician who served as the royal physician to King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious awards in the domestic medical community, selecting medical scientists who have achieved outstanding research results through a rigorous annual screening process. The award is divided into two categories based on career and achievements: the ‘Main Award’ and the ‘Young Medical Scientist Award.’ The Main Award is presented to medical scientists who have contributed to the advancement of Korean medicine in the clinical or research fields for over 20 years. The Young Medical Scientist Award is bestowed upon medical scientists under the age of 40 who have published papers of high academic value and contribution.

Hokyung Jin was selected as this year’s winner in the clinical division of the Young Medical Scientist Award. Jin received high acclaim for being the first to propose a treatment strategy applicable to actual clinical practice by modulating lymphatic vessels without the need for invasive brain surgery.

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