Kim Bitnaeri to Receive HFSP Nakasone Award, Known as a "Stepping Stone to the Nobel Prize"

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Pioneering the Foundation for mRNA Therapeutics through RNA Research

Kim Bitnaeri, Director of the IBS RNA Research Center and Distinguished Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at Seoul National University, has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious international life sciences award, the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Nakasone Award. Since the award was established in 2010, she is the first Korean and the first Asian researcher to receive this honor.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on July 13, 2026, that Dr. Kim has been named as the recipient of the 2027 HFSP Nakasone Award.

Kim Bitnaeri, Director of the IBS RNA Research Group and Distinguished Professor at the Department of Life Sciences, Seoul National University. Provided by Ministry of Science and ICT

The HFSP Nakasone Award is an international academic prize given to researchers who have made innovative discoveries or breakthroughs in life sciences. The award focuses on research achievements published within the past ten years. Of the 21 previous laureates, four have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize, earning the award a reputation as a "stepping stone to the Nobel Prize."

A New Horizon in RNA Biology... Laying the Foundation for mRNA Therapeutics

Since 2012, Dr. Kim has led the IBS RNA Research Center and has uncovered a series of new principles governing the production, function, and degradation of RNA, pioneering new research areas in RNA biology.

In particular, she discovered the non-canonical RNA tailing pathway, revealing a new regulatory mechanism for gene expression and providing a crucial foundation for understanding the origins of diseases. This research is recognized as having established the molecular basis for the development of highly stable mRNA therapeutics and vaccines.

HFSP cited Dr. Kim's "discovery of non-canonical RNA tailing pathways and elucidation of new regulatory mechanisms of gene expression" as the reason for her selection.

Dr. Kim was chosen as a finalist by the HFSP Scientific Advisory Board in April 2026, after competing with 45 researchers from around the world, and was officially confirmed as the 2027 laureate following approval by the HFSP Board of Trustees on July 6.

The award includes a commemorative medal, a certificate, and a research grant of $15,000. Dr. Kim will also deliver the HFSP Nakasone Lecture at next year's HFSP Annual Meeting.

Bae Kyunghoon, Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "As the first Korean recipient of the HFSP Nakasone Award, Dr. Kim's achievement demonstrates that our nation's life sciences research capabilities are being recognized globally. We will continue to actively support world-class innovative research in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.