CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, to advance research into artificial cells capable of sensing multiple environmental stimuli. For the Army, such capabilities could ultimately support applications ranging from environmental monitoring and infrastructure assessment to situational awareness in complex operational environments.
The two-year collaboration brings together researchers from ERDC’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) and Sogang University’s Institute of Biological Interfaces to develop and test novel dual-sensing artificial cells. The effort combines ERDC-CERL’s expertise in biomolecule engineering and biotic systems with Sogang University’s capabilities for analyzing biomolecules in abiotic, or non-living, environments.
Artificial cells are engineered systems designed to reproduce selected functions of living cells without necessarily replicating a complete biological organism. By developing systems capable of responding to two different stimuli, researchers aim to explore new approaches for creating robust synthetic sensing technologies.
Under the agreement, researchers at ERDC-CERL’s Synthetic Biology Laboratory will prepare and modify DNA biomolecules, adding specific tagging sequences and developing modular components designed for dual-stimuli sensing. Researchers will then validate those modifications through DNA sequencing and confirm that the engineered biomolecules can successfully produce proteins within a living system. Validated biomolecules will then be provided to Sogang University, where researchers will examine their performance in cell-free, non-living environments. The complementary research allows the teams to study how engineered biological components behave in both living and non-living systems, while combining capabilities and expertise available at the two institutions.
"To support ERDC’s mission, it is critical to collaborate with experts in government and academia across the world. We are excited for this opportunity to partner with Sogang University to expand our shared research endeavors,” said Seung Jin Oh, an ERDC-CERL research biologist and technical point of contact for the collaboration.
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements allow federal laboratories such as ERDC to work with non-federal organizations, including universities, on research and development efforts of mutual interest. Through the agreement, ERDC and Sogang University can share personnel, expertise, facilities and other research capabilities while establishing a framework for data, publication and intellectual property rights.
Knowledge exchange is also a significant component of the partnership. Sogang University researchers will train ERDC-CERL personnel in the university’s methodologies for abiotic biomolecule analysis, while ERDC-CERL will host Sogang graduate students to facilitate scientific exchange and technology transfer. Visiting students will receive training in relevant ERDC-CERL technologies while working alongside laboratory researchers.
The partnership builds on the complementary expertise of the two research organizations. ERDC will provide laboratory engineers and scientists, exchange research results and technical information and provide expert consultation. Similarly, Sogang University will provide researchers and technical expertise, while sharing information related to artificial-cell development and analysis.
“We are looking forward to more collative, fruitful research together with ERDC,” said Kwanwoo Shin, professor and director of Sogang University’s Institute of Biological Interfaces.
For ERDC-CERL, the collaboration provides an opportunity to expand its capabilities in synthetic biology while strengthening scientific relationships with researchers who bring complementary expertise to complex Army research challenges. The collaboration also creates a pathway for continued research beyond the initial effort, with both organizations committed to pursuing additional proposals and sharing the scientific findings generated through the partnership.