Prof. HEE-SEUNG LEE

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Our research aims to design and construct peptidic foldamers with well-defined secondary structures and chiral environments for applications in molecular recognition, catalysis, and self-assembly. By mimicking structural motifs of natural biomolecules, we investigate how foldamers can be programmed to form higher-order architectures with controlled anisotropy ("foldectures") and cooperative function. 

We are also exploring the integration of foldamer-based scaffolds into Al-assisted drug discovery workflows to develop new modalities for targeting challenging biological interfaces. Our current efforts include building a molecular design platform based on self-assembling foldamers to enable structure-guided generation of therapeutic candidates with novel mechanisms of action.

MAJOR RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS

• Introduced the concept of "foldecture," referring to anisotropic supramolecular architectures constructed from peptidic foldamers through directional self-assembly.

• Established methods to control the handedness, curvature, and dimensionality of foldamer assemblies, enabling programmable construction of chiral channels and networks.

• Demonstrated the cooperative behavior of foldamer assemblies in chiral molecular recognition and catalysis.

• Developed metal-foldamer networks that integrate coordination chemistry with peptidic foldamers, offering tunable platforms for molecular confinement and function.

• Initiated the application of foldamer-based systems in Al-assisted new drug discovery pipelines, providing novel chemical scaffolds for exploring undruggable or low-druggability targets.