Authority of research on the bioconversion of organic compound utilizing microorganisms
Recognized internationally with biochemical research on the capsaicin of chili
Lee Sang-sup
Honorary professor, Seoul National Univ. (1931~)
- Academic background
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1950 ~ 1954
B.S., College of Pharmacy, SNU
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1954 ~ 1956
M.S., Graduate School of SNU (biochemistry)
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1962 ~ 1966
Ph.D., Graduate School of the Univ. of Wisconsin, USA (biochemistry)
- Professional career
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1955 ~ 1996
Teaching assistant, instructor, professor at the College of Pharmacy, SNU
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1978 ~ 1981
Dean of the College of Pharmacy, SNU
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1981 ~ 1982
President of the Korea Biochemistry Society
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1983 ~ 1984
President of the Korea Pharmacy Science Society Foundation
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1981 ~ 현재
Life member of the Korean National Academy of Sciences
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1990 ~ 1993
Chairman of the R&D Review Committee, Korea Science Foundation
- Awards
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1984
Author Award, Korean National Academy of Sciences
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1995
Award for 40 year service, SNU
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1996
Order of Civil Merit, Magnolia Medal
Professor Sang Sup Lee established a strong foundation of Korean biochemistry and pharmacy, earning international recognition with research on steroid hormone production, etc. using microorganisms.
He received his Ph.D. degree at the Univ. of Wisconsin with a thesis examining the decomposition process of steroids by microorganisms, and proceeded with research to examine the biotransformation mechanism of useful organic compounds by microorganisms’ enzyme reactions as a biochemist with a background in pharmacy. He established the metabolic paths of steroids via microorganisms and opened the way to produce steroid hormones from plant sterol or cholesterol with little industrial use by properly adjusting the function of the enzyme group related to the path. He published many research papers for the Journal of American Chemistry, the Journal of American Biochemistry, etc. from 1960s and his biotransformation mechanism was introduced in the steroid-related chapters of many biotech-related textbooks. In 1970, the production of steroid hormones began in the USA based on his research and the production technology was transferred to Korean pharmacy companies as well. He was so internationally renowned that he was invited to an international academic conference in Bulgaria commemorating its 1300th anniversary, the 1st International Conference on Chemistry and Biotechnology of Biologically Active National Products, even in 1981, during the Cold War.
He developed and applied for Korean patents with Pygoro, an oral steroid contraceptive and Pregna, a pregnancy tester using the microorganism transformation reactions and organic chemical reactions in 1968, supported by Dong Ah Pharmaceutical Co., and earned the ‘Award of Medicine’ from the Ministry of Healthcare and Society in 1972.
Since the late 1960s, he proceeded with research on the trans-composing prostaglandin series that was known as a local hormone adjusting pain, fever, inflammation such as arthritis, and blood pressure, and representing various circadian functions such as blood coagulation and production functions, using mold and yeast fungus. The results were published in the Journal of American Chemistry in 1975. Based on that research, John R. Vane (who won a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1982) was able to establish that aspirin, which alleviates fever, removes inflammation, and alleviates pains is the cyclooxygenase inhibitor which biosynthesizes prostaglandin.
He has been working in research on capsaicin, which is the ingredient of the hot taste of peppers since 1950 up to the present. At first, he began from the research on the fermentation of capsaicin in pepper paste and continued on to research on the metabolism in the body, metabolism-related enzyme groups, toxicity, pharmacological actions, carcinogens, and pain-relieving functions. In the late 1980s, he presented the receptor model supposing the existence of a capsaicin receptor through research on synthesizing many capsaicin analogues and relations with the function of alleviating pain. The receptor model was cloned by researchers of the Univ. of California in 1997, proceeding with the development of new types of pain relieving medicines.
He served for the College of Pharmacy, SNU as dean in 1981 and provided a good exemplar case of industry-academia cooperation where the university supports the pharmaceutical industry via institutes and the industry supports the university via contributions of shares to the foundation, by establishing the General Pharmacy Institute and the Education Research Foundation, resulting in the development of education and research on pharmacy. In addition, as the vice chairman of the Korea Genetic Engineering Academic Society, he collected and reflected the opinions from academia to the Act on Fostering Genetic Engineering, and as the Korean representative for the Federation of Asia-Oceanic Biochemists, he convened the fifth congress in 1989. For the congress, he, as the chairman of the organization committee, made six-years of preparations and invited many great scholars, including three Nobel Prize winners and successfully finished the largest ever academic conference in the area of biochemistry in Korea, the Fifth FAOB Seoul Congress.
Professor Lee received the first Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutical Biochemistry in the USA and rejoined the SNU with great expectations from Korea, and published over 30 research papers in renowned journals and commercialized three patents. All these excellent research accomplishments greatly enhanced the level of Korean biochemistry and pharmacy research. After retirement, he contributed to the Odang Symposium Fund to prepare opportunities for young scholars to introduce their research results, respected as an everlasting teacher in the pharmaceutical science arena.