PROJECT 1
Ion Channel-Targeted Drug Discovery
in Allergic Disease
Identifying the channels. Validating the mechanism. Advancing the candidate.
3
3
16+
IND approvals
Ion channel targets
Years of pipeline
THE PROBLEM
Current therapies work downstream.
We go upstream.
Allergic diseases like atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis are driven not by a single pathway, but by converging signals across immune cells, sensory neurons, and epithelial barriers. Conventional therapies — antihistamines, corticosteroids — address symptoms after the fact. We work at the ion channels that initiate and amplify these signals.
Calcium-dependent signaling is the common currency of allergic inflammation. Modulate the channel, and you interrupt the disease at its source.
ORAI1 governs Ca²⁺ influx in T lymphocytes and mast cells. TMEM16A (ANO1) controls Cl⁻ secretion in nasal epithelium. TRPV3 regulates keratinocyte differentiation and skin barrier function. These are our primary targets — and natural compounds are our entry point.
OUR APPROACH
Natural compound screening for multi-target inhibition.
We screen natural compound libraries against ion channel targets using whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology — the gold standard for measuring channel activity directly. Hits are validated across cell lines and confirmed in disease-relevant animal models.
What distinguishes our strategy is the focus on polypharmacology: natural compounds that inhibit multiple ion channels simultaneously. A single compound that suppresses both ORAI1-driven T cell activation and ANO1-driven epithelial hypersecretion addresses more of the disease than any single-target agent can.
ORAI1
T LYMPHOCYTE
Ca²⁺ release-activated channel mediating store-operated calcium entry in T cells and mast cells
ANO1
NASAL EPITHELIUM
Ca²⁺-activated Cl⁻ channel driving mucus hypersecretion and rhinorrhea in allergic airway disease
TRPV3
KERATINOCYTE
Thermosensitive TRP channel regulating keratinocyte differentiation and skin barrier recovery
PIPELINE
From plant to patient — three approved candidates.
Each candidate emerged from the same pipeline: identify the plant, characterize its ion channel pharmacology by patch clamp electrophysiology, validate in immune and epithelial cell models, and confirm in the OVA-induced murine disease model.
IND APPROVALS
Three candidates. Two diseases. One strategy.
Each candidate emerged from the same pipeline: identify the plant, characterize its ion channel pharmacology by patch clamp, validate in immune and epithelial cell models, confirm in the OVA-induced murine disease model, and advance to IND.
These candidates were developed through a long-term collaboration with Channelopathy Research Center (CRC), Dongguk University College of Medicine, where the laboratory was based for 16 years prior to joining SKKU.
TBF Lotion
IND ✓
Tribulus terrestris (질려자)
Atopic Dermatitis
ORAI1 inhibition · T lymphocyte Ca²⁺ signaling
IND APPROVED · 2019
DSY19 Nasal Spray
IND ✓
IND ✓
Flos Magnoliae (신이)
Allergic Rhinitis
ANO1 · ORAI1 inhibition · Nasal epithelium + T lymphocyte
IND APPROVED · 2019
AP22 Cream
IND ✓
Agrimonia pilosa (짚신나물)
Atopic Dermatitis
TRPV3 activation · ORAI1 inhibition · Keratinocyte + T lymphocyte
IND APPROVED · 2023
Key papers from this program.
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS
Interested in this program?
Students and collaborators can learn more about our ongoing research or get in touch directly.