Professor Jae-Woong Jeong of our School has been selected as the recipient of the Scientist of the Month Award for September.
The Scientist of the Month Award, jointly awarded by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea, is given monthly to one researcher who has made significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology by producing outstanding R&D achievements over the past three years. The award includes the Minister’s commendation and a prize of 10 million KRW.
Professor Jeong was selected in recognition of his contributions to healthcare innovation through convergent research on wearable and implantable electronic devices and medical equipment. In particular, ahead of World Patient Safety Day(September 17), he developed an intravenous needle that softens at body temperature, thereby enhancing patient safety.
Intravenous (IV) injection is a method of delivering drugs directly into the bloodstream, enabling rapid effects and continuous administration. However, conventional IV needles made of rigid metal or plastic can damage vascular walls, cause complications such as phlebitis, and pose risks of accidental needle-stick injuries and subsequent infections among medical staff during disposal.
Professor Jeong developed a variable-stiffness* needle utilizing the property of liquid metal gallium, which changes phase from solid to liquid in response to body temperature. This innovation allows the needle to remain rigid at room temperature for insertion but become soft and tissue-like once inside the body. * Variable stiffness: The ability to adjust stiffness (degree of hardness) depending on situations or conditions.
This softening IV needle not only ensures patients’ freedom of movement but also prevents needle-stick injuries among medical staff by remaining soft at room temperature after use, while fundamentally blocking unethical reuse of needles.
Furthermore, Professor Jeong also addressed the issue of drug leakage during IV injection, which causes local tissue temperature to drop. By integrating a nanoscale thin-film temperature sensor into the IV needle, he realized a real-time monitoring system of local body temperature, enabling immediate detection of IV drug leakage.
This research achievement, which provides a new vision for improving patient safety and ensuring healthcare worker protection in line with the requirements of the World Health Organization, was published as the cover article of the international journal Nature Biomedical Engineering in August 2024.
Professor Jeong stated, “This study is significant because it proposes a way to overcome the problems caused by conventional rigid medical needles and to prevent infections due to needle-stick accidents or reuse. Going forward, we will continue R&D efforts so that the softening needle technology can evolve into a core technology that enhances safety for both patients and medical staff in clinical practice.”
