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Development of AI-Biofoundry Integrated Platform for Rapid On-Site Detection of Polycarbonate Microplastics and BPA Upcycling

Through DBTL platform connecting AI design, biofoundry automation, and field demonstration,

we develop technologies for the diagnosis, degradation, and upcycling of plastic pollution,
and cultivate next-generation convergence talent to drive
a sustainable circular economy and innovation in the environmental and bio industries.

KEYWORDKeyword

AI for Science BioEng SynBio Biomanufacturing Biosensors Sustainable Materials

OBJECTIVE Objective

We develop a point-of-care diagnostic platform that detects PC microplastics and BPA within hours by integrating AI-based protein design
with biofoundry high-throughput screening (HTS). Furthermore, we establish upcycling microbial cell factories
that convert BPA into high-value materials, realizing circular technologies spanning from plastic pollution diagnosis to resource recovery.

INTRODUCTION Director's Message

Greetings,

I am Donghyuk Kim, Principal Investigator of the research project
"Development of AI-Biofoundry Integrated Platform for Rapid On-Site Detection of
Polycarbonate Microplastics and BPA Upcycling".

Plastic pollution is no longer a simple matter of environmental remediation.
It has become a complex challenge where contamination monitoring, risk assessment, resource circulation,
and biomanufacturing are deeply intertwined. In particular, PC microplastics and their degradation product BPA
cannot be adequately addressed through conventional laboratory-based analysis alone when rapid field response is required.
A new approach is needed, one that connects diagnosis, degradation, and conversion technologies.

Our research team starts from this very awareness, integrating AI-based design, biofoundry automation,
CFPS-based point-of-care diagnostics, and microbial cell factory technologies into a unified DBTL research workflow.
We will leverage AI to design proteins capable of sensing and degrading BPA, validate their performance
through high-throughput screening, and ultimately scale toward point-of-care diagnostic platforms and upcycling processes.

To achieve this, we organically connect the AI, synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, and environmental demonstration
capabilities held by KAIST, KRIBB, and KRICT. When each institution's expertise and infrastructure are combined,
we can deliver practical solutions to the plastic pollution problem and build sustainable circular economy technologies.

Beyond technology development, our team is committed to cultivating next-generation convergence talent
who can scientifically understand environmental challenges and translate them into industrial value.
By training researchers who comprehend data science, biology, automated processes,
and field demonstration as an integrated whole, we aim to contribute to sustainable innovation in the environmental and bio industries.

Thank you

IMPACT Impact

Transforming the Environmental Pollution Response Paradigm

The CFPS-based point-of-care diagnostic platform developed in this research transforms microplastic and BPA contamination monitoring from laboratory-based post-hoc analysis to field-based real-time surveillance.
By lowering the entry barriers of conventional environmental analysis, which depends on expensive equipment and specialized personnel, it provides a decentralized diagnostic infrastructure enabling municipalities, wastewater treatment facilities, and food safety agencies to routinely monitor contamination and respond promptly.
Simultaneously, BPA-degrading enzymes discovered through the HTS platform, together with upcycling cell factory technology, open a circular economy value chain that converts waste plastics into high-value materials, achieving both environmental preservation and industrial value creation.

TALENT Ideal Talent

Convergence Research Competency: Researchers who understand the full research workflow,
from AI design to biofoundry automation to field demonstration, and can collaborate organically
with specialists at each stage to define and solve problems.

Problem-Solving Grounded in Environmental and Social Challenges: Researchers who start from
real environmental problems such as plastic pollution and can translate research outcomes into
societal value through point-of-care diagnostickits, upcycling processes, and beyond.

Multi-Institutional Collaboration and Communication: Researchers who can navigate different research
cultures and infrastructures across KAIST, KRIBB, and KRICT, coordinating the flow of data
and materials to generate inter-institutional synergy.

Global Research Network Expansion: Researchers who proactively engage in international collaborative research
in synthetic biology and environmental biotechnology, broadening partnerships
with colleagues from diverse academic backgrounds.

FACULTY Faculty