Existing strategies for modifying heterocyclic compounds have focused on introducing functional groups at the end of the ring, a process known as "end editing." While this contributed to the expansion of the compound library, it did not fundamentally alter the heterocyclic skeleton itself, which is crucial for pharmacological activity.

Professor Yoonsu Park will suggest a new approach called "skeletal editing" that goes beyond the terminal editing strategy. In this approach, heteroatoms in a pentameric ring are exchanged on a single-atom basis. He aims to build a library of imidazole derivatives that are inaccessible by conventional synthetic strategies by developing a photoinduced single-atom editing reaction at room temperature that can selectively replace the oxygen atom of oxazoles or the sulfur atom of thiazoles with a nitrogen atom.

His research uniquely allows for the late-stage functionalization of complex natural products and synthetic drug prodrugs. This research is expected to significantly impact the synthesis of new drug candidates.