Hormone Research Center is one of the Science Research Center (HRC) designated by Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF). The research center was founded in Chonnam National University (CNU) in 1995 and since then received financial support from from KOSEF and CNU. The goal of HRC is to become a internationally well recognized research center for hormonal study on reproduction. Since our inception, the focus of our research was given to reproductive biology, reproductive endocrinology, and molecular endocrinology. In particular, we have been interested in studies on the molecular, endocrine. and neuro-endocrine control of animal reproduction. Our approach is to carry out physiological studies and molecular biological analysis on hormone and its receptors action. Steroid - receptor interaction in animal cells and signal transduction pathways elicited by hormones.

        The information obtained through these studies will undoubtedly be utilized to find out new therapies against endocrinological diseases, improve the productivity of livestock, and also to understand complicated endocrine regulation pathways. At present, 18 professors, 7 post-Doc fellows, 60 graduate students are working in the center and more than 30 papers per year are published in good international journals. International cooperation programs with foreign research institutes were established and joint researches, exchange of researchers and students are undergoing actively through this programs. An international mini symposium on reproductive endocrinology is held annually by the center and the 3 rd International Symposium of Asia-Oceania Society for Comparative Endocrinology was held September 22 - 25, 1998 in CNU.  It is expected that many excellent graduate students from CNU would join the center's activity and contribute to develop our HRC to be an excellent science research center in Korea.

Sincerely yours,

Hyuk B. Kwon