Sookmyung Startup “Lab InCube” Gains Spotlight for Commercializing MOF, the Core Material Recognized by the Nobel Prize
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2025-10-10
Lab InCube, a startup from Sookmyung Women’s University, has drawn national attention for being the first company to commercialize Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) materials—the key substance recognized by this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry—in everyday products such as air purifiers and cosmetic fillers.
Prof. Choi Kyung-min of Sookmyung’s Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, founder of Lab InCube, previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Prof. Omar Yaghi of UC Berkeley, one of the 2024 Nobel laureates in Chemistry.
Building on that connection, Lab InCube—a subsidiary of Sookmyung Women’s University’s technology holdings company—signed a technical advisory agreement with Prof. Yaghi and, in 2024, achieved a world first by successfully commercializing MOF in consumer products. This breakthrough is regarded as a milestone, as MOFs had previously been used only in limited industrial applications such as petrochemicals and semiconductors.
MOFs are advanced porous materials capable of selectively adsorbing or separating specific molecules through their micro-sized pores. Leveraging this property, Lab InCube has been expanding its business by applying MOF technology across various industries, including home appliances, beauty, and environmental solutions.
In the home appliance sector, the company collaborated with LG Electronics to apply MOF materials in air purifiers, which efficiently remove harmful gases and odors from indoor air. In the beauty sector, Lab InCube introduced enhanced dermal fillers and skin boosters that improve both efficacy and stability by incorporating MOF-based technology.
In the environmental sector, the company is developing products that remove moisture and carbon dioxide from the air, while in the biotechnology sector, it is working on MOF-based alternatives to antibiotics and antihistamines. Based on these achievements, Lab InCube was selected this year for the “Baby Unicorn” Startup Development Program by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, which supports promising early-stage ventures.
Director Shin Jee-young of Sookmyung’s Office of Research & Industry Cooperation stated, “This accomplishment is a leading example of how a university’s startup and technology commercialization system can translate the basic scientific discoveries of world-class scholars into practical technologies. As Sookmyung approaches its 120th anniversary in 2026, this achievement highlights the university’s emergence as a research-driven institution charting new paths for technology-based entrepreneurship and commercialization.”
Prof. Choi Kyung-min added, “Scientific breakthroughs recognized by the Nobel Prize are often viewed as distant or futuristic, but MOF technology is already being realized in everyday products such as air purifiers and biomedical materials. The fact that the world’s first commercialization of MOF was achieved by a university-based startup in Korea opens a new chapter for academic technology innovation.”