Hyeon Soo Kim
Muscle biologist working on muscle-secreted factors and treatments for sarcopenia and muscle wasting, and senior author of a study on a leucine-like drug that activates mTORC1 through Sestrin2
MD, PhD, Department of Anatomy, Korea University College of Medicine · Myokine Research Center, Korea University
Portrait: Korea University Myokine Research Center
Hyeon Soo Kim holds an MD and PhD and works in the Department of Anatomy at Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul. He is listed in the university's Myokine Research Center, whose focus is basic muscle research, substances released by muscle, and treatments for sarcopenia and other muscle-wasting conditions.
Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and strength with age. The amino acid leucine switches on mTORC1 by binding the sensor protein Sestrin2, which helps muscle build protein, but leucine is broken down quickly in the body. In the 2026 study, the group made DLMEH, a modified form of D-leucine designed to last longer, and showed that it binds Sestrin2 about as tightly as leucine does.
In human muscle cells and in rats with steroid-induced muscle wasting, DLMEH restored protein synthesis and preserved muscle mass, grip strength and endurance better than oral L-leucine, and its effect depended on Sestrin2. These are cell and rat results, so human benefit is not yet shown.
Milestones in the Atlas
A selection, not a full bibliography: only papers that meet the Atlas inclusion criteria.
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | A | D-Amino Acid Prodrug DLMEH Activates mTORC1 via Sestrin2 to Restore Muscle Protein Synthesis in Sarcopenia. SHIM2026 Showed that the D-leucine prodrug DLMEH binds Sestrin2 and activates mTORC1 in a Sestrin2-dependent way, restoring muscle protein synthesis and function in a rat atrophy model; Kim is the senior and corresponding author. |
Co-authors in the Atlas 1
People with a profile here who share at least one study with Hyeon Soo Kim.
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- Jae Ho Shim Medicinal chemist in Hyeon Soo Kim's group at the Department of Anatomy, Korea University College of Medicine, who designs small molecules, and first author of the study of the D-leucine prodrug DLMEH that switches on mTORC1 through Sestrin2
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