| 1985 | B.S. in Chemistry, Yonsei University, Korea |
| 1993 | Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA |
| 1998 ~ 2002 | Professor, KAIST, Korea |
| 2002 ~ Present | Professor, Yonsei University, Korea |
| 2009 ~ Present | Senior editor of Accounts of Chemical Research, an American Journal of Chemistry |
He drew attention in 2001 when he publicly announced the ways to develop anomaterials in a variety of shapes including rods, squares, and stars. On the basis of such basic researches in nanoscience, he marked a milestone in nanomedicine when he worked out how to use nanoparticles in the cancer diagnostics and therapeutics by injecting nanoparticles into a patient's blood vessel so that they attach to cancer cells once detected.
In 2005, Professor Cheon proved for the first time in the world the enhanced contrast effect of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at the nanometer (one billionth of a meter) scale through experiments. He also developed magnetic nanoparticles conjugated with tumor-tracking materials so that they can detect and diagnose very small cancer cells. In 2010, he developed the T1-T2 dual-modal MRI contrast agent, a second generation contrast agent. It comprises T1 contrast medium, which makes the normal body tissue appear bright, and T2 contrast medium, which makes the body tissue of interest appear dark, thereby achieving a breakthrough in minimizing diagnostic errors, the crux of medical treatment.
In addition to cancer diagnosis, in 2011, Professor Cheon adopted a concept of exchange-coupled magnetism and successfully developed the heat-generating magnetic nanomaterial with a double-layer structure that demonstrates revolutionary performance in cancer treatment. Once the nanomagnet is applied with an external magnetic field, the friction between magnetism and electricity produces heat. Conjugated on the surface with biomaterials that latch only onto cancerous cells, the magnetic nanoparticle detects cancer cells and then burns and kills them without damaging nearby healthy cells. The therapeutic efficacy of this nano-thermotherapy, in animal testing, was found to be superior to that of a common anticancer drug. This achievement is acclaimed as a cornerstone for theranostic nanomedicine, next-generation treatment that maximizes diagnostic and therapeutic effects.
About 90 of his papers were published in prestigious journals such as Nature Medicine, Nature Nanotechnology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, and Accounts of Chemical Research, a top-tier journal of chemistry, out of which 21 papers are among the top 1 percent most highly cited in the field of chemistry.
In 2009, Professor Cheon became the only Asian senior editor of Accounts of Chemical Research, an American journal of chemistry that is among top 1 percent with respect to the citation impact factor. He is also an editorial board member of Nano Letters and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), demonstrating Korea's academic prowess in science and leading the field of synthetic nanochemistry.
