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Korea University, Designated as a Key Player for Digital Health Care R&D
Korea University was nominated as one of the key organizations for ‘Seoul Hongreung Gangso [literally meaning small but strong] Special R&D District (hereinafter referred to as “Hongreung Special District”).’ Supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea, Hongreung Special District is a local platform for R&D and collaboration to promote commercialization of science and technology.
Those special districts designated by the Ministry of Science and ICT are provided with various benefits such as national and local tax cuts, exceptional application of regulations as well as government support for R&D budget. In an attempt to boost the Hongreung Special District, the Seoul Metropolitan Government nominated Korea University, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and Kyunghee University as the key organizations with high-level technologies. These nominees are encouraged to collaborate with those companies based in the special district for R&D projects and commercialization of technologies, which would allow them to be better positioned to penetrate overseas market.
As Korea’s first R&D complex, the Hongreung Special District houses a number of top-level research and educational organizations such as Korea University, Kyunghee University, University of Seoul as well as KIST, KAIST Seoul Campus, and Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information. Years ago, the Seoul Metropolitan Government revealed a plan to create a bio cluster in the Hongreung district. Such a plan is likely to pick up speed due to the designation of the Hongreung special district by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Hongreung Special District is to be further developed into the ‘GLOBE STAR (GLObal Bio-healthcare Ecosystem for Sustainable Tech-startup Acceleration and Research) MediCluster’, which will be specialized on the development of digital healthcare including biomarkers, smart diagnostics, big data platform, AI-based medical S/W and others. Korea University has a medical school, colleges, hospitals and tech holdings under its umbrella, and they are sure to make great contribution to the R&D activities, which are to be implemented in collaboration with other players. This is sure to draw attention as it will allow all the related stakeholders to enjoy synergy effect.
Among others, the Korea University Medical Center (led by Dr. Young-hoon Kim, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and President & CEO of University Medical Affairs) armed with research-focused hospitals of Anam and Guro, ‘ISO14155 (Clinical investigation of medical devices for human subjects-Good clinical practice) certificate’, and high-level skills and knowledge based on its clinical experiences are sure to play important roles.
In December 2018, the Korea University Medical Center (KUMC) unveiled its plan to develop top 10 medical technologies of the future. Later at the Next Normal Conference 2020, KUMC announced its detailed plan to build the ‘Jungreung K-Bio Campus’ which includes research facilities for new infectious diseases. Since KUMC identified research as one of the main sources of income for future generations, it has stepped up its research governance and upgraded its research infrastructure over the years. The designation of the Hongreung Special District is likely to offer big opportunities for the Center. Starting from 2014 there has been active collaboration with KIST and other organizations, joint researches have been implemented through the Translational Clinical Research Center and regular workshops have been held. All in all, there is little hurdle in working with other partners in the cluster.
President Jin-taek Chung said, “I feel greatly honored as we are designated as one of the key organizations for the Hongreung Special District. It seems that great responsibility falls on our shoulders. We will do our best in order to help Hongreung grow into a world-class bio medical cluster and I am sure that it will rise to become a new symbol of pride for Koreans. We are determined to do our utmost to fulfill our role along the journey.”
Dr. Young-hoon Kim, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs said, “I am sure that the Hongreung Special District would provide us with a good opportunity to make another leap forward. We are ready to make contribution with all the research capabilities and skills that we have accumulated over the years. By building the best test bed for ‘next medicines’, we will make sure the promising technologies are fully developed and commercialized through the cooperation among the industry, academia and research centers.”
Meanwhile, the Korea University Guro Hospital was chosen by the Ministry of Health & Welfare as an organization to manage the Project to Nurture Research-Focused Hospitals 2020. Over the upcoming 8 years and 6 months till 2028, it supervises research projects funded by a total budget of 35.8 billion won. As the leader for the ‘Project to Upgrade the Innovative Medical Technology Platform based on AI and Big Data,’ it is dedicated to put innovative medical technologies into practical use by upgrading the AI and big data-based platform for new drug development and diagnostic and medical devices.
For the period of four years starting from 2020, the Korea University Ansan Hospital will be engaged in the project to build the platform to support the ‘healing concept-based care products and services’ with the database system. In collaboration with enterprises, it will dedicate itself to the promotion of new industries and take a further step to help release proven smart health care products and services to the public market. Supervised by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea, the Project to Build the Base for Industrial Innovation (managed by the Gyeonggido Business & Science Accelerator) invited the Korea University Ansan Hospital and Ansan City to create the platform to support and boost the industry for healing and healthcare products of MediCulture and to be engaged in the lifecycle support for the industry starting from product development, clinical demonstration, obtaining license from abroad and consulting.
Professor Jae Wook Choi receives a medal from
Uzbekistan Government for his contribution to
health promotion and establishment of COVID-19 quarantine system in Uzbekistan
On September 15, professor Jae Wook Choi of preventive medicine at Korea University College of Medicine (KUCM) was decorated with a medal for his contribution to the public health enhancement in Uzbekistan.
In commemoration of the 29th anniversary of national independence, Uzbekistan established the National Decoration System of ‘Order of Salomatlik (Medal for Health) on September 1 and its Presidential Office presented the medal to professor Choi for his active promotion of international cooperation for health sector betterment and his great contribution to building the national medical system of Uzbekistan.
Through the good office of the Korean government, he was dispatched to the country in March and served there as a national advisor on COVID-19 for four weeks helping the Uzbekistan government draw its major policies to fight against the COVID-19. Months later at the request of the Uzbekistan government, he flew over to the country again in order to give advice on how to implement a quarantine system for COVID-19 and how to best mange patients infected with the virus.
From 2016 to 2022, he also served as a principal researcher for a project aimed at upgrading the education of environmental and health science at the Tashkent Medical Academy. At the same time, he contributed to better health of the people in Uzbekistan by offering public health education.
Meanwhile, Korea University and Tashkent Medical Academy of Uzbekistan opened KU-TMA collaboration research center with the purpose of enhancing research capabilities regarding environmental health. It has implemented joint researches and offered programs to nurture new researchers, which further solidified the friendly bilateral ties between the two countries.
Professor Jae Wook Choi graduated from the Korea University College of Medicine in 1988 and joined the faculty of preventive medicine at KUCM in 1996. As the Chairman of the Korean Society of Global Health, he has endeavored to develop research and education in the global health in Korea. in addition, he got involved in a number of international collaboration projects: Consultant project for National Cancer Center of Senegal (2019-2024); feasibility study for the construction of the Uzbekistan Notional Oncology Center (2020); feasibility study for the construction of the Bolivian general hospital (2019); feasibility study for the construction of a children’s hospital in Pakistan (2019); feasibility study for the construction of Laos University Hospital (2016-2017); feasibility study for a medical device supply project in Sri Lanka (2019); feasibility study for the construction of a Hai Phong general hospital in Vietnam (2015); and performance management monitoring and evaluation of the Second Air Ticket Solidarity Levy (2016-2019). Currently he is the president of Korea University’s Institute for Occupational Environmental health, chairman of Korean Society of Global Health, Inter-Korea Medical Cooperation of Korea Medical Association, and Committee of Scientific Review Committee of the Korea Medical Association.
KUCM Students’ study on flu vaccine’s effects
published in international journal
Need to expand the national influenza vaccination program
A study assessing the cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccine on middle-aged and older populations conducted by Korea University College of Medicine (KUCM) students has been published in a well-known international journal.
The study, "Cost-effectiveness of trivalent and quadrivalent influenza vaccines in 50- to 64-year-old adults in Korea" carried out by Eun Joung Choi and Joo Hee Park, students at KUCM, along with a research team led by professor Byung Chul Chun of the department of preventive medicine (Epidemiology and Health Informatics Research Team), appeared in the July issue of Vaccine (journal with an impact factor of 3.269).
50- to 64-year-old age group is vulnerable to the risk of complications of influenza but is not included in the National Immunization Program (NIP). The study team demonstrated that implementing NIP in the 50- to 64-year-old age group was cost-effective. The estimation of cost-effectiveness was performed by matching the probability of infection or complications, which were assumed by constructing separate decision trees for age subgroups, with the medical cost estimated based on the National Health Insurance claim data.
The study found that vaccinating 50- to 64-year-olds against influenza is cost-effective. In addition, quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) is a better option than the trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) for the NIP. Today South Korea runs NIP which offers free TIV vaccines to those people older than 65 and young children but not for 50-64 years old population.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping around the world, it is very timely to study the risk of infectious diseases and the benefits of vaccinations. The study suggests that vaccine types and their targets need and can be chosen by taking social effect and cost into consideration.
Eun Joung Choi and Joo Hee Park said, “We are very happy to see this study completed. It just started from a very simple idea.” They also thanked professor Chun by saying, “We were able to conclude it with the full support from professor Byung Chul Chun.”
Professor Chun said, “They set on this study as sophomore and completed as senior. They invested their vacations in this study to see a good outcome. It is quite meaningful in that they solved all the issues with their creativity and overcame barriers by making strenuous efforts.” He also added, “There are more studies initiated by other students still under way. I hope they also come to significant conclusions and enjoy good outcome. I hope students of Korea University College of Medicine will continue grow to become passionate and creative scholars in the future.”
Professors of neurosurgery Shin-hyuk Kang and Gyou-ha Jeong
propose a new strategy of repurposing anti-psychotic drugs
for the treatment of refractory brain tumors
A research team led by professors of neurosurgery Shin-hyuk Kang (Anam Hospital) and Gyou-ha Jeong (Guro Hospital) confirmed the tumoricidal effects of anti-psychotic drugs in treating malignant brain tumors, suggesting a novel therapeutic approach.
A malignant brain tumor is an intractable disease with the survival of 12~14 months even on the most recent treatment. Such a low survival compared to that of other cancers is due to the nature of the disease which tends to develop a strong resistance to drugs in many patients.
Drug repurposing involves the investigation of existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes. Given the substantial costs and slow pace of new drug discovery and development, repurposing of existing drugs is becoming an attractive proposition because it involves the use of de-risked compounds, with lower overall development costs and shorter development timelines. This led the research team to launch a study to search any possible existing treatments that can help overcome the limitations of the presenting anti-cancer drugs for brain tumors, which exhibited low therapeutic effects in clinical settings.
One of the biggest challenges of applying treatments to brain tumor is the blood-brain-barrier (BBB), a structural feature of the brain. Of the medications available today, the research team demonstrated the anti-psychotic drug Penfluridol had a very good efficacy for treating cancers within therapeutic range, which is safe to be used in patients. In addition, the combination therapy of Penfluridol added to the Temozolomide, the current first-line treatment for brain tumor showed superiority in tumor suppression and survival compared to Temozolomide monotherapy.
The efficacy of the treatment has been verified in the model with 3D structure, which is similar to that of the living organism and its biological environment. In addition, an orthotopic brain tumor model was used to confirm what was found in the preceding study. It can now move on to be studied in a clinical trial with a good level of confidence.
The finding of the study is published in the renowned international journal of Cancers (IF= 6.162) in its September 5, 2019 issue under the title of “Repurposing Penfluridol in Combination with Temozolomide for Treatment of Glioblastoma.” It is exactly a year later that the study won an award at the conference of the Korean Society for Neuro-Oncology on Sept. 5, 2020. The National Research Foundation of Korea funded the study, which was carried out with the active support and collaboration from the department of neurosurgery of the Korea University College of Medicine, professor Seok Chung of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Korea University and doctor Myung-Jin Park of the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences.