image: Commemorative photo of opening ceremoney. Board Members of KU Medicine are taking a unveiling ceremony.
Credit: KU Medicine
“Leaping Forward as a Research Hub for Infectious Diseases Based on Public-Private-Academic-Research Cooperation”
On April 16, Korea University Medicine held a signboard unveiling ceremony for BL3 (Biosafety Level 3) and ABL3 (Animal Biosafety Level 3) special labs on the 6th floor of the Mediscience Park Chung Mong-Koo Future Medicine Building. Next, the institution held a successful opening commemorative symposium at Seung Myung-ho Hall on the 7th floor of the Donghwa Bio Building.
The event was attended by key Korea University officials, including President Yoon Eul-sik of Korea University Medicine, Dean Pyeon Seong-beom of the College of Medicine, Director Park Man-seong of the Biosafety Center, and Director Jung Hee-jin of the Vaccine Innovation Center, to officially announce the launch of a state-of-the-art biosafety research center.
Korea University Medicine is the only domestic tertiary general hospital with infrastructure as a research-focused hospital and has affiliated Anam, Guro, and Ansan hospitals. Based on this, the institution has accumulated capabilities encompassing the best treatment of critically ill patients and clinical research in Korea. In particular, the institution has continuously conducted basic and clinical research based on its unrivaled capabilities in the field of infectious disease response. Now, the institution is advancing its capabilities in pathogen analysis, as well as in vaccine and treatment development.
The newly relocated and expanded special labs are the largest biosafety facilities among domestic universities. The facility has been expanded to approximately twice as large (about 200 pyeong) as the existing one. The labs are equipped with an integrated research environment that includes research on high-risk pathogens, development of vaccines and treatments, identification of infectious disease mechanisms, and clinically linked research. Based on this system, Korea University Medicine plans to operate the first privately led "full-cycle vaccine development platform" in Korea.
President Yoon Eul-sik said, "The establishment of the BL3 and ABL3 special labs will be an opportunity for us to upgrade Korea's infectious disease response system." "Based on our accumulated basic and clinical capabilities, and world-class research infrastructure, we will lead the development of vaccines and treatments. We will make practical contributions to national health security through cooperation with the government, research institutions, and industry," he added.
Dean Pyeon Seong-beom said, "The opening of special labs is a turning point for Korea University's College of Medicine to enhance our competitiveness in infectious disease research." "Based on global biosafety management system standards, we will lead the next-generation infectious disease research by encompassing research on high-risk pathogens, as well as the development of vaccines and treatments," he added.
The symposium on this day was jointly organized by the Biosafety Center, Vaccine Innovation Center, Institute for Viral Diseases, and Core Research Support Center of Korea University's College of Medicine. The event was attended by over 100 global experts in the fields of infectious diseases and vaccines with great interest, including Dr. Mika Salminen, Director General of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare; Director Nam Jae-hwan of the National Institute of Health at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency; Chairman Ryu Seong-ho of the Biomedical Expert Committee of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology; Deputy Director General Song Man-ki of the International Vaccine Institute; President Jang Jun of the Korean Vaccine Society; President Jang Kyung-soo of the Korea Biological Safety Association; and President Jeon Chan-hyuk of CESCO.
Director Nam Jae-hwan said, "The last pandemic re-confirmed to us again the importance of 'public health security.'" "We have closely cooperated with Korea University in the field of infectious disease surveillance and response, as well as in vaccine research. With the establishment of new special labs, I hope we can achieve further collaboration in vaccine development to counter new and mutated infectious diseases," he added.
President Jeon Chan-hyuk said, "Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we've been working with Korea University's College of Medicine researchers to develop and improve infectious disease response technology." "The special labs will be an icon of industry-academia collaboration. With Korea University, we will continue our efforts to protect the public and humanity's health as a 'safety community' from infectious diseases," he added.
Through his keynote speech on the topic of 'Next Pandemic Preparedness Strategy,' Director General Mika Salminen emphasized that "a pandemic is more than just about public health. It is a complex crisis that requires a joint response from the nation and society as a whole." He also stated, "it requires comprehensive preparation, such as strengthening early detection capabilities, expanding research infrastructure, stockpiling medical resources, and establishing international cooperation systems. Public trust in the government will be a key factor determining the outcome of our joint response."
In the next session, the research status of the Biosafety Center and Vaccine Innovation Center at Korea University's College of Medicine was introduced. Along with that, government R&D policies, research trends at the International Vaccine Institute, and the status of universal vaccine development were presented. Based on the latest research cases, the presenters proposed strategies and directions for cooperation in preparing for future infectious disease pandemics. Additionally, they had in-depth discussions on cooperation and plans for future development of infectious disease responses between countries and institutions.
Director Park Man-seong said, "BL3 and ABL3 facilities are the key research bases for the safe handling of high-risk pathogens." "In the future, they will be improved to become 'autonomous labs' based on AI and automation technology. This will build the next-generation research platform that can respond to national policies on developing vaccines and medicines within 100 to 200 days when a pandemic occurs," he added.
Director Jung Hee-jin said, "with the expansion of special labs, we can now conduct the entire research process from the discovery of vaccine candidates to the verification of efficacy in one location." "We will focus on making research results for the development of universal vaccines and securing next-generation infectious disease response technology in the future," she added.
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