Director Im Mi-hye "New Coronavirus Treatment... Only Waiting for Isolated Injection"

Im Mi-hye, Director of Chemical Research Institute
New Coronavirus Isolate Must Be Secured for Drug Development
Plan to Develop Treatment Using Substances Effective Against Existing Coronaviruses

Im Mi-hye, Director of the Chemical Research Institute

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] "We plan to begin research on treatments for the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) as soon as the cell line (isolated strain) arrives."

Lee Mihye, Director of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, stated at a press briefing held at an undisclosed location in Seoul on the 11th, "We are in daily contact with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, waiting for the isolated strain to arrive."

The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology is an institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT leading the Center for Emerging Virus Infection (CEVI), which researches treatments for viruses including the novel coronavirus. CEVI was established after the outbreak of the MERS virus in 2015 as a virus research organization.

Research on Novel Coronavirus to Begin Soon... Securing Isolated Strain is Key

CEVI plans to conduct research to develop treatments for the novel coronavirus. However, securing the isolated strain of the novel coronavirus is crucial. Director Lee explained, "Since the number of patients in our country is small, we have not been able to secure the isolated strain," but added, "The relevant authorities have said they have isolated the strain, so we are preparing under the assumption that it will arrive soon."

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on the 5th that they successfully analyzed the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus and isolated the virus. On the same day, the Central Clinical Task Force also succeeded in securing the isolated strain. However, Director Lee added, "I understand that it takes about one to two weeks to culture the isolated strain and distribute it to various institutions."

CEVI also made efforts to obtain the isolated strain from overseas. Director Lee said, "We considered securing the isolated strain from China," and added, "Because it was difficult to secure the isolated strain, we considered obtaining it through the Korea Pasteur Institute (Virus Research Institute), CEVI's commissioned research institution, from the China Pasteur Institute, but since it is possible to secure the isolated strain domestically, we are waiting."

Strict Supervision of Researchers to Prevent Infection

The development of treatments for the novel coronavirus is being conducted using chemical compounds that have shown efficacy against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

He predicted, "Since the novel coronavirus is a type of MERS and SARS, the chemical compounds held by CEVI are likely to be effective." Since 2018, CEVI has been collaborating with the UAE Central Veterinary Research Laboratory to conduct MERS treatment research using camel specimens on site.

Director Lee is also preparing for the possibility of infection among researchers involved in developing treatments for the novel coronavirus. He explained, "Although the virus will be experimented on in isolated laboratories, it cannot be said that there is no anxiety about infection," but added, "However, professional personnel will be deployed to ensure thoroughness in the experiments."

Director Lee also expressed a positive opinion regarding the establishment of a virus research institute in South Korea, which has been raised due to the novel coronavirus.

He stated, "Currently, virus research related to humans is divided under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, animals under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the environment under the Ministry of Environment. I agree that a cross-ministerial control tower is needed to oversee all of these." However, he added, "I believe careful discussion is necessary regarding where and what roles will be assigned in actually establishing a virus research institute."

Meanwhile, Director Lee revealed that CEVI is also developing a rapid diagnostic kit for the novel coronavirus. However, since evaluations for releasing a prototype are underway, it is expected to take some time before it becomes available on the market.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.