Public Discussion on Technology Impact Assessment of 'Precision Medicine'

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A forum will be held to gather public opinions on providing patient-tailored medical services through precision medicine technology. The Ministry of Science and ICT will hold the '2020 Technology Impact Assessment Public Discussion' at 2 p.m. on the 6th.

Every year, the government selects future new technologies with significant technical, economic, and social ripple effects to evaluate their impact on society in advance and prepare countermeasures through technology impact assessments. This year, an impact assessment was conducted on precision medicine technology. Precision medicine refers to technology that provides optimal customized medical and healthcare services for diagnosis, treatment, prediction, prevention, and management of diseases by analyzing an individual's genetic information, clinical data, and lifestyle information.

This discussion was organized to collect public opinions on the content discussed so far by the Technology Impact Assessment Committee, composed of experts in science, technology, humanities, and social fields, and the Citizen Forum, composed of general citizens. The committee and the forum emphasized the necessity of building genomic big data, the importance of collaboration and communication among various stakeholders, and expressed concerns about side effects such as misuse of information and personal data leaks.

At the event, there will be a lecture on precision medicine technology by Professor Jong-Il Kim of Seoul National University, a member of the Technology Impact Assessment Committee, and a presentation of the assessment results by Professor Sang-Wook Lee of Hanyang University, chair of the Technology Impact Assessment Committee. Following this, a panel discussion will be held with seven discussants, including experts who participated in the technology impact assessment and representatives of the Citizen Forum, to discuss the ripple effects and countermeasures of precision medicine technology.

The event will be held online to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection. The discussion can be watched live via live streaming by accessing the Ministry of Science and ICT's YouTube and Naver TV channels through the internet or mobile devices.

The government plans to supplement the '2020 Technology Impact Assessment Results' by reflecting the discussion contents from the day and report it to the National Science and Technology Advisory Council's deliberation meeting.

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