Gwangju City Establishes Dental-Centered Non-Clinical Trial Testing Center

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 23rd that it will establish a dental-focused non-clinical testing inspection center (GLP) at the Biomedical Testing Research Center of Chonnam National University (3rd floor of the Dental Hospital) to strengthen the international competitiveness of the local medical industry.

The city plans to invest a total project cost of 3 billion KRW (2 billion KRW from the city, 1 billion KRW from Chonnam National University Hospital) to complete the facility by June and apply for designation as a non-clinical testing inspection institution with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Test reports issued upon designation as a non-clinical testing inspection institution by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety are mutually recognized among 25 OECD countries, allowing medical devices and other products to obtain approval in those countries without additional testing, significantly reducing costs and time when exporting overseas.

To be designated as a non-clinical testing inspection institution, it must comply with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), which requires systematic and organized management of all aspects related to research personnel, laboratory facilities, equipment, and testing methods to ensure the safety of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics, and more.

This establishment of the non-clinical testing inspection center is the second such core facility for medical device testing in Korea after Seoul National University, and it is expected to greatly contribute to the development of the dental medical device industry in Gwangju and nearby regions.

The city has over 110 dental-related companies in Gwangju showing annual growth, and with the orthopedic, ophthalmology, and cosmetics industries also growing, it plans to expand the scope to these fields in the future.

Since its opening in 2018 within the Chonnam National University Dental Hospital, the Biomedical Testing Research Center has been designated as a medical device testing inspection institution by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2019, conducting tests on dental medical devices and medical material components as well as product development and various technical support tasks.

Son Kyung-jong, Director of the AI Industry Bureau of the city, said, “The establishment of this non-clinical testing center will greatly contribute to the increase in overseas exports of local dental medical device companies,” adding, “We will actively work to diversify the local medical device industry and establish a foundation for overseas expansion by expanding testing and inspection items in the future.”

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