Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital Lights Up Green Signal as a 'Leader in Precision Medicine'

Selected as the Recipient for the Advanced Precision Medical Industrialization Platform Project in the Ministry of Industry Public Contest

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital announced on the 24th that it was finally selected as the recipient of the 15 billion KRW-scale ‘Advanced Precision Medicine Industrialization Platform Construction Project’ announced by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 23rd.

With this, a green light has been lit for Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital’s plan to become a global leader in the field of ‘precision medicine,’ which provides optimized treatment methods tailored to each patient.

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital also expects to create new growth engines by leading advanced biomedical research and medical industrialization, thereby generating future growth engines for the region and the nation.

The ‘platform construction project’ in the field of precision medicine, the next-generation medical paradigm, is a project that supports medical services that systematically manage and provide maximum treatment effects by preemptively identifying patients’ genetic and environmental factors, disease history, etc., and plan for disease prediction and prevention.

To this end, over three years until 2023, a total of 15 billion KRW (including 10 billion KRW in national funds, 600 million KRW from Jeonnam Province, 1.4 billion KRW from Hwasun County, and 3 billion KRW in private investment) will be invested for R&D for precision medical diagnosis and treatment, establishment of dedicated research facilities and equipment, and more.

This project was promoted by the Ministry of Industry through a competitive bidding process, with fierce competition between Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital and large hospitals in the metropolitan area.

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital received favorable evaluations due to its differentiated strengths, such as being ranked first domestically in some precision medicine fields like hematologic cancers, the high-purity cancer-related big data accumulated since its opening in 2004, and its key role in the bio-medical cluster within the only Hwasun Vaccine Industrial Complex in Korea.

From this year until 2023, Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital plans to build a research and development platform for customized cancer diagnosis and treatment methods, personalized precision medical services, cancer diagnostic reagents and anticancer new drugs, and AI-based medical devices.

First, next month, it will sign an agreement with the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, the dedicated institution, and plans to establish related facilities and equipment within the hospital on an annual basis.

In particular, Jeonnam Technopark, which has various experiences and programs in fostering companies and creating industrial ecosystems, will participate and is expected to provide significant support for professional and systematic precision medicine company development and industrialization support.

The global market size of the precision medicine field is 10 trillion KRW annually and is growing more than 15% each year, being evaluated as a field with great future growth potential.

The attraction of this precision medicine platform is also expected to boost Jeonnam Province’s plan to realize ‘Blue Bio’ and the establishment of the ‘National Advanced Medical Complex.’

Shin Myung-geun, director of Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, expressed his ambition, saying, “We have devoted great effort for a long time to become the mecca of ‘precision medicine,’ the future paradigm of healthcare. We will actively discover original biomedical technologies and lead the conquest of cancer,” and added, “We will also do our best to fulfill our role as a ‘filial hospital’ that drives future growth engines for the region and the nation.”

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