Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital Brain Health Center Conducts National Dementia and Alzheimer's Research Project Worth 7.4 Billion KRW

Professor Lim Hyun-guk (center) and his research team at the Catholic Brain Health Center, Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwanju] The Catholic Brain Health Center at Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital announced on the 14th that it has recently been selected as an institution to carry out a national research project worth 7.4 billion KRW.

The Brain Health Center secured a total of four national research projects related to dementia and Alzheimer's disease, receiving research funding totaling 7.46 billion KRW over the next five years from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and other government bodies. Specifically, ▲Discovery of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers ▲Development of stem cell therapeutics ▲Development of electronic drug technology ▲Development of digital therapeutics, focusing on the latest research related to Alzheimer's disease.

The research team aims to identify new biomarkers that can detect early dementia pathology earlier than beta-amyloid and tau deposits, and develop 'stem cell therapeutics,' which are emerging as a potential fundamental treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Additionally, as an alternative to the limitations of existing Alzheimer's treatments and the continuous failures in new drug development, the research team plans to develop Alzheimer's treatment technology using 'high-precision transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS),' which has advantages over other brain stimulation therapies. Furthermore, recognizing the growing need for digital therapeutics beyond drug treatments, they will also develop game-based therapeutic technologies.

Im Hyun-guk, director of the Brain Health Center and professor of psychiatry, said, "The greatest joy is being able to conduct research that can directly help patients," adding, "Based on the current research, we are planning translational research that can connect research and clinical practice."

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