Woojeong Bio, First Private Company to Obtain BSL-3 Certification

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Woojung Bio announced on the 13th that it has obtained certification for a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) animal-use facility, the first of its kind among private institutions in South Korea, for its research facility within the Efficacy Evaluation Center at Woojung Bio New Drug Cluster (Wooshin Cluster) in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province. Through this, the company plans to fully activate infrastructure for research and development of treatments and vaccines for various infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

BSL is a management standard for research facilities that handle or experiment with high-risk pathogens, classified into levels 1 to 4. The higher the level, the more hazardous materials can be handled, and from level 3, approval from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency is required for installation and operation. Wooshin Cluster submitted an application for installation and operation approval of a BSL-3 facility to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in May, and after document review and on-site inspection, it was certified as the first private institution in South Korea to operate an animal-use BSL-3 facility.

Cheon Byeong-nyeon, CEO of Woojung Bio, stated, “Currently, most domestic infectious disease preclinical trial infrastructures have been operated mainly for internal demand within public or educational institutions, but Woojung Bio can now provide an environment that bio ventures and pharmaceutical companies developing new drugs and vaccines can utilize through the BSL-3 facility.” He added, “We will actively engage in public-private cooperation against pandemics such as COVID-19 and contribute to vaccine localization.”

Woojung Bio explained that since the BSL-3 facility handles highly hazardous pathogens, it strictly manages safety through the operation of its own supervisory body, the Woojung Bio Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). Only projects approved by the IBC can use the BSL-3 facility, and only personnel who have completed mandatory legal training and IBC access training and obtained final approval are allowed entry.

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