Creating a 'Digital Bio' Ecosystem at the Level of Boston, USA

Ministry of Science and ICT Reports at Advanced Industry Global Cluster Strategy Meeting on the 1st

The government will focus on fostering the 'digital bio' industry, which combines advanced digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) with biotechnology.

On the morning of the 1st, the Ministry of Science and ICT reported the 'Digital Bio Infrastructure Establishment Plan' at the Advanced Industry Global Cluster Strategy Meeting (the 5th Export Strategy Meeting). This plan concretizes the discussions held during the 'Dialogue with MIT Digital Bio Scholars' at President Yoon Seok-yeol's state visit to the United States in April into policy.

Specifically, the plan promotes seven leading digital bio R&D projects, establishes a growth foundation for digital bio, and strengthens global cooperation in digital bio.

First, through the seven leading projects, it supports the creation of success cases that overcome the limitations of existing bio research and industry. The leading projects include ▲‘Antibody Design AI,’ which rapidly designs next-generation new drugs, ▲AI ‘DeepFold,’ which predicts the three-dimensional structure of proteins and complex protein binding, ▲‘MyDoctor24,’ which diagnoses and monitors dementia and autism patients using artificial intelligence. Following these, ▲‘Doctor Answer 3.0,’ which predicts and manages rare diseases and cancer through genetic testing, ▲ ‘Mind Health App,’ which manages daily depression and stress using advanced digital technologies such as GPT, ‘Korean Aging Clock,’ which identifies causes of aging and develops core technologies for prevention/delay based on aging big data, and ▲‘NeuroTalk,’ a brainwave-based speech synthesis technology enabling communication by thought, are also being pursued.

Measures to foster a growth foundation for digital bio include talent development, advanced equipment, digital research platforms, and support for corporate growth. First, by establishing bio-specialized AI graduate schools and opening formal medical AI courses within medical schools, the plan aims to cultivate ambidextrous convergence talents equipped with both bio expertise and digital technology. Benchmarking the HST program of MIT and Harvard Medical School (since 1970), it plans to nurture world-class physician-scientists based on close collaboration between medical and scientific communities, including medical and engineering schools.

Support will also be provided for the establishment and utilization of advanced equipment essential for digital bio research. A national bio foundry will be established to automate, accelerate, and digitize bio manufacturing processes, and a supercomputer specialized for digital bio research such as big data analysis will be developed. A research equipment sharing and utilization support hub will be built to enable researchers to conveniently access advanced large-scale research equipment scattered nationwide. Alongside building a data-based research platform accessible to all, a full-cycle support system will be prepared to nurture digital bio innovation-leading companies from startup incubation to domestic market formation and global expansion.

Efforts to strengthen global cooperation in digital bio will also be actively pursued. By dispatching young domestic researchers (master’s and doctoral level) to the United States and supporting the invitation of researchers from leading overseas institutions to Korea, a global advanced bio network will be formed. The ‘Boston-Korea Project’ will be promoted to develop digital bio innovative technologies and cultivate core personnel through joint research projects between excellent domestic research institutions and leading research institutions in Boston. For example, by integrating Seoul National University Hospital’s medical big data and outstanding medical personnel with MIT’s world-class research capabilities, multifaceted achievements can be made, ranging from innovative early cancer diagnosis to treatment and rehabilitation of intractable brain diseases such as dementia, as well as physician-scientist training.

Lee Jong-ho, Minister of Science and ICT, stated, “The great transformation to digital bio is a golden opportunity for Korea, which possesses excellent digital capabilities, abundant medical data, and outstanding human resources, to leap forward as a leading bio nation. Especially, it is important to create innovative success models through cooperation with bio-leading countries like the United States.”

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