Over 900 Attend Hwasun International Vaccine and Immunotherapy Forum in Great Success

From the 16th to the 17th, New Technologies for Future Vaccines and Immunotherapy

The ‘2023 Hwasun International Vaccine and Immunotherapy Forum,’ jointly hosted by Hwasun County, Jeollanam-do, and the Forum Promotion Committee, successfully opened on the 16th at the Hwasun Hanium Culture and Sports Center with over 900 attendees.

Since its inception in 2016, the ‘Hwasun International Vaccine Forum,’ now in its seventh year, has firmly established itself as South Korea’s premier medical and vaccine forum.

Each year, it has built a unique reputation by attracting numerous distinguished domestic and international scholars.

Notably, starting this year, the forum has been renamed the ‘Hwasun International Vaccine and Immunotherapy Forum’ to encompass the emerging field of immunotherapy, a rising star in biomedicine, and is seeking progressive changes toward greater goals.

This year’s forum theme, ‘New Technologies for Future Vaccines and Immunotherapy,’ focused on in-depth discussions with global opinion leaders about the desirable directions for the development of vaccines and immunotherapy.

On the first day of the forum, the 16th, Dr. Kyle Holen, Senior Vice President of Moderna in the United States and a globally recognized authority on mRNA vaccines, delivered a presentation titled ‘mRNA: The Future Solution for Cancer Treatment.’

Following him, Anne de Groot, CEO of EpiVax, spoke on ‘Collaboration Between Humans and Artificial Intelligence for More Effective and Safer Personalized Vaccines.’ Yoshimasa Takahashi, Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan, presented on ‘Human Immune Profiling for Intelligent Design of Vaccines and Therapeutics,’ and Wang Wen (Maxwell), Executive Director of IASO Biotherapeutics, a Chinese pharmaceutical company, discussed ‘The Present, Challenges, and Future of CAR T Immunotherapy.’

Among domestic speakers, Dr. Jeonghyun Lee, Senior Scientist at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), presented on ‘Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibody Drugs to Enhance Global Accessibility,’ and Hunsang Lee, Director of Strategic Planning at the International Health Technology Research Foundation, spoke about ‘The Light Foundation’s Vision for Future Vaccine Technologies for Developing Countries.’

Dr. Heechang Jang, Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, discussed ‘The Role of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Domestic and Global Vaccine Fields.’ Professor Chaekyoo Ok of Seoul National University’s Department of Chemistry presented on ‘Structure-Based Artificial Intelligence for Vaccines and Immunotherapy,’ and Professor Jeongjun Min of Chonnam National University Medical School spoke on ‘Bacterial Engineering for Cancer Immunotherapy.’ These world-renowned experts in vaccines and immunotherapy drew significant attention from the academic community.

On the second day of the forum, the 17th, experts in the domestic vaccine and immunotherapy fields will be invited to present on topics including ‘New Immunotherapy Technologies for Cancer Treatment,’ ‘Directions for Leading Immunology and Basic Science Worldwide,’ and ‘Strategies for Promoting Global Bio Workforce Development.’

Additionally, to attract anchor companies and facilitate employment connections for specialized personnel, the forum will operate the ‘Hwasun Vaccine Special Zone Booth’ and ‘Corporate Exhibition Booths,’ along with a tour program of the Hwasun Bio-Medical Cluster.

County Governor Gubokgyu emphasized in his welcoming speech at the opening ceremony, “The Hwasun International Vaccine and Immunotherapy Forum has presented cutting-edge topics and visions to the global bioindustry, elevating the status of Hwasun, Jeollanam-do, and further, South Korea.” He added, “Going forward, Hwasun County will do its utmost to become the ‘Mecca of Vaccines and Bio’ by leading with the vaccine forum.”

Following its selection as a World Health Organization (WHO) Global Bio Campus in July, Hwasun County plans to train approximately 1,000 bioindustry specialists annually. It is also building infrastructure to revitalize the vaccine and immunotherapy industries, including the newly inaugurated National Immunotherapy Innovation Center, an mRNA vaccine demonstration support base, and an industrialization technology platform for immune cell therapy.

Based on this foundation, the county plans to make every effort to attract the National Advanced Medical Complex and the National Advanced Strategic Industry Bio Specialized Complex to foster the advanced medical and bio-pharmaceutical industries.

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