Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital Launches 'K-HOPE' Based on Data from 40,000 Cancer Patients

Min Jungjun, Director of Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital (center), is taking a commemorative photo with attendees including Kang Daehee, Professor at Seoul National University, and Yoon Hoyul, Director of Jeonnam Bioindustry Promotion Agency. Provided by Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital

Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital announced on December 8 that it has officially launched the national research and development project "K-HOPE (Korea-Hwasun Oncology Precision biomedicine & Experimental trials)."

On December 5, the hospital held the "K-HOPE Symposium: From Clinical Practice to Innovation, Hwasun Leads the AI-Bio Future" at the Future Hall of the hospital's Center for Future Medical Innovation. During the event, top domestic and international experts in the medical and bio fields presented a blueprint for a digital smart clinical trial platform specialized for Korean cancer patients.

This event was significant as it served as a venue for announcing strategies to convert the hospital's cancer treatment and research capabilities, accumulated over the past 20 years, into digital formats to secure competitiveness in the global bio market.

Kim Hyungseok, Director of the Biomedical Research Institute, stated, "This is a pivotal occasion to discuss how to materialize the future of AI bio and expand it to innovative drug development," adding, "It will serve as an opportunity to envision the AI bio future centered on Hwasun and our hospital."

K-HOPE is a core R&D project for 2025 supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, aiming to integrate the entire clinical and non-clinical process on a digital basis to establish a precision medicine-centered new drug development ecosystem. The key is to strengthen the linkage between non-clinical and clinical stages based on the 'three major digital platforms,' which connect the stages of new drug development and clinical trials into a single flow. Through this, the strategy is to reduce the risk of early-stage drug development failure and to increase the speed and efficiency of clinical trials.

The three core platforms are: ▲ K-PRISM, responsible for developing new precision medicine technologies; ▲ K-COSMOS TRI MAP, which predicts drug toxicity and safety using AI; and ▲ K-MAESTRO, which digitalizes clinical trial operations.

Cho Sanghee, head of the project, commented, "The digital assetization of medical data is at the core of K-HOPE," and added, "We aim to usher in an era of ultra-personalized treatment, designing optimal therapies for each patient through AI and omics-based analysis."

Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital has so far secured sample, genetic, and treatment data from about 40,000 cancer patients. Based on this, the hospital is also building a web-based biobank to advance precision medicine models and improve research accessibility.

In addition, the hospital is opening its own infrastructure, such as the Medical Big Data Center and Clinical Trial Center, to expand joint research with companies and research institutions. It is also working on practical platform implementation in collaboration with digital bio companies such as IT Eyes, JS Link, and C&R Research.

Notably, Hwasun has been designated as a national strategic advanced industry specialized complex, raising expectations for synergy with the Gwangju-Jeonnam bio cluster. It is being evaluated as a central axis in the new drug development ecosystem, connecting local research institutes, bio companies, and hospitals.

Min Jungjun, Director of Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital, emphasized, "K-HOPE is a core pillar of an open innovation ecosystem connecting local governments, industries, universities, hospitals, and research institutes. As a national project to establish a region-based precision medicine and new drug development system, we will play a central role in advancing Korea's bio industry based on our accumulated research capabilities."

Meanwhile, the "K-HOPE Symposium" focused on hospital-centered new drug development governance and the establishment of an AI-based clinical trial platform. In the first session, Kang Daehee, Professor at Seoul National University, served as the moderator, presenting a comprehensive overview of future medicine in the AI-bio era, region-based new drug development strategies, the role of biobanks, and directions for global AI drug development collaboration.

The second session, moderated by Yang Deokhwan, Professor of Hematology at Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital, focused on hospital-startup cooperation models, clinical and research convergence strategies, and the direction for building the K-HOPE digital clinical trial ecosystem.

In addition, at the "2025 Hwasun Biomedical Workshop (HBMW)" held earlier that day, Jung Yongyeon, Professor of Radiology, received the Biomedical Academic Leadership Award. There were also academic awards presented to graduate researchers, including Dinh Huy from Nuclear Medicine, Van Tan from Hematology, Noh Jeongeun from Immunology, and Choi Jiyoon from Physiology, highlighting active academic exchange.

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