Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital to Establish Innovative Space Medicine Research Platform

Strategy for Advancing Hospital-Centered Bio Cluster

Hyungseok Kim, Professor of Forensic Medicine and Pathology at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital.

On March 4, Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital unveiled a new vision to establish a space medicine research platform and position itself as the "Asia Cancer Hub," leveraging the achievements accumulated over more than 20 years as a biomedical cluster.

Hyung Seok Kim, Professor of Forensic Medicine and Pathology at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, gave a presentation titled "The Success of Jeonnam Biomedical Cluster and the Role of the Hospital" at the recent Hankyung Bio Insight Forum held in Jeju. He stated, "The Hwasun Bio Cluster must evolve from its strengths in vaccines and immunotherapy to become an advanced integrated bio hub based on AI and precision medicine."

The Hwasun Bio Cluster has grown into one of Korea's three major bio clusters, starting with the establishment of the Jeonnam Bioindustry Foundation in 2002, the opening of Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital in 2004, the completion of the GC Green Cross Hwasun plant in 2009, and the designation of a vaccine industry special zone in 2010. Over the past 20 years, a total of 1.2 trillion won has been invested, and it is recognized as having built the nation's only full-cycle infrastructure for vaccines and immunotherapy.

Building on this foundation, Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital has presented "space medicine" as a future growth engine. The hospital has proposed a government-funded project titled "Establishment of an Innovative Research Platform for Intractable Diseases Based on Simulated Space Environments," with a total investment of 50 billion won.

The core of the project is to create research infrastructure that utilizes the underground facilities of the Hwasun closed mine to simulate environments of ultra-low radiation and microgravity on Earth. Through this, the hospital plans to: conduct research to overcome cancer metastasis and drug resistance; develop anti-aging new drugs based on accelerated aging; and build an integrated space-ground multi-omics analysis platform using AI.

Professor Kim explained, "The space environment accelerates human aging, muscle loss, and decreased bone density, providing optimal conditions for uncovering anti-aging mechanisms and verifying new drug efficacy."

He also highlighted the geographical advantages. Hwasun is located near the Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeonnam, and is well-positioned to expand research in collaboration with the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) and to increase bio payload experiments.

The hospital's stated goal is to build the "Asia Cancer Hub Cluster." The plan is to complete an integrated platform connecting treatment, research, data, and tourism, centered on advanced cancer treatment infrastructure such as particle therapy equipment, cyclotron-based alpha particle production, and a theranostics center.

The strategy includes developing a medical tourism model that links Muan International Airport and tourism resources along the southwest coast, as well as accumulating real-world data (RWD) from foreign patients to advance precision medicine.

Professor Hyung Seok Kim said, "The Hwasun Bio Cluster has built a vaccine-centered industrial ecosystem over the past 20 years. Looking ahead, we aim to transform it into a future-oriented research hub leading the global biohealth industry through new growth engines such as space medicine and the vision of the Asia Cancer Hub."

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