Seoul National University Hospital Ranks No. 1 in Korea in Nature Index '2026 Leading Cancer Research Medical Institutions'

Cancer Research Contribution Score of 35.73 and 231 Published Papers

Seoul National University Hospital announced on April 21 that it ranked first in Korea (67th globally) in the "Nature Index 2026 Cancer: Leading 200 Medical Institutions" evaluation, which was released on April 15.

Seoul National University Hospital building. Seoul National University Hospital

The Nature Index is a global research competitiveness indicator that tracks and analyzes the research contributions of institutions based on papers published in major journals in the natural sciences and health sciences fields, which are carefully selected based on reputation. The evaluation is calculated using not only the number of papers but also the fractional contribution of each author. In this evaluation, from 2021 to 2025, Seoul National University Hospital recorded a cancer research contribution score of 35.73, with 231 related papers, and a share of 31.3% compared to its total research output.

The hospital explained that its achievements were influenced by its artificial intelligence-based research environment, clinical trial capabilities, and cell therapy research infrastructure. Previously, Seoul National University Hospital successfully established the agent platform "SNUH.AI," which coordinates clinical workflows, and "KMed.AI," a large language model tailored to the Korean medical environment. The hospital also operates "SNUH POLARIS," a clinical decision support system for personalized cancer treatment.

The hospital has also built capabilities for conducting Phase I clinical trials, which are considered among the most complex stages of anticancer drug development. From 2015 to 2020, Seoul National University Hospital successfully carried out a total of 945 anticancer drug clinical trials, ranking fifth among major hospitals worldwide during that period.

The hospital is actively engaging in next-generation cell-based therapies to overcome the limitations of existing treatments. In particular, through research on chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), it is leading efforts to conquer hard-to-treat hematologic cancers. Based on its Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-certified facilities, it is the only hospital in Korea to independently produce CAR-T cells and support translational research.

Kim Youngtae, President of Seoul National University Hospital, stated, "This achievement is a valuable result attained by our outstanding clinicians and researchers who remained steadfast despite a challenging environment, including conflicts between the medical community and the government." He added, "With medical services now normalized, we will do our utmost to ensure patients can receive world-class cancer treatment with peace of mind. Going forward, Seoul National University Hospital will continue to firmly lead the paradigm of global cancer care."

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