Professor Min Jeongjun of Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital Begins Development of Next-Generation Convergent Immunotherapy Technologies

Selected for National Project by the Ministry of Science and ICT
Joint Research Conducted with Chonnam National University and GIST

The National Immunotherapy Innovation Center (NIIC) at Chonnam National University, led by Professor Min Jeongjun of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital, is launching the development of next-generation convergent immunotherapy platform technologies for the treatment of refractory cancers.

Min Jeongjun, Professor of Nuclear Medicine, Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital.

According to Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital on May 14, this research project is a large-scale initiative selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT's '2026 Bio·Medical Technology Development Project (Next-Generation Bio).' Chonnam National University and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) are jointly executing the project.

The project will run for five years, with a total research budget of 30.7 billion won. Of this, 24 billion won will come from the national budget, 6 billion won from local government funds, and Chonnam National University and GIST will contribute around 700 million won in matching funds.

The National Immunotherapy Innovation Center serves as a research hub located in the Hwasun Vaccine Industry Special Zone in South Jeolla Province and will fulfill the role of a control tower overseeing the entire process from research planning to commercialization.

This convergent research will establish an end-to-end research framework connected to the region-based bio-infrastructure, simultaneously securing core immunotherapy technologies and laying the foundation for industrialization.

The research aims to overcome the limitations of existing immune checkpoint inhibitors. It is based on the 'SYMPHONY (Synthetic Multi-modality Platforms for Holistic ONco-immunotherapy)' strategy, which combines Chonnam National University's tumor microenvironment modulation technology with GIST's immune cell activation technology.

The research team plans to simultaneously apply next-generation drug development using intelligent microorganisms, mRNA vaccines, nanomedicine, and antibody fragments, along with technology to maximize immune cell function. Through this, they aim to convert so-called 'cold tumors,' which show little to no immune response, into treatable conditions.

Specifically, five key technologies will be applied: AI-based anti-cancer microorganisms, multi-specific antibodies, hypoxia-improving nanoplatforms, mRNA neoantigen vaccines, and supramolecular active particle (C-SMAP) technology.

Professor Min Jeongjun, the principal investigator, stated, "Through collaboration between researchers at Chonnam National University and GIST, we have established a research foundation that connects basic research to commercialization," adding, "We aim to secure global technological competitiveness in the bio market through the 'SYMPHONY' strategy, which combines proprietary Korean technologies."

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