The University of Minnesota Medical School, Which Trained Korean Doctors 70 Years Ago, Collaborating with South Korea on Living Donor Liver Transplantation Since 2015.

On April 11^th, MOU Extended for Ongoing Research and Education in Liver Transplantation and Related Field with the University of Minnesota Medical School

“Collaboration on Living Donor Liver Transplantation with the U.S., Once a Medical Mentor, Demonstrates the Elevated Status of Korean Medicine”

▲Asan Medical Center and the University of Ulsan College of Medicine held an MOU extension ceremony on Friday April 11^th at Asan Medical Center, confirming their continued collaboration with the University of Minnesota Medical School in the U.S. on joint research and education related to organ transplantation and related fields.

(From left) Chairman Tae Won Kim of Asan Institute for Life Sciences & Chief Research Officer, Endowed-Chair Professor Sung-Gyu Lee of the Division of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Dean Young-Suk Lim of University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Professor Timothy Pruett of the Division of Transplantation at the University of Minnesota Medical School, President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center, Professor Gi-Won Song of the Division of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery, and Professor Eunyoung Tak of the Department of Convergence Medicine at Biomedical Research Center.

The partnership between Asan Medical Center, a global leader in living donor liver transplantation, and the University of Minnesota Medical School in the United States (U.S.), which began in 2015, has yielded successful outcomes.

Over the past decade, Asan Medical Center has provided advanced training in living donor liver transplantation to 18 medical professionals from the University of Minnesota Medical School. Once instrumental in rebuilding thes healthcare system of South Korea in 1955, the University of Minnesota is now collaborating with South Korea to drive the global advancement of liver transplantation.

On Friday, April 11^th, Asan Medical Center and the University of Ulsan College of Medicine held an MOU extension ceremony with the University of Minnesota Medical School at Asan Medical Center, reaffirming their continued collaboration in joint research and education on organ transplantation, stem cell, and related fields.

Through the renewed MOU, the three institutions have committed to closely collaborating until 2027 on a range of areas. These include clinical research on deceased and living donor liver transplantation, donor hepatectomy, and liver donation. They will also work together on basic and translational research in regenerative medicine, stem cells, and viral transplantation. In addition, the collaboration will involve clinical and surgical education, as well as the exchange of information related to organ transplantation and evaluation systems for both living and deceased donor liver transplantation.

The ceremony was attended by President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center, Dean Young-Suk Lim of University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Chairman Tae Won Kim of Asan Institute for Life Sciences & Chief Research Officer, Endowed-Chair Professor Sung-Gyu Lee of the Division of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery at Asan Medical Center, and Professor Timothy Pruett of the Division of Transplantation at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

The University of Minnesota Medical School served as the lead educational institution for the ’Minnesota Project,’ a U.S. State Department-funded aid program launched to help rebuild the healthcare system of South Korea following the devastation of the Korean War in 1955. Korean physicians and nurses from university hospitals received advanced medical training at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and over time, South Korea grew into a globally recognized leader in advanced medical practice.

The partnership between Asan Medical Center and the University of Minnesota Medical School began in October 2014, when the University of Minnesota Medical Center proposed collaboration in the field of organ transplantation. Since then, starting in 2015, they have signed and continuously renewed MOUs for joint research and education collaboration, strengthening their collaborative relationship over the years.

A total of 18 medical professionals, including 9 doctors, from the University of Minnesota Medical School were trained in the unique living donor liver transplantation techniques of Asan Medical Center, including modified right lobe liver transplantation, 2-to-1 liver transplantation, and ABO-incompatible liver transplantation.

Seven medical professionals from Asan Medical Center visited the University of Minnesota Medical School to learn from its world-class expertise in stem cell therapies. Together with the Minnesota faculty, they have jointly conducted research projects, including the development of immunosuppressive cell therapy using liver-derived microRNA stem cells for liver transplantation, and the development of organoid-based therapeutic technologies using cholangiocarcinoma stem cells.

Endowed-Chair Professor Sung-Gyu Lee of the Division of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery at Asan Medical Center, stated, collaborating on living donor liver transplantation with the United States, once our medical mentor, for an extended period demonstrates the elevated global status of Korean medicine. We hope to continue contributing to saving lives around the world through ongoing research and collaboration.”

President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center emphasized, “Based on the trust and achievements built over the past decade with the University of Minnesota Medical School, we have been able to further strengthen our long-term partnership. Active exchange and collaboration among the three institutions will serve as a vital foundation for generating synergy and mutual advancement.”

Professor Timothy Pruett of the Division of Transplantation at the University of Minnesota Medical School remarked, “It is deeply moving to see the relationship which began with Korea during the Korean War developed into a strong partnership with Asan Medical Center. I hope that our ongoing exchange in clinical practice, research, and education will continue in the future.”

Meanwhile, the liver transplantation team at Asan Medical Center has 7,471 living donor liver transplantation surgeries, and with deceased donor liver transplantation included, a total of 8,966 liver transplantation surgeries have been performed to date. Despite the fact that high-complexity living donor liver transplantation accounts for the majority, the overall liver transplantation survival rates at Asan Medical Center are higher than those of advanced liver transplantation nations such as the United States, with a 1-year survival rate of 98%, a 3-year survival rate of 90%, and a 10-year survival rate of 89%.