Professor Founded Startups Share Key Achievements and Platforms… Over 250 Researchers and Consortium Members Attend

President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center Stated “We Will Strive to Lead a New Research Driven Hospital Paradigm for the Future of Medicine”

▲  Participants of the Research Driven Hospital Development Project Performance Sharing Conference at Asan Medical Center pose for a commemorative photo.

On September 19 (Friday), Asan Medical Center held a performance sharing conference at the Grand Auditorium of the East Building to present seven years of research achievements since being designated for the Research Driven Hospital Development Project by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Following its first event in 2023, this second performance sharing conference was held under the theme “Following the Growth Journey of Startups” to highlight major achievements and platforms of professor founded startups linked to the Research Driven Hospital R&D Project, while also promoting collaboration between companies and researchers.

The Research Driven Hospital Development Project is a policy initiative supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. It aims to position hospitals as leaders in healthcare technology innovation by commercializing research and development outcomes and establishing a virtuous cycle of hospital centered R&D.

Designated as a research driven hospital in 2013, Asan Medical Center was selected as the lead institution for three Research Driven Hospital Development Projects: in 2018, “Establishing a Human Centered Convergence Technology (HCT) Based Digital Healthcare Platform and Advancing Global Commercialization” in the field of neuropsychiatric disorders and cancer; in 2020, “Building a Future Medical Environment to Safeguard High Risk Patients through Human Centered Hyperconnected Convergence Technologies”; and in 2021, “Creating an Artificial Intelligence and Data Driven Ecosystem to Support New Drug Development.”

The conference was divided into two sessions: ▲Company to Patients: From Technology Realization to Clinical Practice and ▲Lab to Company: From Research to Startup. It provided an opportunity to share experiences of maximizing the synergy of the industry academia research hospital collaboration platform through professor founded startups, with a focus on achievements in medical technology commercialization.

The first session opened with the presentation “Born to Be a CEO – Taking Flight with the Research Driven Hospital” by Professor Dong-Wha Kang of the Department of Neurology at Asan Medical Center, followed by “Clinical Commercialization of Medical Robots – Lessons and Prospects” by Professor Jaesoon Choi of the Biomedical Engineering Research Center at Asan Medical Center, “Meeting Customer Needs through Clinical Trial IT Innovation” by Professor Kyung Won Kim of the Department of Radiology at Asan Medical Center, and “The Beginning of Radiopharmaceutical Commercialization – From Startup to M&A” by Professor Seung Jun Oh of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Asan Medical Center.

The second session featured presentations including “A Marathoner Running Toward a New Dream” by Jae Jun Lee, Director of Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital; “From the Three Major Blindness Inducing Diseases to Chronic Illnesses – The Commercialization Journey of AI Early Diagnosis and Integrated Management Solutions” by Professor Hyung-Hoi Kim of the Department of Medicine and the Biomedical Research Institute at Pusan National University Hospital; “Navigator of the Cancer Treatment Journey” by Professor Tae Won Kim of the Division of Oncology at Asan Medical Center; “Industry Academia Research Hospital R&D Demonstration Platform” by Professor Sung-Hoon Kim of the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Asan Medical Center; and “First Steps in Medical AI Specialization” by Professor Young-Hak Kim of the Division of Cardiology at Asan Medical Center.

The conference was attended by more than 250 participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, consortium hospitals, and partner companies.

President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center stated, “As a key player in expanding the hospital’s research ecosystem, Asan Medical Center has been striving to establish a new research driven hospital paradigm that will lead the future of medicine based on our research capabilities. I hope this performance sharing conference will serve not only as a venue for presenting achievements, but also as a meaningful opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences, and to explore new paths of collaboration and convergence.”