Chung-Ang University Hospital Professors Iwangsu and Kim Jaetaek Team Selected for Ministry of Health and Welfare's 'Vaccine Side Effect Prediction Technology Project'

Research on Biomarkers to Predict Cardiac Side Effects After Vaccine Administration

Professor Wangsu Lee (left) from the Department of Cardiology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, and Professor Jaetaek Kim from the Department of Endocrinology.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Chung-Ang University Hospital announced on the 3rd that the team of Professor Wang-Soo Lee from the Department of Cardiology and Professor Jae-Taek Kim from the Department of Endocrinology has been selected for the "Vaccine Side Effect Prediction Technology Project" under the 1st Global Vaccine Technology Leading Project promoted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Chung-Ang University Hospital will receive 1.4 billion KRW in research funding until December 2024 to establish a cohort of COVID-19 vaccine recipients, discover myocarditis biomarkers, and conduct clinical research to establish protocols for predicting the occurrence and severity of myocarditis using these biomarkers.

The team led by Professors Wang-Soo Lee and Jae-Taek Kim plans to conduct preclinical trials and clinical research simultaneously to understand the mechanisms of myocarditis that may occur as a side effect after vaccination, evaluate the toxicity of various vaccine platforms, and discover vaccine-induced myocarditis biomarkers.

Professor Jae-Taek Kim stated, "Currently, it is difficult to predict the occurrence of myocarditis caused by vaccine side effects, and there are no disease-specific treatments, so treatment focuses only on improving patient symptoms. Therefore, if the condition progresses to a severe stage, the patient's prognosis is inevitably poor. Through this research, we aim to recognize the necessity of developing next-generation vaccines without cardiac side effects and to discover innovative biomarkers applicable in clinical settings."