Promoting the Activation of the Precision Medical Industry through the Utilization of Medical Data

Demonstration of Safe Use of Medical Data and Development of Medical AI in Data Safe Zone

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Lee Young) announced on the 7th that it will begin a demonstration project to revitalize the precision medical industry through the utilization of medical data in the Gangwon Precision Medical Industry Regulatory Free Zone. Designated as a regulatory free zone in August last year, the Gangwon Precision Medical Industry Zone is demonstrating and developing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for disease prediction, diagnosis, and treatment using medical data.

The Gangwon Precision Medical Industry Zone received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval regarding the pseudonymization standards of medical data to minimize the risk of personal information identification in medical data held by medical institutions before the demonstration project began. Subsequently, it completed preliminary preparations for the demonstration by establishing a Data Safe Zone to ensure secure use of medical data in a separately secured space and forming a Data Utilization Review Committee.

Project operators within the zone will actively conduct demonstrations for AI solution development through processing and analyzing medical data within the Data Safe Zone. The demonstration projects starting now involve three of the four target diseases for precision medical technology development using medical data: chronic liver disease, brain injury, and facial bone fractures. The demonstration for prostate cancer prediction AI solution development is currently under discussion regarding methods for genetic information deletion.

Going forward, through the successful demonstration in the Gangwon Precision Medical Industry Zone, safety will be verified, and based on the results, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the relevant authority, will work on legal revisions to establish a foundation for revitalizing the precision medical industry using medical data. Minister Lee Young stated, "The AI solutions for each disease to be developed through this demonstration will serve as a cornerstone for personalized medicine, enabling accurate diagnosis and efficient treatment."