Woojung Bio Secures First Private ABL-3 Facility as 'Infectious Disease Research Outpost'

Chairman Lee Jong-wook and CEO Cheon Byeong-nyeon of Woojung Bio (from left) are posing for a commemorative photo at the ABL-3 facility plaque ceremony held on the 2nd.
[Photo by Woojung Bio]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Woojung Bio has secured the first private animal biosafety level 3 (ABL-3) facility in Korea, solidifying its position as a private infectious disease research hub.

Woojung Bio announced on the 3rd that it held a plaque ceremony for the ABL-3 facility on the 2nd. The ABL-3 facility is a research facility where high-risk pathogens can be handled or experimented on, and its installation and operation require approval from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Previously, ABL-3 facilities existed only in eight public institutions, six educational institutions, and one medical institution. Woojung Bio is the only private institution to have such a facility. A company official stated, “We have obtained approval for four types of high-risk pathogens: tuberculosis, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). This facility is used for the development and experimental use of genetically modified organisms, and clinical trial contract research organization (CRO) testing using the third risk group is possible.”

Since the Woojung Bio ABL-3 facility handles high-risk pathogens, strict safety management is ensured through the operation of the Woojung Bio Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). Only projects approved by the IBC can use the ABL-3 facility, and only personnel who have completed mandatory legal education and IBC access training and obtained final approval are allowed entry.

Byungnyeon Cheon, CEO of Woojung Bio, said, “Through the ABL-3 facility, we have created an environment that bio ventures and pharmaceutical companies developing new drugs and vaccines can utilize, establishing private-sector infectious disease response infrastructure. As the importance of vaccine sovereignty rises amid the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging infectious disease outbreaks, we will contribute to public-private cooperation and vaccine localization.”