Naver "Collecting Data Enables Precision Medicine... Security Enhancement and Standardization Needed via Cloud"

"By standardizing and aggregating data, we can create a framework for personalized prescriptions through learning. We aim to build a medical ecosystem on the cloud that can utilize diverse big data."

Ryu Jae-jun, General Manager of Naver Cloud, is giving a lecture at 'Bio Korea 2023' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 10th.
[Photo by Lee Chun-hee]

On the afternoon of the 10th, Ryu Jae-jun, Head of Naver Cloud, emphasized the importance of 'data' during his lecture titled 'Commercialization of Bio Digital Transformation Technology and Status of Global Expansion' at 'Bio Korea 2023' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. He stated that linking personal information such as diagnosis, treatment, and prescriptions could bring about another innovation called 'precision medicine.' By collecting and standardizing data, tools for personalized prescriptions can be created, and by integrating big data and AI, a patient-centered medical and prescription society can emerge.

Ryu cited diabetes as a representative case where precision medicine is possible. He said, "Diabetes involves various cases due to genetics, onset timing, disease status, and presence of complications, so it is necessary to collect a lot of data." He added, "Using data as a reference, it is possible to predict diabetes onset and recommend treatments that have been effective for people with similar lifestyles."

Regarding the necessity of such innovation, Ryu emphasized the economic effect of the healthcare industry, saying, "Korea is aging faster than Japan. Continued development of medical technology can reduce the proportion of medical expenses for those over 65 in health insurance finances, thereby lowering the burden of national health insurance costs."

However, he also pointed out that data standardization must precede this. Ryu said, "Each hospital’s electronic medical records (EMR) are different, so existing medical information must be brought via CDs or prints." He stressed, "It is necessary to standardize and collect all data for patients." To this end, he expressed expectations that various tools usable in medical fields will be created through government-led projects such as the Ministry of Science and ICT’s P-HIS project, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 'My Healthway' project, and the medical big data platform construction project.

Ryu also mentioned the importance of the 'cloud' for safely storing data. He explained, "It is necessary to build a cloud that securely stores data without allowing external export. This enables only the results to be taken out, and even then, only with permission from the data owner."

He also shared Naver Cloud’s plan to create a medical ecosystem on the cloud through this. He said, "We want to provide a system that collects medical data and MyData to create and utilize diverse big data, and an environment where it can be used in services." Regarding this, he added that since last year, they have been promoting a project to enter Thailand, a global medical tourism country, together with companies such as LifeSemantics, NewNaps, and Imocog, to establish a healthcare environment.