Aiming to Secure Early Diagnosis and Treatment Technologies for Dementia
Chosun University Hospital announced on May 12 that it has completed the first phase (2022?2024) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's "Research-Oriented Hospital Fostering R&D Support Project" and has officially begun the second phase of the project.
Chosun University Hospital was selected for this project in 2022 with the task "Convergence Research on Dementia Treatment and Prevention Based on Metabolic Analysis and Precision Diagnosis Platform." Since then, the hospital has formed a dementia convergence research consortium with Severance Hospital, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), private companies, and others, and has been conducting joint research.
This project, with a total budget of 39 billion KRW, aims to secure early diagnosis and treatment technologies for dementia in preparation for an aging society. It has drawn attention for forming a nationwide research cooperation network.
Led by Professor Ha Jungmin (Department of Nuclear Medicine) as the principal investigator, Chosun University Hospital, together with the Gwangju Dementia Cohort Research Group and private companies, has received approximately 7.64 billion KRW in research funding (including 2.2 billion KRW in-kind). The project will be carried out over a total of 8 years and 5 months, until 2030.
During the first phase, the hospital systematically established a bio-medical database (DB) based on the Gwangju Dementia Cohort. Significant achievements were made in several areas: research on new diagnostic markers for dementia and the identification of harmful bacteria using metabolomics and the microbiome, elucidation of related mechanisms, and securing fundamental technologies for the development of new probiotic-based live biotherapeutic products (LBP).
In the second phase, follow-up research will focus on practical application and clinical implementation based on the data and technologies accumulated in the first phase. The goal is to develop dementia diagnosis and prevention technologies based on metabolomics and the microbiome. The hospital plans to concentrate on developing multimodal biomarker-based dementia prediction and early diagnosis technologies, including dementia-suppressing probiotics, and to prepare for product development and clinical trials.
In June last year, Chosun University Hospital established and began operating the Biomedical Research Institute to strengthen academic research in medicine and promote industry-academia collaboration.
The Biomedical Research Institute at Chosun University Hospital focuses on developing next-generation medical technologies based on government and industry R&D projects, and is leading the advancement of the regional medical industry by supporting researchers and providing integrated management.
With the launch of the second phase of the research-oriented hospital project, Chosun University Hospital plans to further strengthen its role as a research-oriented hospital by building a more systematic research infrastructure centered on the Biomedical Research Institute and accelerating the practical application of research outcomes.
Professor Ha Jungmin stated, "The second phase of the project is more than a simple extension; it is a crucial turning point for Chosun University Hospital to generate tangible results by linking its diverse clinical resources and outstanding research capabilities with industry. Through organic collaboration with the Biomedical Research Institute, we aim to contribute to realizing the vision of Chosun University Hospital as a next-generation research hospital."
Hospital Director Kim Jin-ho said, "Through the Biomedical Research Institute, we will systematically support the advancement of research infrastructure, technology commercialization, and the strengthening of industry-academia collaboration, enabling Chosun University Hospital to become a world-class precision medicine research institution. We will faithfully fulfill our role as a national healthcare R&D hub, extending beyond the region."
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