News & Events
News & Events
Institut Pasteur Korea and the Bio Core Facility Center at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary`s Hospital Collaborate to Support the Bio Startup Ecosystem
2025-01-10
Institut Pasteur Korea and the Bio Core Facility Center
at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Collaborate to Support the Bio Startup Ecosystem
-Supporting the Domestic Bio Industry through Advanced Research Infrastructure-
at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Collaborate to Support the Bio Startup Ecosystem
-Supporting the Domestic Bio Industry through Advanced Research Infrastructure-
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(Jan, 9, 2025, Gyeonggi-do, Rep. of Korea) Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK) announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Bio Core Facility Center at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital to enhance mutual cooperation in supporting the bio startup ecosystem and utilizing research facilities.
The agreement ceremony took place at IPK on January 8, with attendees including Sung Key Jang, CEO of IPK, and Young-Seok Cho, Professor of Gastroenterology at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital. The collaboration aims to leverage the strengths of both organizations in promoting bio-industry innovation.
Under the agreement, the two institutions will collaborate in utilizing their accumulated research expertise, facilitating business exchanges, sharing research equipment and facilities, and exchanging human resources and information.
Both organizations are already contributing to the domestic bio industry through government-supported project. IPK is conducting the "Virus Research Resource Center Advancement" project, while Seoul St. Mary's Hospital is implementing the "Bio Core Facility Establishment Project," both of which are supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
IPK’s Virus Research Resource Center serves as a pivotal research infrastructure for basic virus research. Operated as an open lab, it provides external researchers access to critical facilities such as (Animal) Biosafety Level 3 ((A)BSL-3) and biobanks, essential for studying high-risk infectious diseases but typically inaccessible in the private sector.
Since 2022, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital’s Bio Core Facility Center has been conducting the "Bio Core Facility Project," aimed at fostering bio startups. Five companies—LucasBio Co., Ltd., MarkHerz Inc., Surginex Inc., Akrocell Biosciences, Inc., and EDmicBio Inc.—are actively participating in this project.
Sung Key Jang stated, “Through cutting-edge facility infrastructure like the RRC, operated as an open lab, we aim to collaborate with industry, academia, research institutions, and hospitals to drive innovative research.”
Young-Seok Cho added, “By leveraging the strengths and infrastructure of both institutions, we will contribute to the development of the domestic bio industry and support the growth of startups.”